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Ketamine: Therapeutic Applications, Clinical Research, and Neural Mechanisms

Ketamine: Therapeutic Applications, Clinical Research, and Neural Mechanisms

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$139.00

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Over 15,000 students taught
Psychedelic Support has enrolled over 15,000 students in our free and paid courses! All proceeds from our paid courses have gone into funding more education and resources for the public around safe and ethical use of psychedelics in therapy and harm reduction.
Course Description

After decades of use as an anesthetic agent, ketamine is now being applied for the treatment of mental health conditions. This modern use of ketamine is delivered through two main frameworks - a biomedical model and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.

In this online course, we provide a comprehensive summary of ketamine’s pharmacology, safety and effects, neuroscience findings, therapeutic approaches, and risks associated with recreational use. By understanding how different doses and routes of administration affect subjective experiences and neural activity, we gain insight into how ketamine works for various psychiatric conditions and how it is used for treatments.

Throughout the learning modules, we hear from experienced clinicians, doctors, and researchers on how they prepare and treat patients with ketamine. We highlight both the pros and limitations of various approaches based on evidence-based findings. 

Self-paced course includes:

  • 5 hours of learning content
  • Interactive eLearning modules with narration
  • Interviews with ketamine therapists, medical doctors, researchers, and neuroscientists
  • Animations and detailed graphics of complex topics
  • Discussion forum to engage with other learners and instructors
  • Knowledge checks throughout the course
  • Downloadable reference lists with cited publications and links
  • Downloadable resource documents with suggested videos, books, articles, and websites
  • 1-year access to our online learning platform
  • Invite to monthly speaker series and access to past event videos
  • Psychedelic Support Certificate of Completion

Choose the Continuing Education (CE) or Continuing Medical Education (CME) option for:

  • 5 hours of continuing education (CE/CME) credits
  • CE Certificate for licensed professionals including psychologists, therapists, social workers, etc.
  • CME Certificate (AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™) for doctors, nurses, medical professionals, etc. includes 5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
  • See below for more information about continuing education

 

This course is perfect for mental health professionals, neuroscience students, and anyone interested in gaining insight into the science and therapeutic approaches of ketamine. With over 200 publications reviewed and interviews with leading experts, the learning content is superior quality and delivered through an engaging, multimedia experience.

Course Curriculum

 

Module 1: Ketamine Pharmacology, Effects, and Safety

 

Learning Objectives

  • Explain the history of ketamine from its discovery to modern-day psychiatric uses
  • Describe how ketamine works in the brain to induce dose-dependent effects
  • Discuss the mechanisms of action and safety profile of ketamine

Topics Covered

  • Historical uses of ketamine in medical settings
  • Structure and pharmacodynamics of ketamine
  • Ketamine pharmacokinetics and metabolism
  • Neural effects of ketamine
  • Vial signs and safety monitoring

Module 2: Ketamine Clinical Applications and Therapeutic Approaches

 

Learning Objectives

  • Describe clinical uses of ketamine including routes of administration, dosing, and therapeutic frameworks
  • Explain the state of clinical research on ketamine for psychiatric indications
  • Summarize how clinicians deliver ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and training programs available for professionals to become competent, ethical providers

Topics Covered

  • Clinical applications and research
  • Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP)
  • Clinical process of administering ketamine
  • Clinical ketamine training programs

 

Accredited By Professional Organizations

In support of improving patient care, Psychedelic Support offers continuing education for health providers through the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the American Psychological Association (APA).

ACCME Accredited
American Psychological Association Education Sponsor
Testimonials
I really enjoyed the Psychedelic Support KAP training course. As the President of Sabi Mind, a Canadian KAP clinic group, I learned a tremendous amount about the history and biology of ketamine, as well as psychotherapeutic techniques and applications. We have opted to include this course as part of our overall clinic training, and feel it will help improve the client experience and associated health outcomes.
Philippe Lucas, PhD, President at SABI Mind
Psychedelic Support's course on KAP is thorough, current, and well-organized. I can't imagine someone starting a new KAP practice without taking this course. I think it would likely also serve as a great update and refresher for those already working in this field. For me it not only consolidated what I already knew, it nicely filled in some gaps as well.
Prentice Steffen, MD, FAAEM, INNATE Integrative Medicine
I have taken several courses and training on the therapeutic use of psychedelics. The academic rigor and detail of this course was far superior to any of the other trainings. I feel like I have a much better grasp of the pharmacology and mechanism of action than I did before this training. One additional benefit of this training is that it includes a large bibliography of journal articles.
Randall Morris-Ostrom, Clinical Psychologist & Adjunct Professor
Very useful introduction to ketamine and its use from people with real life hard won expertise in this emerging field. Course covers a lot of practical content in addition to background and context. Very reasonable price for the amount of content delivered.
David H., Psychiatrist
I found that this course was very informative! I gained a wealth of knowledge about the history, therapeutic, medical and ethical uses of Ketamine.
Dorian Banks, Clinical Counseling Student & Coach
I really enjoyed how this course covered the subject in depth without being needlessly technical or verbose. It was great to hear from therapists using this medication and what their experiences have been.
Arthur C.
Meet your Course Instructors, Contributors, & Peer Reviewers:
Allison Feduccia, PhD
Allison Feduccia, PhD
Instructor
Allison Feduccia, PhD is a neuropharmacologist, psychedelic researcher, and a builder of virtual and in-person communities. She is the Co-Founder of Psychedelic Support, a directory of healthcare professionals and educational platform, and Project New Day, a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation focused on psychedelics for addiction recovery. In 2009, she earned a PhD in neuropharmacology from UT Austin studying the effects of MDMA on behavior and neurochemical release in non-clinical models. She was a postdoctoral researcher at UCSF and at the National Institutes of Health (NIAAA/NIDA) where she investigated treatments for substance use disorders. Her work at MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (2015-2020) focused on psychedelic protocol designs, MDMA trial operations, data analyses, scientific writing, public education and outreach. Dr. Feduccia is deeply driven to advance the field of psychedelic medicine through ethical, legal, and scientifically-based frameworks.
Allison Feduccia, PhD
Neuropharmacologist
Psychedelic Support
Kyle Greenway, MD
Kyle Greenway, MD
Instructor
Dr. Kyle T Greenway, MD, is a final-year psychiatry resident at McGill University and member of the Clinician Investigator Program. He launched and operates Quebec’s first ketamine clinic, which remains one of the world’s only publicly funded ketamine-assisted psychotherapy services. Author of more than a dozen scientific articles, his broad career aim is to help integrate ketamine-assisted psychotherapy with conventional psychiatry. He specializes in severe treatment-resistant depression and is leading an ongoing multisite randomized controlled trial studies the effects of music and ketamine.
Kyle Greenway, MD
PGY5 Psychiatry
McGill University
Genesee Herzberg, PsyD
Genesee Herzberg, PsyD
Contributor
Dr. Genesee Herzberg is a clinical psychologist practicing psychotherapy and ketamine assisted therapy in Berkeley, CA, along with MDMA-assisted therapy through the MAPS Phase 3 clinical trials. She is co-founder of Sage Integrative Health, a holistic psychedelic clinic, and its sister nonprofit, Sage Institute, a sliding scale psychedelic clinic, research, and training center. Genesee co-developed the program and curriculum and is core faculty for Sage’s ketamine assisted therapy training. Genesee is passionate about making psychedelic medicine accessible to everyone who can benefit. When not wearing one of her many hats in the psychedelic field, Genesee can be found on meandering walks in the Berkeley hills, exploring the far reaches of consciousness, or delving into her newfound love for sci-fi novels.
Genesee Herzberg, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist
Sage Integrative Health
Kelan Thomas, PharmD
Kelan Thomas, PharmD
Contributor
Kelan Thomas, PharmD, MS, BCPS, BCPP is an associate professor and board-certified psychiatric pharmacist with outpatient behavioral health practice sites in San Francisco and Oakland. His research is related to psychopharmacology, adverse drug reactions and pharmacogenomics with the goal of optimizing mental health pharmacotherapy for psychiatric clients. More recently he completed the CIIS Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research training program and started collaborating on psilocybin & MDMA clinical trials at UCSF.
Kelan Thomas, PharmD
Associate Professor
Touro University California
Veronika Gold, LMFT
Veronika Gold, LMFT
Contributor
Veronika is a marriage and family therapist who specializes in the treatment of trauma. She is a Certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Certified EMDR therapist, Consultant, and Facilitator, and Realization Process Teacher. She has undergone multiple trainings in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, including advanced training through the Ketamine Training Center and Kriya Institute, and MDMA-Assisted Therapy Training through MAPS, and is currently a Sub-Investigator and Co-therapist, a supervisor and a trainer on the MAPS MDMA-Assisted Therapy Clinical Trials for the treatment-resistant PTSD. She regularly presents at conferences and teaches on trauma and psychedelic-assisted therapies. Veronika is a lead trainer in the Polaris Insight Training Program.
Veronika Gold, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Polaris Insight Center
Eric Sienknecht, PsyD
Eric Sienknecht, PsyD
Contributor
Eric is a licensed psychologist who specializes in treating chronic pain, mood disorders, and trauma. He has undergone training in KAP through the Ketamine Training Center and in MDMA-Assisted Therapy through the MAPS MDMA Therapy Training Program and is currently a Sub-Investigator and Co-therapist, and a trainer on the MAPS MDMA-Assisted Therapy Clinical Trials for treatment-resistant PTSD. He presents at conferences regularly on topics such as set and setting, ethics, integration, working with expansive states of consciousness, and music in psychedelic therapy. Eric is a lead trainer in the Polaris Insight Training Program.
Eric Sienknecht, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist
Polaris Insight Center
Harvey Schwartz, PhD
Harvey Schwartz, PhD
Contributor
Harvey has 35 years of experience in the relationally-oriented treatment of complex PTSD, dissociative disorders, and various psychological challenges. He synthesizes relational, psychodynamic, archetypal, and mindfulness perspectives, as well as the use of NOS and metaphysical experiences.
Harvey Schwartz, PhD
Psychologist
Polaris Insight Center
Julie Megler, NP
Julie Megler, NP
Contributor
Julie is board certified as a family and psychiatric nurse practitioner. She prioritizes regenerating the connection between the body and mind. She focuses patient care on achieving psycho-emotional wellbeing through the support of mental health medications and somatic approaches to therapy. Julie also offers integration of altered states of consciousness and ketamine assisted therapy at Sage Integrative Health. Julie is a lead facilitator of the Femtheogen Collaborative, a nonprofit with the mission to honor feminine consciousness to support women’s voices in shaping the psychedelic movement.
Julie Megler, NP
Psychiatrist Nurse Practitioner
Sage Integrative Health
Boris Heifets, MD, PhD
Boris Heifets, MD, PhD
Peer Reviewer
Boris Heifets, MD, PhD has had a lifelong interest in neuroscience and hopes to apply basic neuroscience insights to the practice of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine. He is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine at the Stanford School of Medicine. He received his undergraduate degree in neuroscience from Yale University, MD/PhD degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and completed anesthesiology residency and a neuroanesthesiology fellowship at Stanford Hospital. Dr. Heifets’ basic and clinical research aims to understand the mechanisms of action for emerging rapid-acting treatments for psychiatric disease, including ketamine, MDMA and psilocybin, and how they might be incorporated into perioperative clinical care to improve patient outcomes. During his time at Stanford he has collaborated extensively with the psychiatry department, publishing animal studies on the neural mechanism of social behavior and MDMA, and a controversial study which described an opioid receptor-dependent mechanism for ketamine’s antidepressant effect. He is currently supported by a K08 award from the National Institute of Mental Health.
Boris Heifets, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Stanford University School of Medicine
Nicolas Garel, MD
Nicolas Garel, MD
Peer Reviewer
Dr. Nicolas Garel is a fifth-year resident in psychiatry at McGill University. After completing a Bachelor degree in Psychology and an M.D. from the University of Montreal, Dr. Garel entered McGill University's Psychiatry Residency Program with a research track in 2017. For over three years now, Dr. Garel has been working, assessing and treating patients with unipolar and bipolar mood disorders in the Ketamine Service of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute. His research projects focus on pharmacology, psychotherapy and their combination.
Nicolas Garel, MD
PGY5 Psychiatry
McGill University
Extra Info

