Mini Workshop 8 - Introduction to Psychedelic Assisted Therapy for CBT Clinicians

Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is showing promise as a highly effective form of mental health treatment and appears poised to become a major new form of mental health care moving forward. Patients participating in psychedelic-assisted therapy often relate that their sessions were among the most meaningful experiences in their life, often rating them similarly to events like the birth of a first child or getting married. Thus, these interventions don‘t just reduce suffering, they appear to increase meaning-making, fulfillment, and positive mental health. This workshop, led by presenters currently running clinical trials of this type of therapy, will provide CBT professionals with an evidence-based overview of this new clinical area and provide examples of how CBT can be integrated into PAT. The first half of the workshop will provide an overview of PAT generally. Evidence from rigorous clinical trials will be summarized. The basic model of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy will be described with an emphasis on highlighting the importance of preparation and integration in obtaining therapeutic benefits from a psychedelic experience. The current legal status of psychedelics will be reviewed, including recent state level initiatives toward legal psychedelic service access. Diversity and equity issues will be reviewed including lack of access for underserved and non-majority populations and the risks of cultural appropriation involved in modern psychedelic science.  The latter half of the workshop will focus on how types of CBT such as motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy, is being integrated into PAT, with a large emphasis on sharing reflections from our ongoing clinical trial of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder. At the end of the workshop we will provide recommendations on obtaining further training for those who want to learn more. This workshop will help clinicians understand the current state of psychedelic science, as well as to have more informed and evidence-based conversations with clients about psychedelics and their potential risks and benefits, legal status, and timeline for public accessibility as well as how CBT can be utilized in the context of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy.