Excited to learn about Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy?
Join us for our next experiential Ketamine- Assisted Psychotherapy training retreat for licensed clinicans.
October 12-15, 2023
at
Sanctuary in the Pines
near
Asheville, NC
To apply: email Dr. Sandra Newes at snewes@gmail.com
To apply, send an email to the address above, with the subject line APPLICATION and a brief description of:
1. Your professional experience.
2. Your learning goals for an introductory workshop.
3. Questions you would like answered.
We will then contact you to set up a 20 minute video interview.
What will you learn in this training?
This uniquely experiential training retreat combines quality instruction, two supported ketamine experiences, somatically focused trauma and resiliency frameworks, and nature connection activities to safely and powerfully support you as a participant.
The hands-on focus of the training includes set and setting exploration, discussion of preparation and integration, and other directly relevant applied aspects of facilitating psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy sessions with clients. We intentionally give you access to our introductory video-based didactic curriculum before you arrive, so that your focus during the training retreat can be dedicated to immersion in the experiential aspect and “dropping in” as a participant.
Our intent is that your personal experiences with the medicine will reinforce the learning in an experiential fashion to directly support your future work with clients. Past participants have described this training retreat as both professionally relevant and personally meaningful.
Two Ketamine Experiences
We provide a safe context for you to experience psychedelic doses of Ketamine with different routes of administration. For your individual sessions, you will be able to choose between intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) administration, a choice that is rarely available in training settings. You will also experience a group intranasal session, which allows the option to self-titrate your dose, increasing or decreasing during your session, according to your personal preference. Sessions are supervised by experienced physicians and therapists, and integration is taught and modeled in a group format.
Actual Therapy Skills
We believe that psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is an active therapy intervention. Due to the restricted nature of the medicines, few mental health providers have been adequately trained in this speciality. Our training intends to meet that need and specific “how-to’s” will be taught and modeled to help you step into your role as a therapist.
Participants are taught the Level One therapy skills in the video series. During the training retreat, you will have the opportunity to act as a therapist sitter for a peer, with a trained therapist present as backup if needed during the session. Participants are encouraged to practice these skills within their pairs, allowing the training experience to move beyond simply “sitting” to become a practice of applied skills.
Experienced Instructors
Our instructors are among the most experienced outpatient KAP providers in the burgeoning psychedelic medicine field. You will benefit from their in-depth understanding of the structure and skills utilized in facilitating effective KAP sessions for different types of clients, as well as their skill in modeling the experiential group container.
Quotes from Participants:
“This training was transformative and impactful experiential learning. Very well done.”
“It was exactly what I needed. It was super educational and personally transformative.”
“Every member of the staff was extremely qualified and just overall awesome. I highly recommend this program.”
Instructors
Signi Goldman, M.D.
About
Dr. Signi Goldman is a board certified Psychiatrist and psychotherapist in private practice. She is a certified provider for Psychedelic Assisted Therapies and Research through the California Institute of Integral Studies and has completed training through the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Her extensive knowledge of research-based use of psychedelics in medicine informs Concierge Medicine and Psychiatry’s Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy program for Mental Health.
Dr. Goldman has been practicing outpatient Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy for many years and has more recently focused on teaching and training in this field through her video teaching series and certificate program. In addition to extensive psychedelic medicine experience, Dr. Goldman is a trained Rites of Passage guide through the Rites of Passage Council in Asheville, NC and has a profound respect for the intersection of psychedelic medicine, nature-connection, and indigenous, ceremonial ways of healing.
Sandra Newes, Ph.D.
About
Dr. Sandra Newes is a Licensed Psychologist with over 25 years of clinical experience. She specializes in anxiety, chronic stress, trauma and recovery. Dr. Newes is an experienced psychedelic-assisted psychotherapist and provides individualized protocols for Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy through Concierge Medicine and Psychiatry. She brings a trauma informed and resiliency focused approach to the work and is certified through Concierge Medicine and Psychiatry’s Certificate program, where she is currently a co-facilitator. She has also participated in training through the Polaris Institute, Chacruna Institute, the PRATI institute and others, and is a member of the Boston Psychedelic Research Group.
Dr. Newes participates in speaking engagements, publications, training workshops, and educational training on the intersection of nature connection, trauma and mental health nationally and internationally. She is past Chair of the Therapeutic Adventure Professional Group (TAPG) of the Association for Experiential Education (AEE) and also offers training to staff at therapeutic programs.
Meidad Goldman, M.D.
About
Dr. Meidad Goldman is a board certified physician in both Emergency Medicine and Addiction Medicine who has worked in multiple hospital- and clinic-based settings. He is an experienced psychedelic medicine provider, with years of experience administering individualized dosing protocols for Ketamine as part of a psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy care team. He is a certified provider for Psychedelic Assisted Therapies and Research through the California Institute of Integral Studies and has completed training through the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS).
Dr. Goldmam has over 17 years of experience using Ketamine for multiple conditions and serves as Medical Director for Concierge Medicine and Psychiatry’s Asheville Ketamine Clinic. Dr. Goldman offers provider trainings in the prescribing and administering of Ketamine as a psychedelic and is a co-facilitator in our Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy Certificate Program. His extensive experience being in the room with clients has given him a deep understanding of working safely with clients in altered states, and he is dedicated to teaching this body of knowledge to our trainees.
