Registration Deadline: September 18th by 12 Noon, Central

34 Missouri/Illinois Social Work CEs

As Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) continues to emerge as an innovative treatment option for a range of mental health conditions, clinicians need specialized training that combines scientific knowledge, clinical skill development, and ethical practice. This Advanced Learning Certificate in Beyond the Molecule: Trauma-Informed Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy is a regionally accessible, in-person course designed to prepare licensed clinicians and medical professionals to practice KAP competently and ethically.

Delivered over four in-person intensive days, this immersive certificate course provides a comprehensive foundation in the principles and practice of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, integrating didactic instruction, faculty demonstration, facilitated case discussion, and supervised dyadic skills labs. Unlike fully online KAP courses, participants benefit from face-to-face learning, collaborative discussion, and hands-on practice that strengthen clinical judgment and therapeutic skills while building meaningful professional connections.

Drawing on the frameworks of nationally recognized organizations, this course incorporates a distinctly somatic and trauma-informed theoretical foundation consistent with best practices in psychedelic-assisted therapy. Course content includes 9 modules spanning the five domains of KAP programs, including pharmacology and mechanisms of action, screening and preparation, session support in non-ordinary states of consciousness, integration theory and practice, and ethics, safety, and scope of practice. Participants will leave with practical tools they can apply immediately within appropriate clinical settings and their professional scope of practice, while also establishing a durable regional community of practice through a post-program peer consultation structure.

IN PERSON COURSE: This 4-session course includes in-person class meetings on 9/24, 9/25, 10/9, and 10/10 from 8:30 am - 6:00 pm, each session. Course include complimentary lunch and a light breakfast each session.

This is a didactic and skills-based course. No ketamine or other psychedelic medicines are administered during the training.

$1995 General Admission
$1795 Discounted Admission  WashU Alums, Students, Faculty, and Staff
*Applicable discount can be applied during checkout.

CLICK TO VIEW COURSE WEBPAGE

Course Outline

• Module 1 – Foundations of KAP: History; pharmacology and neuroscience; routes of administration; dosing; treatment models; Missouri legal/regulatory landscape; therapist vs. prescriber roles.
• Module 2 – Client Screening & Preparation: Inclusion/exclusion criteria; contraindications; informed consent; psychoeducation; set and setting; building alliance; documentation.
• Module 3 – Session Support in Non-Ordinary States: Therapeutic presence; non-directive stance; inner healing intelligence; music; working with difficult experiences; safety monitoring; therapeutic-touch ethics.
• Module 4 – Integration Theory & Practice: Somatic, IFS, Hakomi, and existential frameworks; short- and long-term integration; embodiment; working with trauma material.
• Module 5 – Ethics, Equity & Professional Practice: Scope of practice; transference/countertransference amplification; dual roles; cultural humility; equity-informed access; clinician self-care; consultation ethics.
• Module 6 – Medical Collaboration & Practice Development: Working with prescribers; medication interactions; safety protocols; documentation; practice models; billing; Missouri-specific resources.
• Module 7 – Special Populations & Applications: Treatment-resistant depression; PTSD; suicidality; substance use; end-of-life; cultural considerations; emerging evidence base.
• Module 8 – Skills Labs & Applied Practice: Supervised dyadic role-play across all protocol phases; peer feedback; faculty supervision; somatic opening/closing practices. No ketamine or other medicine is administered to participants.
• Module 9 – Community of Practice & Synthesis: Case conceptualization; peer consultation structure; ongoing learning pathway; regional KAP community development.

Course includes asynchronous resource readings/articles and podcasts that will precede each set of sessions, including a short reflective integration paper to consolidate learning. 

Learner Outcomes

• Explain the pharmacology, mechanisms of action, routes of administration, and therapeutic applications of ketamine, and distinguish the medical/anesthetic model from the ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) model.
• Evaluate the current evidence supporting ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for a range of clinical presentations, including treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, anxiety, substance use disorders, and end-of-life distress, and identify the legal and regulatory considerations that inform ethical practice.
• Conduct comprehensive client screening, assess contraindications, obtain informed consent, and develop preparation sessions that establish therapeutic alliance, clarify treatment intentions, and promote client readiness for KAP.
• Demonstrate trauma-informed, non-directive therapeutic skills for supporting clients during ketamine-assisted psychotherapy sessions, including maintaining psychological safety, monitoring client responses, and responding effectively to challenging experiences.
• Apply trauma-informed integration strategies using somatic, relational, and parts-informed approaches to help clients process, integrate, and translate ketamine experiences into meaningful therapeutic change.
• Apply ethical, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed principles to ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, including maintaining professional boundaries, navigating therapeutic touch and consent, managing transference and countertransference, practicing within scope of competence, and supporting clinician self-awareness and well-being.
• Develop collaborative approaches for working with prescribing clinicians and other members of the treatment team while integrating ketamine-assisted psychotherapy into ethical, coordinated, and well-documented clinical practice.