Psychedelic Continuing Education for Health Professionals

Are you prepared to answer questions from your clients about psychedelic therapies? The field of psychedelic medicine is rapidly evolving. Psychedelic continuing education is necessary for all health professionals. Here we explore options for courses, workshops, and training programs.

As the emerging industry of psychedelic medicine picks up pace, the need for physicians and mental health providers to get up to speed with current information is essential. The number of clinical trials investigating psychedelic drug products has increased dramatically in the last 2 years. These trials are looking at effects on many mental health conditions as well as for central nervous system disorders like traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, and headache disorders. Given the seemingly infinite number of possible substances and drug-therapy combinations, how will health professionals assimilate the evidence base to provide safe and effective patient care?  

Psychedelic therapy training programs are becoming more widely available but most focus on single substances, like ketamine or MDMA, in one therapeutic framework. Each specialized psychedelic training program has a hefty price tag, ranging from $2,000 to $10,000. While these programs are necessary to prepare the clinical workforce for the anticipated release of FDA-approved psychedelic medicines, there remains a need for ongoing psychedelic continuing education for professionals. 

Preparing for the Future of Psychedelic Medicine

Imagine the future of psychiatric medicine in 5 to 7 years where a doctor can choose from twenty different antidepressant medications that fall under the umbrella of “compounds with psychedelic effects”. All these medications will have different pharmacological profiles with various safety considerations.

Knowing who the medications are best suited for and how to deliver treatments for the highest likelihood of long lasting outcomes is information that will come through both research and real-world clinical practice data. Psychedelic continuing education will be the only way for health professionals to be informed on best practices and safety guidelines. 

Regardless of the reasons for use, health providers are more frequently getting questions from their patients about psychedelic therapies and risks. Most providers are not equipped to answer these questions.

To promote safe use and reduce potential harms, health care providers must become familiar with psychedelic substances’ pharmacology, clinical trial findings, subjective effects, dosing, negative effects, contraindicated medications and medical diagnoses, risk profiles, and ways to mitigate risks. This information is constantly evolving as research expands and new compounds and methods are developed.

Continuing Education for Competency

Psychedelic continuing education equips practitioners with evidenced-based knowledge to feel confident in having conversations with their clients about psychedelics. To start, clinicians should be fluent in terminology commonly used in the emerging psychedelic medicine field. Communication is based on shared understanding. We need clearly defined words to converse in meaningful ways.  

In the present day, more people are trying psychedelic substances after reading about health benefits published in media reports and trending in online forums. Some individuals are trying to gain therapeutic benefits at home by following procedures similar to those described in clinical trials. Others are experimenting with microdosing protocols to amplify creativity and boost productivity. 

Once we have a basis for communication, we move on to higher levels of proficiency by learning foundational concepts and applications of psychedelics in therapeutic frameworks. With ongoing psychedelic continuing education, practitioners can grow their skill sets and build confidence in creating personalized treatment plans and recommendations for their clients. 

All Health Professionals Need Education

Even if clinicians don’t plan on administering psychedelic medicines, they still must stay up on current treatment approaches. After just a few years, ketamine therapy is now widely available for mental health conditions mostly through off-label prescriptions. Yet the majority of health providers have not received any continuing education or formal training on ketamine therapy. As there is not yet a formally recognized ketamine therapy certification we recommend providers get started with earning CE/CME to understand how to safely and effectively deliver ketamine. 

Currently, there are very few options available for mental health providers and doctors to receive  psychedelic continuing education (CE) and continuing medical education (CME). At Psychedelic Support, we have curated online courses with the latest information from clinical trials and leading experts.

Our well-researched courses meet the standards for continuing education credits from the established medical associations. These engaging courses and training programs offer the medical community the most important information on psychedelic medicine. We partner with clinicians and researchers to deliver cutting-edge education that is rooted in science and evidence-based practices.

Our psychedelic continuing education encompasses self-paced learning, virtual classroom discussions, monthly guest speakers, and multimedia lessons for a stimulating and engaging educational experience. The foundational courses in ketamine, MDMA and psilocybin are the best place to start for establishing a solid understanding of psychedelics. Importantly, our content is created independent of pharmaceutical commercial interests to deliver unbiased, safety-forward instruction. 

Get Certified to Deliver Psychedelics

To become a certified psychedelic therapist, longer training programs are available. We partner with the best-in-class to assure practitioners receive the necessary skills, experiential learning, and supervision to administer psychedelic therapies. But again, since many new compounds and therapies are currently under development, the need for psychedelic continuing education will remain at the forefront as the field expands.  

Ready to get started? Enroll now in our psychedelic continuing education courses, training programs, and workshops. We offer affordable options for clinicians, medical professionals, and anyone who wishes to learn more about psychedelic therapies.