SCHEDULE:
We will begin gathering at 2:00 p.m. and the training will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. We will end on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
On Friday and Saturday, there will be morning, afternoon and evening programming, interpresed with free time and meals. The two experiential ketamine sessions will take place on these days, both with physician and therapist supervision.
On Friday, participants will be offered individual IM or IV Ketamine experiences. On Saturday, we will offer a group Ketamine session using self-titratable doses of IN Ketamine, depending on participants’ preferences. Both experiences will be preceded by preparation and followed by opportunity for integration.
LOGISTICS:
Training location: The training will be held at Sanctuary in the Pines, a retreat center near Asheville, NC, approximately 20 minutes from the Asheville Regional Airport and 35 minutes from downtown Asheville. It is a natural setting, surrounded by forest and water.
Meals and lodging: All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), coffee and tea service, and lodging are included in the cost. Small private rooms, with a twin bed and sink, are included in the retreat house, with shared bathrooms. Gluten free, dairy free, and vegetarian options will be available. Please alert us for more specific dietary needs.
Should you wish more luxurious accomodations, there are a variety of other lodging options avalable on the property for an additional cost. If you wish to explore this option, we will help you contact the property directly. Your small room at the retreat house will still be available to you should you wish some personal space during training hours.
VIDEO CURRICULUM:
Pre-conference didactics will be offered by video and virtual meetings and will include topics such as:
-What makes a good psychedelic therapist
-Ketamine’s properties as a psychedelic and practical methods of use
-Understanding dosing strategies and routes of administration and helping you choose which you would like to try.
Videos will be accompaied by live teaching and Q&A sessions with your cohort and staff. We feel strongly that scheduling didactics ahead of the retreat will allow you to more fully relax into the experiential components when you arrive in person.
See Below for Video Descriptions. Access will be provide upon Registration (for our full Level One Training curriculum, see our seperate offering here).
APPLICATION:
WHO SHOULD APPLY
Our belief is that the path to becoming an effective KAP clinician builds on a foundation of solid clinical skills. Given this, the training is for licensed clinicians with significant psychotherapy experience.
No prior psychedelic experience is required. However, applicants should feel comfortable with the idea of altered state experiences in a training group setting.
Due to the nature of this work, group size will capped at 12 participants, and an interview is required.
HOW DO I APPLY?
To apply, send an email to the address below , with the subject line APPLICATION, with a brief description of:
1. Your professional experience.
2. Your learning goals for an introductory workshop.
3. Questions you would like answered.
We will then contact you to set up a 20 minute video interview.
$3,200 Tuition
Includes Private Room and Meals
Living Medicine Institute at Concierge Medicine and Psychiatry
12 Medical Park Drive Ste 202
Asheville, NC 28803
828-230-9000
www.conciergemedicineandpsychiatry.com
Video 1: Introduction
15 minutes, FREE
What does it take to become a psychedelic-assisted psychotherapist? How do these videos fit in to a larger training context? Link
Video 2: Your Instructor
38 minutes, FREE (Optional)
It is helpful to understand the background and influences on an instructor, to make sure that their approach is transparent and aligns with yours. Link
Video 3: Ketamine as a Psychedelic
17 minutes, FREE
Ketamine is a confusing medicine with many indicatioons and a mixed reputation. Is it actually a psychedelic? Link
Video 4: Routes of Administration
15 minutes, FREE
What are the differences between sublingual, intravenouos, intramuscular, and intranasal routes of administration? How can each be used in psychedelic medicine? Link
Video 5: Dosing Strategies
33 minutes, FREE
Understand how to optimally dose ketamine for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, the role of the therapist, and psycholytic dosing. Link
Video 6: The Preparation Phase
18 minutes, FREE
What is necessary to acheive during the preparation phase to ensure physical and psychological safety and optimize outcomes? Link
Video 7: The Integration Phase
12 minutes
What integration, and why is it so critical? Integration as an active psychotherapy intervention.
Video 8: Set and Setting
13 minutes
Explaining the important concepts of “set” and “setting” and how to optimize them both for your clients.
Video 9: Framing Expectations
12 minutes
Talking realistically about outcomes in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, so that clients are accurately informed.
Video 10: Discussing TOUCH
19 minutes
How to approach consent around the use of touch. A template and role play for this critical discussion during the preparation phase.
Video 11: Foundational Skills Part 1
12 minutes
How to begin. Now that you are starting your first psychedelic session, what are the critical “how-to’s” to have in your starting skill set?
Video 12: Foundational Skills Part 2
22 minutes
Helpful skills for medicine sessions, building on the foundation of Part 1. Enhancing the therapeutic potential of a psychedelic session.
Video 13: Foundational Skills Part 3
28 minutes
A frequently asked question- How to deal with Fear and other dysphoric states in a psychedelic session?
Video 14: Music
15 minutes
Debunking some cherished beliefs about Music and psychedelic sessions. Using Music as a targeted intervention.
Video 15: Ceremony
14 minutes
How should we approach the use of Ceremony for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in medicalized settings?