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mental health professionals get psychedelic training
the program was developed in conjunction with wayfound mental health group inc. and the psychologists association of alberta.
may 6 2021
2 minute read
"one of the major obstacles in increasing access to psychedelic therapy is an acute shortage of therapists who have the education, knowledge and resources both from a psychological and psychedelic perspective to provide the necessary support and guidance to patients."
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in february, atma journey centers inc., an alberta-based company focused on delivering psychedelic-assisted therapies, announced it was launching a psychedelic training program for therapists.
the course quickly sold out and a lengthy waiting list followed. the program has now completed, atma announced today , and the results exceeded expectations.
the program was developed in conjunction with wayfound mental health group inc. and the psychologists association of alberta. it was designed to give health care professionals the opportunity to better understand the experience of psychedelic medicine, and how to deliver and facilitate psychedelic-assisted therapy.
“one of the major obstacles in increasing access to psychedelic therapy is an acute shortage of therapists who have the education, knowledge and resources both from a psychological and psychedelic perspective to provide the necessary support and guidance to patients,” said david harder, co-ceo of atma. “this training program provides an accredited base of understanding for therapists who are seeking information and therapy involving psychedelics.”
megan mcelheran, ceo of wayfound, a calgary-based mental health service provider that’s been operating for 20 years, said the company felt “a client obligation to explore the research and clinical protocols related to psychedelic medicine.”
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“psychedelic treatment that includes psychotherapy has the potential to be a new frontier for psychology as we see that a potential paradigm shift is underway in mental health,” mcelheran said. “psychology has an essential role to play in this developing field and i am excited to participate in the training and capacity-building of our profession.”
following the program’s success, atma is launching an introductory training program next month aimed at non-licensed health industry professionals, counsellors and social workers.
dr. angela grace, a graduate of the inaugural course, said the training program provides an excellent overview of psychedelic therapy. “the learning, discussions, experiences and connections made are invaluable as an introduction to the field,” dr. grace said.
in march, 15 healthcare professionals began a historic psilocybin therapy training program launched by b.c.-based non-profit therapsil.
before beginning the 10-week program, each of the healthcare workers received section 56 exemptions to the controlled drugs and substances act so they could be dosed with psilocybin to better understand the patient experience.
“when you combine that level of expertise with the passion of using this medicine in a curative way to relieve people of their anxiety and depression, the result will be a game-changer in the world of mental health for canadians,” said clinical counsellor dave phillips, the program lead.
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over the past year, therapsil has helped nearly 30 canadians access legal psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy through section 56 exemptions.
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