Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: Overview, Research Summary, and Ethical and Legal Issues in Psychedelic Harm Reduction Therapy

Psychedelic-assisted therapy is emerging as a novel form of mental health treatment that has been shown to be highly effective in early clinical trials. This workshop will provide an overview of this new clinical area. First, a history of the use of psychedelics will be reviewed that includes an appreciation for their long-standing use by many indigenous cultures. Next, the two major waves of psychedelic research will be summarized, with emphasis on more recent and rigorous clinical trials. The basic model of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy will be explained so that workshop participants will have a better sense of how this treatment works. The workshop will highlight the importance of preparation and integration, as well as how to use a harm reduction approach to provide therapeutic support to clients using psychedelics on their own now. Finally, the workshop will outline the ethical and legal risks for practicing psychedelic harm reduction and integration therapy given the legal status of psychedelics and that it is a new clinical area.

CONTINUING EDUCATION (CE) OBJECTIVES

Following this presentation, participants will be able to:

• 1)      Describe the theory and practice of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy
• 2)      Summarize research findings and current legal status of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy
• 3)      Describe the main ethical and legal risks in engaging in psychedelic harm reduction and integration therapy with clients. 

This presentation is intended for licensed mental health professionals and graduate student trainees. The instructional level of this presentation is beginner and no prior knowledge or experience with psychedelics is necessary.

About the presenter

Brian Pilecki, PhD: Dr. Brian Pilecki is a clinical psychologist at Portland Psychotherapy that specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders, trauma and PTSD, and psychedelic-assisted therapy.  He graduated from Fordham University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Brian practices from an orientation based in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and has extensive experience in the areas of mindfulness and meditation that he incorporates into therapy with clients. At Portland Psychotherapy, Brian is an active researcher and a study therapist on a clinical trial investigating the use of MDMA-assisted therapy for the treatment of social anxiety disorder and understanding processes of change in how this novel form of treatment might work. He has given numerous workshops on topics related to psychedelics and is a consultant and instructor for Fluence, an organization that provides professional training in psychedelic-assisted therapy and integration. Brian is co-chairperson for the Psychedelic Special Interest Group in the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science and co-hosts a podcast called Altered States of Context about the intersection of psychedelics and psychotherapy.  

Target Audience

This presentation is intended for licensed mental health professionals and  graduate student trainees. The instructional level of this presentation is beginner.

Continuing Education

• Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists*. Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
• This program provides two (2) hours of CE credits, ONE (1) OF WHICH IS AN ETHICS CREDIT.
• PBTA is also an authorized provider of CE credits for Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Clinical Social Workers licensed in the state of Pennsylvania.
• Full attendance with video display is required to obtain CE credit for this program. APA guidelines do not permit PBTA to issue partial CE credits. No refunds are provided for CE programs. No exceptions allowed.
• * PBTA does not currently offer CE to practitioners licensed in the state of New York. 
• Non-psychologists outside of PA please confirm with your respective licensing board in advance that this meets criteria for CE credits.