TheraPsil's Training Program
Background
Since the historic decision on August 4th, whereby Minister Patty Hajdu granted access to psilocybin for 4 Canadians with end-of-life distress, TheraPsil has been inundated with an influx of patient requests for support.
As we help all qualified patients submit their own section 56 exemptions, we have realized that there is an insufficient number of qualified healthcare professionals trained in psilocybin therapy who can provide high-quality patient care in this unique modality.
As such, on June 18th, 2020, doctors, therapists, clinical counselors, nurses, social workers and other healthcare professionals on the TheraPsil team began submitting their own section 56 exemptions to personally access psilocybin for professional training.
In early December 2020, Minister Hajdu approved 17 healthcare professionals to have access to psilocybin for professional training.
Why do Healthcare Professionals need access to Psilocybin?
TheraPsil has been diligently working on a training program to train healthcare professionals in psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy is a unique modality which requires a highly specific skill set.
Part of TheraPsil’s training program, in conjunction with lectures, case studies, readings, and discussions, involves ‘experiential learning’, whereby trainees take psilocybin mushrooms themselves, in the presence of a trained guide.
It is our belief that by experiencing this ‘non-ordinary state of consciousness’ first hand, therapists who will administer and facilitate psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for their own patients are better able hold space, know when to intervene (and more importantly when not to intervene), and help their patients integrate the psilocybin experience learnings for lasting healing during post-integration sessions.
TheraPsil's Proposed Training Program
Disclaimer: This training program is still a work in progress and the proposed domains below may not reflect the final curriculum.
TheraPsil’s Training Committee is working on a training program that would prepare healthcare professionals to be able to facilitate psilocybin therapy for their patients.
Our Training Program currently has 11 proposed domains:
Domain 1: The history of clinical research and the current legal status of psychedelic-assisted therapy
Domain 2: Overview of Neurobiology, neuropharmacology, drug disposition, and drug interactions
Domain 3: Best practices in set and settings: preparation, psychedelic session, and integration
Domain 4: Psychedelics and therapeutic relationships: transference, boundaries, ethics, and self-care
Domain 5: Supervised observation of psychedelic session videos/ Case Studies
Domain 6: Complementary therapeutic techniques in psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Domain 7: Co-therapy methods and interprofessional skills for working in dyads and in a multidisciplinary team
Domain 8: Current models of consciousness, spiritual intelligence, and mystical experience. Ongoing scientific work.
Domain 9: Individual and group clinical supervision during an internship as a psychedelic therapist
Domain 10: Personal experience of being guided as a participant
Domain 11: Palliative Care considerations
Contact us to learn more
If you are interested in learning more about TheraPsil’s training program when updates are available, please fill out the following form: