PSYCHEDELIC THERAPY
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)
I provide a safe and supportive container for transformative healing with ketamine assisted psychotherapy (KAP), the only currently legal psychedelic therapy available in Ohio.
“It’s a substance that supports deep, meaningful and rapidly effective psychotherapy.”
– Philip Wolfson, MD on ketamine
My approach of Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) recognizes the power of Self in each of us, combined with the therapeutic process to support deeper, lasting healing.
KAP is an experimental treatment increasingly used for various chronic and treatment-resistant issues like depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), often after traditional treatment approaches have been unsuccessful.
My approach differs from other ketamine providers that work within a medical model with IV administration by a nurse, or self-administered sublingual lozenges. These medical providers do not typically offer integration support before, during, or after the ketamine experience.
Psychedelics are inherently disintegrating but offer tremendous potential for transformation. KAP sessions involve your whole self (body, heart, mind, and spirit) during the subjective, conscious experience. I understand and respect the importance of preparation before, holding presence during, and integration after for deep, lasting healing.
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is a holistic modality in which ketamine is used as a complement to psychotherapy to help people experience more frequent breakthroughs and sustained improvement in symptoms.
I offer KAP in partnership with an organization called Journey Clinical. I take on the psychotherapy 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.
Resources on KAP
How Ketamine Helps with Depression (Yale Medicine)
Should You Try Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy? (Psychology Today)
Why Ketamine Assisted Therapy Has Gone Mainstream (Forbes)
Ketamine Therapy is Going Mainstream (The New Yorker)
Ketamine treatment for depression: A review (Discover Mental Health)
THE PROCESS FOR
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy
KAP work can be done independently or to augment existing therapy or self-growth work. I’ll guide you through each step of the process, outlined below. The number and frequency of sessions is customized based on your needs, and insights you gain from each step of the process will inform the steps to follow.
Like any other form of therapy, KAP is not a “once and done” process, even as a single experience may be profound and transformative. The work in preparation faciliates an open, curious mindset in a safe and supportive environment, commonly referred to as “set and setting.” The integration work takes advantage of the neuroplasticity window from ketamine to support personal discovery, growth, and lasting change.
- 1. KAP Intake Assessment
- 2. Medical Consultation
- 3. KAP Preparation Sessions
- 4. KAP Experiential Dosing Session
- 5. KAP Integration Sessions
- 6. Follow-up Medical Consultation
This first session offers an opportunity to review the KAP informed consent, determine if KAP is a good fit for your presenting issues, and discuss treatment plan and goals for KAP. Following this session, a referral will be submitted to Journey Clinical for the initial consultation.
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.
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 therapy sessions prior to the KAP experiential dosing session. The goal of a preparation session(s) is to align on the process and set intentions for our KAP sessions collaboratively.
A typical ketamine dosing session lasts about 2 to 3 hours and will take place in my office.
During a dosing session, you will self-administer your ketamine lozenge in my office. You will be in a comfortable, reclining position wearing an eye mask and listening to a playlist of curated instrumental 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.
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.
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.
KAP Psychotherapy Fees
REclaim your path
Below are the fees for the psychotherapy sessions for KAP. These fees are the same as my individual therapy or couples therapy fees. A 60-minute initial intake assessment is required to start the counseling services for new clients, and each subsequent KAP preparation or integration session is 50-minutes. The KAP experiential dosing sessions are usually around 2-3 hours in duration.
KAP Intake Assessment
60 Minutes- One-time fee for 60 minute session for new clients
- Available in-person or online
- May be reimbursable as out-of-network
KAP Preparation & Integration Sessions
50 Minutes- Per-session fee for 50 minute session
- Available in-person or online
- May be reimbursable as out-of-network
KAP Experiential Dosing Session
2-3 Hours- Per-session fee for up to 3 hour session
- Available in-person only
- May be reimbursable for the first hour only
KAP Medical Fees
Journey Clinical
Below are fees for the medical services for KAP provided by Journey Clinical.
Initial Medical Consultation
Journey Clinical- One-time fee
- May be reimbursable as out-of-network
Follow-up Medical Consultation
Journey Clinical- Minimum of 1x/quarter
- May be reimbursable as out-of-network
Cost of Ketamine Prescription
Compound pharmacy- Approximately 4-6 lozenges
- Not covered by insurance
Accepted Payment Methods
All major credit, debit, FSA, and HSA cards.
