Program Overview

This 15-hour program, open to licensed healthcare professionals, will lay the foundations for working with ketamine for the treatment of mental health indications. It will consist of three hours of pre-recorded lecture completed at your own pace prior to attending a six hour interactive workshop, and a treatment at either AIMS Institute in Seattle, WA or Synaptic in Portland, OR if medically appropriate.

​

Enrollment in our program will include free access to over four hours of additional training on the role of music in psychedelic therapy, provided by Wavepaths ($199 value). This includes a discounted rate to their music software.

​

Faculty: Sunil Agarwal, MD, PhD; Alison Draisin, PsyD; Emma Knighton, MA; Matthew Hicks, ND, MS

​

Cost

Core program (3-hours pre-recorded + 5.5-hour online workshop):

• $680

 

One-on-on experiential (90-min intake, 1-hr prep, 2.5-hr ketamine session, 1-hr integration):

• At Synaptic: $1450

• At AIMS: ~$2000 (most insurances accepted)

​

Group experiential (individual 30-min intake, 90-min group preparation online, 3-hr group session, 1-hr group integration online):

• $400

​

Students of professional graduate level programs within one year of graduation (pre or post) may take the entire program with a group experiential offered in the Portland area for $1000. 

​

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

By completing this program in its entirety students will be competent in the following domains:

• Regarding the use ketamine as a controlled substance, students will understand:

  • Licensure requirements for prescribing and controlling ketamine

  • The storage requirements

  • Documentation

  • Material requirements for administering or prescribing ketamine

• Students will understand the clinical indications, both FDA approved and off-label, for ketamine

• Students will understand the mechanism of action of ketamine 

• Students will understand the physiological and psychological effects of ketamine at a variety of dose ranges

• Students will understand the various routes of administration of ketamine and their relative onset, duration, dosing, and contraindications

• Students will be able to summarize the findings of clinical trial data for ketamine

• Students will be able to summarize the history and cultural context of ketamine

• Students will be able to apply harm reduction principles regarding drugs of potential abuse

• Students will understand the need for enhanced consent when working with altered states of consciousness

• Students will be able to have conversations about the appropriate and consensual use of therapeutic touch during ketamine sessions

• Students will understand basic concepts of intake, preparation, administration, and integration sessions in doing altered state of consciousness therapy

• Students will understand the different demands of group versus one-on-one sessions

• Students will understand the important role of music and sound in altered state therapy