I offer a therapeutic modality called Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) in partnership with Journey Clinical. 

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is a holistic modality in which ketamine is used as a complement to therapy to help eligible clients experience more frequent breakthroughs and sustained improvement in symptoms. I take on the therapy portion of the experience, while Journey Clinical’s medical team supports you on all medical aspects. This includes determining eligibility, developing a custom treatment plan, prescribing the medicine and monitoring outcomes.  Below is more information about KAP to help you navigate if it may be a good fit for you.

What is Ketamine? 

Ketamine is a legal, safe and effective medicine used to treat a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety and PTSD.  Ketamine has rapidly-acting antidepressant and mood-enhancing effects, which can begin to take effect within 1-2 hours after treatment and can last for up to 2 weeks.  It works by blocking the brain’s NMDA receptors as well as by stimulating AMPA receptors, which are thought to help form new synaptic connections and boost neural circuits that regulate stress and mood.  Ketamine has also been shown to enhance overall neuroplasticity for lasting symptom improvement.

Ketamine can be administered in a variety of ways, including IV infusion, intramuscular injection, via nasal spray or using sublingual lozenges. In my work with Journey Clinical we only use the sublingual lozenge form.  

How Does Ketamine Feel? 

The effects of ketamine, which most people find pleasant, last for approximately 45 minutes. These effects can make you feel “far from” your body, and facilitate shifts in perception that can often feel expansive in nature. Your motor and verbal abilities will be reduced, so you’ll be lying down in a comfortable position during the experience. Once these effects subside, we’ll spend the remainder of our appointment giving you space to process and discuss your experience. While it may feel hard to articulate what happened during the experience, people feel like the insights gained are none-the-less clear. Studies have shown that the benefits to mood and neurological growth can last up to two weeks after a Ketamine experience. 

How Does Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Work?

1. Determine if KAP would be supportive in your healing journey:
   • I ask people to commit to a minimum of three sessions prior to integrating KAP to establish treatment goals and intentions, build trust and set a solid foundation for this transformative work.
   • If we determine to move forward I will submit a referral to the Journey Clinical medical team.
2. Initial consultation with Journey Clinical:
   • You schedule an initial evaluation with a clinician from the Journey Clinical medical team via zoom. They will go over your medical and psychiatric history with you, provide education on the treatment and determine if you are eligible for KAP.
   • If Journey Clinical’s medical team determines that you are eligible for KAP, they will develop a personalized Ketamine prescription and outcome monitoring plan for you. 
   • Journey Clinical’s medical staff will write a ketamine prescription for you, and a small amount of oral ketamine will be sent to your home, enough for the first 2 KAP sessions. You will be taught to take your vitals and self-administer the ketamine lozenges by Journey Clinical’s medical team in advance of our KAP sessions.
3. Preparation sessions: 
   • Once you receive your ketamine lozenges, we will schedule time together for our KAP preparation, dosing and integration sessions. Preparation session(s) will be scheduled just like regular sessions prior to the KAP dosing session. The goal of a preparation session(s) is to align on the process and set intentions for our KAP sessions together.  
4. KAP Dosing Session: 
   • A typical ketamine dosing session lasts between 1-2 hours and can take place either in-person at my office, or remotely via telehealth. 
   • During a dosing session, you will self-administer your ketamine lozenge either in my office or in your home.  You will be in a comfortable, reclining position wearing an eye mask and listening to calming music.  Although a KAP dosing session may be largely an internal experience, I will be present with you the entire time to hold space and provide support as needed.
5. Integration Sessions: 
   • After our KAP dosing session, we will meet for multiple integration therapy sessions to review the memories, thoughts & insights that arose during your dosing session, and to prepare for the next dosing session.
6. Follow-up consultations with Journey Clinical:
   • After our first KAP session, Journey Clinical’s medical team schedules regular follow ups with you to monitor outcomes and prescribe ketamine lozenge refills, as appropriate.  The frequency of follow ups depends on your unique treatment plan, at a minimum of once per quarter.

Follow-up Consultations with Journey Clinical:

After our first KAP session, Journey Clinical’s medical team schedules regular follow ups with you to monitor outcomes and prescribe ketamine lozenge refills, as appropriate.  The frequency of follow ups depends on your unique treatment plan, at a minimum of once per quarter.

How Do I Sign Up?

What is Journey Clinical?

• Journey Clinical is a platform for licensed therapists to incorporate science-based psychedelic therapies in their practice safely and effectively, starting with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). Journey Clinical’s in-house medical team takes on patient eligibility, prescriptions and outcome monitoring, while I take on the therapy.  Their collaborative care model is designed to deliver personalized treatment plans to meet your individual needs and improve long-term outcomes. 

What if I’m already in an established relationship with a therapist, but I want to add KAP?

• That’s great you have a therapist you are working well with! You do not have to be an ongoing therapy client to engage in KAP, and adjunct KAP work can offer powerful benefits to the work you are already doing with your current therapy process.
• One indisputable fact about Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy is that continuing with ongoing therapy even after your KAP treatment is always ideal to ensure that you have the support that you need to maintain all of the new routines, practices, and behaviors that you developed through your KAP treatment.
• I will work with you and your current therapist to integrate your care and provide the supportive healing experience that you deserve. We’ll keep your therapist in the loop throughout our KAP work and support you in coming up with a post-treatment plan that you can continue to explore and implement with your therapist.

Helpful Resources:

1. Journey Clinical KAP Education Resource
2. Paradigms of Ketamine Treatment by Raquel Bennett, Psy.D. for MAPS
3. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP): Patient Demographics, Clinical Data and Outcomes in Three Large Practices Administering Ketamine with Psychotherapy – research study by Jennifer Dore et al, 2018
4. Ketamine for Depression and Mood Disorders by Erica Zelfand, ND for Townsend Letter
5. Ketamine-Facilitated Psychotherapy for Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression by goop
6. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy with Jonathan Sabbagh of Journey Clinical – Psychology Talk Podcast