Preferred registration deadline: February 3rd

1.5 CEs

Enter a space that invites reflection, relational ways of knowing, and a broadened lens that extends beyond what is typically centered in clinical practice. In this workshop, Dr. Christine Rodriguez, an Afro-Indigenous, Two-Spirit, Family Nurse Practitioner, Associate Dean of Nursing Impact, and Assistant Professor at Yale School of Nursing, offers an enriching exploration of Indigenous Perspectives on Psychedelics.

This workshop gently unsettles pharmacological reductionism by honoring the sentience of plant relatives and the vitality of animist worldviews present within Indigenous epistemologies. We will also consider the enduring influence of colonial legacies, highlighting how contemporary patterns of bioprospecting and commodification reflect these historical continuities. Participants are invited into a thoughtful dialogue on how we might move from extractive approaches, within the fields of psychedelics, toward practices rooted in reverence, reciprocity, ethical responsibility, and the respectful stewardship of sacred medicines.

This is an interactive synchronous distance learning course via Zoom.

General Admission: $35*
*Discounts on individual workshops in the PAT series are available to WashU students, faculty, staff, field instructors, and alumnae.

Explore additional workshops in the Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Speaker Series:

• Indigenous Perspectives on Psychedelics
• Understanding the Legal and Regulatory Landscape of Psychedelics in the US
• Rewiring Resilience: Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy for Dual-Diagnosis Trauma and Addiction
• Supporting Clients in Psychedelic Use: A Harm-Reduction Framework

Return to our list of Workshops

Course Outline

Content Level: Beginner

Target Audiences: All mental health professionals and public health professionals.

Agenda:

• Welcome & Opening Remarks - 5 mins
• Setting the Context: Indigenous Epistemologies & Wholistic Perspectives - 15 mins
• Psychedelics in Indigenous Epistemologies - 20 mins
• Intersecting Knowledge: Indigenous, Biomedical & Clinical - 20 mins
• Colonial Legacies & Contemporary Engagement with Psychedelics - 15 mins
• Closing Remarks and Key Takeaways; Q & A - 15 mins

Learner Outcomes

• Identify the role of psychedelics within Indigenous epistemologies, with attention to relational and spiritual dimensions that recognize the interconnectedness and sentience of the natural world.
• Describe diverse approaches to health and healing, considering how Indigenous epistemologies, as well as contemporary biomedical and clinical practices inform and enrich each other’s understandings of wellness and wholistic care.
• Identify how enduring colonial legacies shape contemporary engagements with psychedelics, including issues related to bioprospecting, commercialization, and the cultural appropriation of Indigenous knowledge.

*** Some Indigenous peoples use the term ‘wholistic’ to convey an understanding of wellness that includes not only body, mind, and spirit but also community, land, and the broader network of life.***

Course Completion Requirements:

• The Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, Professional Development, provider #2130, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 9/24/2025 – 9/24/2028. Social workers completing this course receive 3 clinical continuing education credits.
• The Brown School is also an approved provider of Social Work CEs in Missouri and Illinois.
• To earn ACE credit, attendees must arrive at the scheduled time, attend the entire course, and complete an online course evaluation. ACE credit is not provided for partial attendance.  However, you may still qualify for partial Social Work Missouri and Illinois CEs provided by the Brown School.
• Brown School CE Certificates will be available online within 10 business days of course completion by visiting your learner profile at https://ce.wustl.edu/portal/logon.do?method=load&parentSite=brown.  You will receive an email notification with specific instructions for accessing the online certificate when it is available. ACE CE Certificates, if requested in your evaluation survey, will be emailed within 10 business days of course completion.
• For more information about CEs, accessibility, refund/cancellation policy, our grievance policy, or other inquiries, please visit our About Us page or email brownprofdev@wustl.edu.