Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy
For people with trauma or depression who feel stuck in traditional therapy
How does ketamine assisted therapy work?
Ketamine has been shown in the research to successfully decrease treatment-resistant depression, as well as trauma symptoms. It is a legal psychedelic medicine that can support psychological growth and healing.
Ketamine can impact you in several ways. It temporarily increases your brain’s neuroplasticity, making it easier for you to shift patterns and make changes. It works on several important brain functions: the central executive network, the salience network, and the default mode network. Therapeutic ketamine journeys involve a dissociative experience that are often highly insightful and facilitate new perspectives.
KAP is broken down into 4 parts: medical assessment and prescription of ketamine, preparation sessions, dosing sessions, and integration therapy. I provide preparation, dosing, and integration therapy, and coordinate medical referrals for clients.
WHAT IS THE PROCESS LIKE?
01. Assessment & Medical Evaluation
Whether you’re a new or established client with me, we’ll have an assessment session to discuss your needs, history, goals, experiences in trauma therapy, and any experience with psychedelic treatments. While there are many potential benefits of ketamine, it’s just one option. It’s important that we work together to build a solid, trusting therapeutic relationship, and decide together whether ketamine assisted psychotherapy is a treatment you want to pursue. If so, I’ll coordinate your referral to a psychiatric provider for a medical evaluation. The physician will determine your medical eligibility and create a treatment plan that we will follow.
If all looks good to move forward with ketamine assisted psychotherapy (KAP), we’ll meet for preparation sessions to talk through your goals, expectations, answer any questions, and generally prepare for the process of engaging in KAP.
02. Preparation Sessions
03. Dosing Sessions
Dosing sessions can happen through several modalities: one-on-one, as part of a group, or self-guided. Many clients do a total of 6-8 dosing sessions over the course of a few months. Dosing can be done in person or virtually. I work with clients at my offices in Westminster and Denver, Colorado. If we have a virtual session, you can experience the medicine at your home with a trusted support person present.
04. Integration Sessions
We’ll schedule at least one integration therapy session between each ketamine dosing session. This is where you have the opportunity to make meaning of your experiences during the dosing sessions. Honestly, it’s where the most benefit happens! Going to a ketamine clinic with no integration may help you feel better for a little while, but they don’t support the therapy that helps you make lasting changes. Depending on your treatment plan, you’ll likely also have follow up appointments with your medical provider. After you’ve completed your ketamine treatments, we’ll discuss next steps and options for continued therapeutic work as needed. In general, I’ll be here with you every step of the way.
KAP Investment
Your total investment in a course of ketamine assisted therapy will vary depending on your insurance coverage, number of dosing sessions, and the total cost of your medical evaluation.
Preparation and Integration Sessions:
These are standard 50-60 minute therapy sessions and can be covered by insurance. I’m generally in network with Aetna, United/Optum, and Cigna plans, some Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, and Kaiser in Colorado.
Dosing Sessions:
Each 3-hour dosing session is $500, which includes time for informed consent and instructions, intention setting, around 45-90 minutes with the medicine, and debriefing. Insurance generally doesn’t cover dosing sessions. 6-8 sessions are often recommended as a full course of treatment.
Psycholytic (aka low dose) dosing sessions are 90 minutes, offering a more gradual ramp into ketamine assisted work. Talk therapy psycholytic sessions are $225. Psycholytic dosing can be combined with trauma intensives as well, at no extra charge above the intensive pricing.
Payment plan options are available through Care Credit.
Medical Evaluation:
Costs for the medical evaluation and prescription of the medicine are determined by the particular psychiatric provider you see. I partner with psychiatrists who take most of the same insurances I do.
Group Options:
I understand that KAP can be a big investment. I do offer in-person groups, which can offer the support of a shared experience with other participants and make the process much more affordable. You would still meet with me individually for preparation and integration, as well as complete a medical evaluation. Group dosing sessions are $250 per person, and are generally 3-4 hours long.
Self-Guided Options:
I offer the option for established KAP clients to move to self-guided dosing sessions. This means that you would complete your dosing session at home with a trusted chaperone present. However, I would not be present for the entire session. We would do a 15 minute check in at the beginning and end of your session time. Self-guided dosing sessions are $100 per session.
Ketamine Assisted Therapy FAQs
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Ketamine assisted therapy has been well studied and tested for both safety and efficacy. Like any other treatment or medication, there may be certain medical conditions or reasons why KAP might not be a good fit. This is one of the reasons why a medical evaluation is essential before we move forward. Your safety comes first.
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No. I offer virtual options as well. To participate in KAP remotely, you’ll need a safe adult to be a chaperone for you in person, and we’ll discuss other factors that will help a remote session be as safe and effective as possible. I will be present with you on Zoom the entire time.
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A KAP group dosing session involves up to 4 clients doing dosing sessions together. Group KAP sessions can be a great way to experience the benefits of the medicine at a much more affordable cost. I currently only offer group KAP in person in the Denver area. If you’re interested in a group, please reach out for current info.
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KAP is one of many psychiatric and therapeutic treatments out there. It’s not a cure-all or a magic bullet. If the expectation is that one ketamine journey will fix everything- well, it’s not that easy unfortunately. But KAP can be a powerful treatment that offers a very different experience from traditional talk therapy. Like any other type of therapy, the more you are willing and open to doing the work, the more benefit you will likely find from it.
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Psycholytic dosing is a lower dose of ketamine, resulting in a state that is not dissociative the same way that a standard psychedelic dose is. Where a standard dose is often ego-dissolving, a psycholytic dose is more like ego-relaxing. It doesn’t last as long, and most clients are able to therapeutically interact during the dose.
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If that’s the case, there’s probably an important medical reason. We can discuss alternative options to best support you.
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Unfortunately, many ketamine clinics offer dosing with no integration support. Experiencing a ketamine session on your own can still be beneficial, but will likely not support the full therapeutic benefits. All of the translating, meaning making, and processing of the experience (i.e. what helps you actually change your life) happens in integration therapy. And honestly, they end up not being cheaper either. The types of ketamine clinics that don’t offer any kind of integration are often the same clinics who require you to schedule frequent dosing sessions for months on end. The cost adds up, and often still has less than satisfactory results.