Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: Contrasting Visions
- Continuing Education
Engage with the evolving landscape of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy by exploring complex clinical challenges, novel experiences, and emerging best practices at our 5th annual conference. Gain confidence through case studies, vignettes, and expert guidance designed to support both new and experienced clinicians.
- Live Online or In Person
This course is taught online or in person.
The Conference Center at Waltham Woods | 860 Winter Street, Waltham, MA
$485 Save with early registration
For a full list of profession pricing see below.
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Fee increases to $585 after
Continuing Education
13.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
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Two Days
Please view the Schedule for a full description of the program.
On This Page
Overview
Should psychedelic medicines be offered without psychotherapy? If psychotherapy is necessary, what forms are most effective? If not, are there still roles for preparation and integration? Are these medicines best understood as treatments for psychiatric disorders, catalysts for spiritual growth, or both? And as regulatory approvals draw nearer, what choices and challenges will clinicians face?
The field of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) is evolving rapidly. New and sometimes competing models of care continue to emerge. Expanding research is deepening our understanding of psychedelic compounds and their therapeutic applications, while changing state and national policies foreshadow rapidly growing public interest and demand. Together, these developments suggest that mental health professionals may soon be practicing in a markedly different clinical landscape.
For clinicians interested in or already working in PAP, understanding this increasingly complex terrain is essential. Equally important, clinicians not offering PAP need a working knowledge of the field in order to answer patients' questions, make informed referrals, and support individuals who are exploring psychedelic experiences on their own.
Our 6th Annual Conference on Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy will focus on the emerging choices, tensions, and controversies shaping the field today. Through expert presentations, case discussions, breakout groups, and opportunities for community dialogue, participants will examine competing treatment models, evolving standards of care, ethical and clinical challenges, and the practical implications of new research and policy developments. Whether you are new to the field or an experienced practitioner, we invite you to join us—in person or online—for two stimulating days of learning, reflection, and professional connection.
Learning Objectives
- Review recent changes to the regulatory landscape for psychedelics, and their implications for clinicians.
- Summarize the current evidence for the use of ibogaine, its benefits and risks.
- Discuss the debate and evidence around whether therapy is a necessary component of psychedelic treatment.
- Describe how to work with memory-related phenomena that arise in PAP.
- Explore how medicine work can unfold, the complexities and tensions that can arise in a treatment. and how different modalities figure in to a treatment over time, including different applications of medicine work.
- Define the psychedelic church movement, compare medical and spiritual psychedelic settings, and apply insights from psychedelic church cases to clinical settings.
- Explain how a single psychedelic dose to elicit a peak/mystical experience became the primary model for psychedelic-assisted therapy from an historic point of view.
- Review recent data on epigenetic factors in ketamine treatment.
- Outline clinical and economic considerations in deciding forms of ketamine treatment.
- Describe the model of ketamine integration chaplaincy in hospital and outpatient settings, and discuss the value of bringing spiritual expertise to PAP clinical settings.
- Describe recent findings on PAP for cocaine use disorder in underrepresented and vulnerable populations.
- Articulate several factors that PAP facilitators should address in patients with racial trauma.
- Compare and contrast adverse experiences from intensive meditation practice vs. psychedelics.
Developed and Offered By:
Continuing Education courses are developed by faculty from Harvard Medical School's teaching hospitals and accredited by Harvard Medical School. This course is offered by Cambridge Health Alliance.
Who Should Participate
Specialty Physicians, Primary Care Physicians, Social workers, Counselors, Psychologists, Nurses, and Others
Schedule
All agenda sessions are in Eastern Time.
Thursday, March 4, 2027
Registration Check-in
8:00-8:45 am
Welcome & Introduction
8:45-8:55 am
A Law and Policy Update on Accessing Psychedelics
8:55-9:40 am
Breakout Session 1, and Discussion
9:40-10:25 am
Networking Break
10:25-10:40 am
Ibogaine Update
10:40-11:25 am
How Necessary is the Therapy in PAP?
11:25 am-12:10 pm
Lunch Break
12:10-1:15 pm
Is It a True Memory?
1:15-1:45 pm
The Long Arc of Healing Using Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Case Presentation
1:45-2:15 pm
Breakout Session 2, and Discussion
2:15-3:00 pm
Networking Break
3:00-3:15 pm
Healing Beyond the Clinic: Ethnographic Case Studies from Contemporary Psychedelic Churches
3:15-4:00 pm
Why We Have Focused on Peak Experience in Psychedelic Therapy: An Historical Perspective
4:00-4:45 pm
Discussion / Q&A
4:45-5:00 pm
Friday, March 5, 2027
Welcome Day 2
8:40-8:45 am
Epigenetics and Psychedelic Therapy: How Experience Gets Under the Skin
8:45-9:30 am
Ketamine Treatments: Helping Patients Choose
9:30-10:15 am
Networking Break
10:15-10:30 am
Ketamine Integration Chaplaincy: A Novel Spiritual Care Approach to Psychedelic Integration; and Breakout Session 3
10:30-11:30 am
Discussion / Q&A
11:30 am-12:00 pm
Lunch Break
12:00-1:00 pm
Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy for Cocaine Use Disorder
1:00-1:30 pm
Facilitator Factors in Group Treatment: Lessons from Racial Trauma Retreats, and Breakout Session 4
1:30-2:30 pm
Discussion / Q&A
2:30-3:00 pm
Networking Break
3:00-3:15 pm
Adverse Experiences with Meditation vs Psychedelics
3:15-4:00 pm
All-Faculty Wrap-Up Discussion
4:00-5:00 pm
Faculty
Harvard Medical School Continuing Education attracts the best and brightest faculty from all around the world. As a student in this course, you’ll have access to outstanding course directors and faculty.
