Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: Contrasting Visions

2024 Course Overview

Information for the 2025 course is not yet available.

As the field of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) rapidly expands, clinicians need to understand the many contrasting theoretical frameworks and perspectives that are emerging. This conference will empower participants to assess this complex landscape and its divergent visions and provide essential learning to engage with PAP as a cutting-edge therapeutic tool. 

With presentations by leading clinicians and researchers plus panel discussions and interaction with attendees, this conference will present current evidence and address critical issues, including: Are psychedelic compounds more effective when they “assist” a particular therapeutic modality? Can clinicians safely and effectively combine psychedelics with their own styles and approaches? Are group or individual therapy models more effective for some populations? Does PAP need to be tailored for clients with traditionally marginalized identities and if so, how? 

In order to navigate the rapidly changing PAP landscape and patients’ ever-growing interest, clinicians need knowledge and insights to critically understand the field and its clinical implications. Given the multiple stakeholders involved, including pharmaceutical and other for-profit companies, government agencies and academic research institutions and grassroots community organizers, clinicians may struggle with what to believe, who to trust and how to advise their patients. This conference will provide the knowledge and confidence necessary to assess the contrasting — and sometimes competing — visions of PAP from both theoretical and practical perspectives. 

Join us in February to explore these contrasting visions. All clinicians who are interested in learning more about the potential of psychedelics in psychotherapy are welcome to attend, with both in-person and online options available. We look forward to an expansive, thought-provoking and enriching conference! 

Who Should Attend

• Psychologists  

• Specialty Physicians  

• Primary Care Physicians 

• Nurse Practitioners

• Social Workers

• Counselors

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Review the current main themes in PAP research, policy and clinical care. 

• Describe several models of psychotherapy that are being used in conjunction with PAP and how they differ.  

• Outline the complexity of each care model and identify key components of each. 

• Summarize the historical and current disparities in access to and use of psychedelics in LGBTQ+ and populations of color. 

• Assess obstacles to PAP among marginalized groups as well as its potential benefits for treating identity-related trauma. 

• Compare and contrast different visions that have arisen in the field, such as academic vs. "real-world" settings; for-profit vs non-profit clinical delivery systems; individual vs. group and Western vs. Indigenous therapeutic paradigms. 

For a list of session-specific learning objectives, email cme@challiance.org