A model training curriculum for psychedelic, psycholytic, and entactogen-assisted psychotherapy

Journal of Psychopharmacology, vol. 40, pp. 98–109

Abstract

The authors offer a model for curriculum for education and training in substance-assisted psychotherapy (SAP), that is, psychedelic, psycholytic, and entactogen/MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine)-assisted psychotherapy, addressing both the detailed contents of training and the question of experiential training. All authors of this model have an abiding interest and extensive experience in both the theory and practical aspects of SAP and questions relating to training. The model curriculum has been written through an international consensus building process and represents a consensus statement about the topic. The model includes an enumeration of theoretical themes and topics, which we suggest for inclusion in an SAP curriculum. The practical part of the curriculum includes experiential training with the following components: (1) apprenticeship observation: learning from observing experienced therapists, (2) ongoing clinical supervision: conducting treatment under direct supervision of experienced SAP therapists, and (3) a proposal for the inclusion of self-experiences for the trainees. Other parts address the use of peer supervision and conventional supervision. The authors are aware of the abiding need for respect of intercultural differences. We are conscious that the proposed model is one largely adapted to western industrialized countries with established graduate level education and training procedures for psychotherapists. However, the model curriculum includes teachings about the use of related substances and treatment techniques in indigenous cultures and traditions. This curriculum model may be valuable to psychedelic researchers, those endeavoring to train therapists for research studies, and those preparing for the clinical work to follow, once SAP is conducted outside of research settings.

Authors 20

1. Torsten Passie corresponding

   Goethe University Frankfurt · Medizinische Hochschule Hannover

   Affiliation as printed

   Dr. Senckenberg Institute for History and Ethics in Medicine, Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main, Germany

   Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany

2. Anja Loizaga-Velder
   Affiliation as printed

   Nierika Institute for Intercultural Medicine, Ocuilan, Mexico

3. Alicia L. Danforth

   University of California, Los Angeles · The Lundquist Institute · Harbor–UCLA Medical Center

   Affiliation as printed

   The Lundquist Institute, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, USA

4. Charles S. Grob

   University of California, Los Angeles

   Affiliation as printed

   UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA

5. David Erritzøe

   Imperial College London

   Affiliation as printed

   Division of Psychiatry, Dept. Brain Sciences, Centres for Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK

6. Peter Oehen
   Affiliation as printed

   Private Practice, Solothurn, Switzerland

7. Juraj Styk
   Affiliation as printed

   Private Practice, Basel, Switzerland

8. Eric H. G. J. M. Vermetten Aachen Department Psychiatry

   Leiden University Medical Center

   Affiliation as printed

   Dept. Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

9. Ivar Walderhaug Goksøyr

   Østfold Hospital Trust

   Affiliation as printed

   Østfold Hospital Trust, Grålum, Norway

10. Tomáš Páleníček

    Charles University · National Institute of Mental Health

    Affiliation as printed

    Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic

    National Institue of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic

11. Michael C. Mithoefer

    Medical University of South Carolina · Columbia University

    Affiliation as printed

    Medical University of South Carolina, SC and Columbia University, NY, USA

12. Annie Mithoefer
    Affiliation as printed

    Private Practice, Charleston, SC, USA

13. Brian T. Anderson

    University of California, San Francisco · University of California, Berkeley

    Affiliation as printed

    UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, Berkeley, CA, USA

14. Erwin Krediet Aachen Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center

    Leiden University Medical Center · Arq Psychotrauma Expert Group · OAPEN Foundation

    Affiliation as printed

    ARQ National Psychotrauma Center, Diemen, The Netherlands

    Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

    OPEN Foundation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

15. Peter Gasser
    Affiliation as printed

    Private Practice, Solothurn, Switzerland

16. Elizabeth M. Nielson

    Woodstock Union High School & Middle School

    Affiliation as printed

    Fluence International Inc, Woodstock, NY, USA

17. Ingmar Gorman

    Woodstock Union High School & Middle School

    Affiliation as printed

    Fluence International Inc, Woodstock, NY, USA

18. Janis Phelps

    California Institute of Integral Studies

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research, California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA, USA

19. Alexander Belser

    Yale University

    Affiliation as printed

    Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

20. Jeffrey R. Guss

    New York University

    Affiliation as printed

    NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA