Psychedelic Practitioner Training
Psychedelic-assisted therapies are developing rapidly. Safe and responsible practice requires considerably more than learning a treatment protocol over a few days.
This programme offers an extended learning journey in which participants can acquire knowledge, reflect on its implications, discuss complex questions with peers and experienced practitioners, and begin translating theory into ethically and culturally responsive practice.
The programme progresses from history, pharmacology and the clinical evidence into the practical realities of screening, preparation, therapeutic support, boundaries, challenging experiences, integration, service design and professional practice.
Particular attention is given to the distinctive cultural and healthcare landscape of Aotearoa, including Indigenous perspectives, mushrooms of Aotearoa and the emerging regulatory environment for psychedelic-assisted therapies in New Zealand.
Who is the programme for?
Psychedelic Practitioner Training is intended for a multidisciplinary professional cohort.
Applications will be considered individually to ensure that participants have an appropriate professional background, scope of practice and readiness for the programme.
Completion of the course does not in itself confer authority to prescribe or administer psychedelic medicines. It provides relevant professional education for those wishing to understand and prepare for work within New Zealand’s emerging legal and clinical landscape.
Participants work through ten core topics, each containing:
- an expert recorded presentation
- carefully selected reading and viewing
- structured reflective practice
- self-assessment activities
Additional learning is organised around five themes that recur throughout the programme, connecting the individual topics with broader questions of ethics, safety, cultural responsiveness, self-awareness and professional development.
Live teaching provides regular opportunities to explore the material with faculty, tutors and fellow participants. It includes:
- weekly two-hour facilitated Learning Pods
- one-hour tutorials approximately every other week
- three-hour Saturday-morning Intensive Sessions approximately every two weeks
- dedicated pastoral support and professional-development supervision
Learning Pods provide a consistent small group in which participants can discuss each topic, work through cases and ethical dilemmas, develop practical skills and relate the teaching to their own professional context.
The fortnightly Intensives bring the wider cohort together for expert teaching, discussion, experiential and reflective learning, and engagement with both international and New Zealand-based contributors.
Wider and interdisciplinary perspectives
The core curriculum is complemented by:
- trauma and psychedelic-assisted therapy
- philosophy of mind and non-materialist perspectives
- microdosing and psychedelic use outside clinical settings
- psychedelics in recreational, contemplative and natural settings
- music within psychedelic-assisted therapy
The curriculum
1. History and Culture—including mushrooms of Aotearoa
2. Pharmacology, Neuroscience and Psychological Models
3. Indications and Evidence
4. Screening and Preparation
5. The Psychedelic Experience
6. Boundaries, Consent and Touch
7. Challenging Experiences and Adverse Events
8. Integration
9. Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Models and Delivery
10. Clinic Design and New Zealand Regulation
The programme brings together internationally recognised researchers, clinicians, educators and practitioners alongside contributors with knowledge of New Zealand’s culture, communities, healthcare system and emerging psychedelic landscape.
Confirmed contributors include:
+ $250 (NZD) non-refundable enrolment fee
Save $300 (NZD) on the standard course fee if you are among the first 10 applicants to complete enrolment before October 23rd. To qualify, you must be accepted onto the programme and pay the $250 (NZD) enrolment fee and $2,000 (NZD) deposit before the deadline.
The Early Bird rate is based on the date you complete enrolment, not the date you submit your application. The application, interview, references and payment process can take up to 10 days, so we strongly recommend applying well before the deadline.
We recognise that the cost of professional education can be a significant barrier. A limited number of bursaries will be available for:
- practitioners on lower incomes
- Māori, Pacific peoples and members of other marginalised or under-represented communities
- LGBTQ+ practitioners and others whose perspectives are under-represented within healthcare and psychedelic practice
- practitioners who can demonstrate an established commitment to serving marginalised, deprived or underserved communities
Applicants will be invited to provide relevant information as part of a confidential bursary application. Availability is limited, and support will be allocated according to financial need, representation and likely community benefit.
The PsyEdu Psychedelic Practitioner Training offers an opportunity to develop rigorous foundational knowledge while joining a sustained professional learning community.
Over 14 weeks, participants will encounter leading international and local perspectives, examine the difficult ethical and practical questions facing the field, and begin developing the knowledge, judgement and reflective capacity required for responsible psychedelic practice.
Places are limited to 30 participants. Applications open on September 23rd and close December 1st.
Apply early to secure your spot.