Introductory Workshop on
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) has recently emerged as one of the most innovative treatments for depression, particularly treatment-resistant depression (TRD), and shows promise as well in treating anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychological conditions.
Integrating pharmacological, psychological, and archetypal/transpersonal elements, KAP represents a new synthesis (or hybrid model) of psychotherapy.
Empirical results, particularly during the past decade, demonstrate that ketamine and KAP may be able to assist clinical populations whose symptoms and psychological issues have not been responsive to treatment by other means. At the same time, KAP holds promise for effective treatment of individuals with end of life anxiety, existential distress and less severe diagnoses.
The practice of KAP, including diverse dosing strategies, allows clinicians to craft intervention strategies at both the psycholytic (trance, self-reflective) and psychedelic (transformational/transpersonal) levels of experience.
This short introductory course will cover a wide range of topics to help clinicians understand the potential use and efficacy of KAP as well as other psychedelic medicines and will present the current state of the art clinical models for these treatments. Recent promising lines of research in the field will also be briefly covered.
Teachings are appropriate for healthcare professionals as well as the general public. Healthcare professionals will be able to incorporate the tools and practices offered in this program in ways beneficial to clients or patients.
Australian Dates
8:30am - 11:30am (AEDT)
Wednesday 2nd March, 2022
Wednesday 9th March, 2022
Please note there will be no recording available
Eastern USA Dates
Tuesday 1st March 4:30pm (EST)
Tuesday 8th March 4:30pm
Please note there will be no recording available
Cost
$300 AUD
* limited student and rural-service discounts available, please contact us to apply.
Harvey Schwartz, Ph.D., Veronika Gold, LMFT, and Eric Sienknecht, Psy.D. are co- founders of Polaris Training Program and co-lead intensive training workshops on KAP to help clinicians learn how to approach this work, integrating prior psychotherapy training, philosophies and style with this new medicine and new protocols of treatment. They have presented at national and international conferences on psychedelic assisted therapy and KAP.
- Understand difference between traditional psychotherapy and KAP
- Identify and attend to Set and Setting variables
- Work clinically with non ordinary states of consciousness
- Work within a Therapeutic Triangle (Therapist, Physician, Patient)
- Understand screening process, medical risks and contraindications
- Understand the usage of different Routes of Administration and Dosing Strategies
- Support and Facilitate the Integration Process
- Understand political and clinical controversies in the field
The Trainers:
Harvey Schwartz, PHD
Harvey is a licensed psychologist who specializes in treating complex PTSD, dissociative disorders, as well as patients with spiritual and therapy-related trauma. He has undergone advanced Ketamine-Assisted Therapy training through the Ketamine Training Centre and the MAPS MDMA-Assisted Therapy Training Program and is currently a Sub-Investigator and Co-therapist, a supervisor and a trainer on the MAPS MDMA-Assisted Therapy Clinical Trials. In his clinical work and consultation, he synthesizes relational psychodynamic, archetypal, existential, and mindfulness perspectives. He has worked on advancing the theory and practice of integration in psychedelic therapies. Harvey is co-founder, therapist, training director and a lead trainer in the Polaris Insight Training Program.
Veronika Gold, LMFT, SEP
Veronika is a marriage and family therapist who specializes in the treatment of trauma. She is a Certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Certified EMDR therapist, Consultant, and Facilitator, and Realization Process Teacher. She has undergone multiple trainings in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, including advanced training through the Ketamine Training Centre and Kriya Institute, and MDMA-Assisted Therapy Training through MAPS, and is currently a Sub-Investigator and Co-therapist, a supervisor and a trainer on the MAPS MDMA-Assisted Therapy Clinical Trials for the treatment-resistant PTSD. She regularly presents at conferences and teaches on trauma and psychedelic-assisted therapies. Veronika is a co-founder, therapist, and a lead trainer in the Polaris Insight Training Program.
Eric Sienknecht, PsyD
Eric is a licensed psychologist who specializes in treating chronic pain, mood disorders, and trauma. He has undergone training in KAP through the Ketamine Training Centre and in MDMA-Assisted Therapy through the MAPS MDMA Therapy Training Program and is currently a Sub-Investigator and Co-therapist, and a trainer on the MAPS MDMA-Assisted Therapy Clinical Trials for treatment-resistant PTSD. He presents at conferences regularly on topics such as set and setting, ethics, integration, working with expansive states of consciousness, and music in psychedelic therapy. Eric is a co-founder, therapist and a lead trainer in the Polaris Insight Training Program.