Course Directors
Ronald D. Siegel
PsyD | Course Director
- Faculty, Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, Cambridge Health Alliance
- Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry, Part-time Harvard Medical School
- Faculty, Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy
Jim Hopper
PhD | Course Director
- Consultant, Outpatient Addictions Service, Cambridge Health Alliance
- Teaching Associate in Psychiatry, Part-time Harvard Medical School
- Psychotherapist in Private Practice
Laura Warren
MD | Course Director
- Psychiatry Faculty Member, Cambridge Health Alliance
- Faculty and Mentor, CHA Center for Mindfulness and Compassion
- Lecturer on Psychiatry, Part-time, Harvard Medical School
- Member, Board of Advisors, Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy
Monnica Williams
PhD | Course Director
- Canada Research Chair for Mental Health Disparities, Director of the Laboratory for Culture and Mental Health Disparities and Associate Professor, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Canada
- Clinical Director, Behavioral Wellness Clinic, LLC
Karen Kuc
MPH | Course Director
- Director, Continuing Education in Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance
- Associate in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Marni Chanoff, MD
Founder and CEO, Joy In Health
Clinical Associate, McLean Hospital
Lecturer on Psychiatry, Part-time, Harvard Medical School
Terence Ching, PhD
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine
Rheinila Fernandes, MD
Psychiatrist in Private Practice, Embodied Mind Medicine
Daniel Grossman, MA
Fifth-year doctoral candidate in Medical/Clinical Psychology, University of Alabama Birmingham
Daan Keiman, MA
Educational Lead ADEPT, Open Foundation; Psychedelic and Buddhist Chaplain, Heart-Head Healing
Roman Palitsky, MDiv, PhD
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine
Director of Research Projects in Spiritual Health, Emory University
Sergio Pérez Rosal, MD
Adjunct Professor, Psychedelics and Consciousness Studies, University of Ottawa
Research Associate, Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines
Chair of the Board of Directors, Psychedelia-Stiftung, Berlin, Germany
Anne Vallely, PhD
Associate Professor, Classics and Religious Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Ottawa
Founding Member, Academy of Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies
Member of the Board, Learning Committee, LIFE Research Institute; Member of the Board, Mahatma Gandhi Peace Council of Ottawa
Hotel Information
Hotel Reservations
There are several hotels within a short driving distance of the conference center (see this map). Please note that some properties charge a per-night parking fee.
- Hyatt House Boston/Waltham. Hyatt House provides complimentary breakfasts, free parking, and shuttle service to and from the conference venue. The CHA Group coupon code is G-CHAL for a rate of $139/night for a Standard King room.
Book your reservation →
- Embassy Suites by Hilton Boston Waltham
- Courtyard by Marriott Boston Waltham
- The Westin Waltham Boston
- Best Western Plus Waltham Boston
- Holiday Inn Express Boston-Waltham
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Course Fees
Registration Details
You may register through our secure online environment and will receive an email confirmation upon receipt of your payment. Prices include CME credit, electronic syllabus. At the end of the registration process, a $10 non-refundable processing fee will be added to your registration.
Continental breakfast, lunch, and breaks will be provided for in-person participants.
Early Registration Deadline:
| Role | Course Fee | Early Registration Course Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Physician (MD/DO) | $585 | $485 |
| Nurse (RN/APRN) | $485 | $385 |
| PA | $485 | $385 |
| Psychologist | $485 | $385 |
| Resident/Fellow | $485 | $385 |
| Social Worker | $485 | $385 |
| Allied Health Professional / Other | $485 | $385 |
Accreditation
The Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 13.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
For the purpose of recertification, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board and American Nurses Credentialing Center accept AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ issued by organizations accredited by the ACCME (Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education). We would also suggest that learners check with their state licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for re-licensure.
The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) states that AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are acceptable for continuing medical education requirements for recertification. We would also suggest that learners check with their state licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for re-licensure.
Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Continuing Education in Psychiatry is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Continuing Education in Psychiatry maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This course offers 13.25 continuing education credits.
Please note: For psychologists, social workers, and counselors, this course has been approved for a set amount of credits and CHA is not able to issue CE certificates for partial credit. Participants must be present for all sessions both days to claim a certificate. For any questions regarding CE credit, please email cme@challiance.org.
Cambridge Health Alliance is an Affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Continuing Education in Psychiatry has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5444. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Continuing Education in Psychiatry is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. This course meets the requirements for 13.25 continuing education hours and is also applicable for Commonwealth of Massachusetts Counseling/Allied Mental Health accreditation for 13.25 credits.
Please note: For psychologists, social workers, and counselors, this course has been approved for a set amount of credits and CHA is not able to issue CE certificates for partial credit. Participants must be present for all sessions both days to claim a certificate. For any questions regarding CE credit, please email cme@challiance.org.
The American Medical Association (AMA) has an agreement of mutual recognition of continuing medical education (CME) credit with the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS). Additional information regarding this agreement may be found on the Union of European Medical Specialists website.
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada recognizes conferences and workshops held outside of Canada that are developed by a university, academy, hospital, specialty society or college as accredited group learning activities.
Application for social work continuing education credits has been submitted to NASW-MA. Please contact us at cme@challiance.org for the status of social work CE accreditation. NY Social Workers: Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Continuing Education in Psychiatry is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an Approved Provider #0038 of continuing education for licensed social workers. This course offers 13.25 contact hours.
Please note: For psychologists, social workers, and counselors, this course has been approved for a set amount of credits and CHA is not able to issue CE certificates for partial credit. Participants must be present for all sessions both days to claim a certificate. For any questions regarding CE credit, please email cme@challiance.org.