Online platform access: 1 year

For the best experience, we recommend taking the course on a tablet or computer.

100% Student Satisfaction or money back guarantee

Course FAQ can be found here

Certificate Information

Interested in the different certificate options for our courses? Read on to learn more:

Learn more about Completion Certificate
+

Once you complete the course you will receive a Psychedelic Support Certificate of Completion. Choose this option if you are not a licensed health provider and do not need continuing education credit for your professional degree.

Learn more about CE Credit Certificate
+

Once you complete the course you will receive a Psychedelic Support CE Certificate. Choose this option if you are a licensed health provider who would like continuing education credit for your professional degree.

  • Be sure to select the CE credit option when purchasing the course.
  • Upon completion of the course, you will receive a Certificate of Attendance for your credits.
  • CE credits for psychologists are provided by Psychedelic Support, an APA-approved CE sponsor.
  • Psychedelic Support is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Psychedelic Support maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
  • The California Board of Behavioral Sciences accepts CE credits for LCSW, LPCC, LEP, and LMFT license renewal for programs offered by approved sponsors of CE by the American Psychological Association.
  • LCSW, LPCC, LEP, and LMFTs, and other mental health professionals from states other than California need to check with their state licensing board as to whether or not they accept programs offered by approved sponsors of CE by the American Psychological Association.
  • For questions about receiving your Certificate of Attendance or questions about CE, contact Psychedelic Support at info@psychedelic.support.

Learn more about CME Credit Certificate
+

Once you complete the course you will receive a Psychedelic Support CME Certificate. Choose this option if you are a licensed health provider would like continuing education credit for your professional degree.

Accreditation Statement
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of CME Consultants and Psychedelic Support. CME Consultants is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for non-physicians: There are other disciplines that may accept AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ as equivalent CE or CEU for re-licensure or recertification, including, but not limited to, Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Pharm D, and Psychologists. It is advisable for you to verify equivalency with your specific governing body, as state boards vary in their requirements.


Credit Designation Statement
CME Consultants designates this online enduring material activity for a maximum of 5.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.


Desired Outcomes
Module 1

  1. Explain the history of ketamine from its discovery to modern-day psychiatric uses.
  2. Describe how ketamine works in the brain to induce dose-dependent effects.
  3. Discuss the mechanisms of action and safety profile of ketamine.


Module 2
 

  1. Describe clinical uses of ketamine including routes of administration, dosing, and therapeutic frameworks.
  2. Explain the state of clinical research on ketamine for psychiatric indications.
  3. Summarize how clinicians deliver ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and training programs available for professionals to become competent, ethical providers.


Target Audience
This activity is geared to meet the educational requirements of healthcare providers from a range of disciplines: Physicians, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Therapists, and LCSWs who will participate in or form interdisciplinary teams, or practice independently. 


Core Competencies 
This activity encompasses the following desirable physician attributes: Patient Care & Procedural Skills, Medical Knowledge, Professionalism, Interpersonal & Communication Skills, Practice-Based Learning & Improvement, and Systems-Based Practice. 


Format
The presentational methods for this activity are Lecture and Panel Discussion. 


Disclosure Statements 
Commercial Support 
There is no commercial support for this activity.


Planners and Faculty 
The planners and faculty of this activity have nothing to disclose.


Launch Date 
November 1, 2021 


Expiration Date 
This activity is valid for credit through November 1, 2023.

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