A Note On Insurance
Clients will be responsible for session fees as I do not accept insurance. I provide a superbill detailing services provided and you may or may not be able to utilize your out-of-network benefits by submitting claims to your insurance company.
Journey Clinical should provide the necessary info for the medical intake and follow-up consultations for you to submit claims for out-of-network services.
Please call the number on your insurance card to inquire about mental health coverage and to determine if your benefits might cover a portion of your sessions and medical consultations.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Questions about Ketamine Assisted Therapy
With the resurgence in interest and research in psychedelics for mental health treatment, ketamine assisted psychotherapy represents the only accessible psychedelic therapy in Ohio outside of clinical study participation. It’s natural to bring curiosity and questions to a modality that represents a shift from traditional talk therapy.
Any questions that haven’t been addressed here? Please contact Jay.
What is ketamine and how does it work?
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 hrs. after treatment. 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 and 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 patients 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 happens during the experience, patients feel like the insights gained are clear.
Who is a potentially a good fit for KAP?
Research shows promise for ketamine in treating depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and other trauma-related disorders, and substance use disorders, among other mental health issues. Ketamine is increasingly used as a treatment for various chronic treatment-resistant mental and emotional conditions, often used after other treatment approaches have been unsuccessful.
While the scientific data is not completely clear, research suggests ketamine may help grow new neural connections once diminished by chronic stress, leaving many people feeling relief. For instance, some literature indicates a 70% response rate to ketamine of patients with treatment resistant depression, and a remission rate of 40-50%.
Why is the psychotherapy part of KAP important?
The use of ketamine within a personal therapeutic relationship can help people better identify and work through difficult experiences and behavior patterns, providing new insights and healing that might not have been possible otherwise. Ketamine assisted psychotherapy may allow a person to gain access to the causes of their struggles that were previously outside their awareness.
While there are providers that offer ketamine without therapeutic support, both at clinics and via telehealth, I believe that “set and setting” are crucial to productive healing experiences. The safe container of the therapeutic relationship supports transformative healing, especially in cases where relational dynamics are a part of presenting issues. I respect the importance and power of working with the experience of your whole self (heart, mind, and spirit) for deep, lasting healing.
How many sessions are typical in KAP treatment?
A general starting guideline is to plan for 6 experiential dosing sessions, although the total duration of treatment is dependent on the goals and type of change desired. The number and frequency of sessions is customized based on your needs, and insights you gain from each step of the process will inform the steps to follow.
How frequent are the KAP sessions?
KAP experiential dosing sessions can be generally planned every two weeks, although a customized treatment plan and schedule may involve weekly or monthly sessions. Much of the change process happens after the experiential sessions, so allowing space for integration is a crucial part of KAP.
Is KAP covered by my insurance?
Clients will be responsible for session fees as I do not accept insurance. I provide a superbill detailing services provided and you may or may not be able to utilize your out-of-network benefits by submitting claims to your insurance company. This includes the intial intake assessment, preparation and integration sessions, and the first hour of the experiential dosing sessions. Due to limitations of insurance coverage of add-on codes, clients will not be able to seek reimbursement for the extended duration of the experiential sessions beyond the first hour.
Journey Clinical should provide the necessary info for the medical intake and follow-up consultations for you to submit claims for out-of-network services. The prescription costs for ketamine are not covered or reimbursed by insurance.
Please call the number on your insurance card to inquire about mental health coverage and to determine if your benefits might cover a portion of your sessions and medical consultations.
What is your training for KAP?
I’ve completed training for Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy and Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration through Fluence along with other various workshops and conferences on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. I continue to work to deepen my education and training in psychedelic assisted psychotherapy, have regular consultation support from other experienced providers, and engage in conferences, seminars, and ongoing training offered by Journey Clinical.
Do you prescribe medications?
No, offering prescriptions, adminstering or providing clients with any type of medication or psychedelic substances is outside of the scope of my practice.
What is Journey Clinical?
Journey Clinical is a platform for licensed psychotherapists 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.
Interested in beginning your KAP journey?
The KAP process can begin with an intro consultation (15 minutes) or the initial intake assessment (60 minutes).