Course Schedule and Structure

Course Structure

This course incorporates various delivery methods in order to provide you with some key theoretical fundamentals for psychedelic-assisted therapy, using an evidence-based approach and best practices that will promote your learning retention and engagement. We aim to provide you with sufficient opportunities to practice relevant skills that will help you on your journey to becoming a competent clinician with psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Online Pre-work

Each week, you will need to complete all the online content prior to attending the virtual class session. In the online content, there is text for you to read, videos for you to watch, podcasts for you to listen to, and small activities for you to complete to practice your skills and check your understanding. You can expect this to take 2.5-3 hours each week.

Live Sessions

The primary goal of the virtual classes is to practice the key skills and competencies using the online material as your foundation. Please come to class with the intention of participating and engaging with your fellow health professionals in order to get the most out of these sessions.

Assessments

Throughout the course, there will be various assessments to evaluate your knowledge, skills, and competencies that you have gained from the course. On the upcoming Assessment Overview page, you will learn about the course assessments and what you’ll need to successfully complete them.

Practice Groups

You will be assigned to a group of 3 learners. Each week, you should meet for 45 minutes at a time most convenient to you. You will be given some skills and competencies to practice each week. In your triad, you will take turns playing the role of therapist, client, and observer. These groups are excellent opportunities to further practice skills beyond the virtual classes as well as network with likeminded health professionals. If at any point you are having challenges in these groups, please reach out to for support.

Discussions with Flip

Prior to joining Flip, please read more about this third-party platform in the Welcome to Numinus Training module.

  1. Select the join classroom button at the bottom of this section

  2. Create a new account or login with Microsoft, Google, or Apple

  3. Select Introduce Yourself and record a quick introduction of yourself, your experience, and your motivation for taking the course.

Course Schedule

Before we dive into the course content, take a look at the course schedule to give yourself an idea of what is expected of you each week.

Course Access Begins

Monday August 7, 2023

Course End Date

Thursday October 5, 2023

Final Assignment Submission Date

Sunday October 15

Course Access Ends

Sunday December 31, 2023

Time Zones

If you are not located in the Pacific Time, Eastern Time, or Central European Time, please refer to the Time Zone Converter to ensure that you don’t miss deadlines or any virtual classes.

Note

You should complete all of the pre-work content before the associated live session. The live sessions will focus on content covered the week before. After the live session, you can then meet with your practice groups. For example, you should complete all pre-work content for Module 1 before Module 1 live session. After Module 1 live session, you can meet with your practice groups to practice Module 1 activities (which you should complete before Module 2 live session).

Monday August 7, 2023 to Thursday August 17, 2023

Pre-work Topics

  • Introduction to the course

  • Overview of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

  • Brief history of psychedelic medicines

  • Introduction to the Numinus care model

Learning Outcomes

  • Justify the prioritization of integrative and transformative mental wellness within the context of psychedelic-assisted therapy by contrasting it with conventional mental health treatment approaches.

  • Describe the seven guiding principles of psychedelic-assisted therapy which include embodiment, mindfulness, trauma- and violence-informed care, justice, equity, dignity, and inclusion (JEDI), Indigenous cultural safety and humility, harm reduction, and connection for the purposes of applying these to the delivery of care.

  • Describe the mission, vision, and values of Numinus.

  • Describe ethical considerations for psychedelic-assisted therapy that create unique vulnerabilities for persons seeking care.

  • Differentiate the outcomes of the psilocybin, MDMA, and Ketamine PAT from a high-level.

  • Briefly explain the structure of psychedelic-assisted therapy.

  • Explain the impact that The Controlled Drug and Substances Act (Canada) and The Controlled Substances Act (United States) had and continue to have on psychedelic research and drug policy.

Virtual Classes

  • Thursday August 17

    • 12:00PM to 3:00PM PT

    • 3:00PM to 6:00PM ET

    • 9:00PM to midnight CET

Practice Groups

Please meet with your practice groups between the following dates to practice Module 1 activities. More information about the specific activities to practice can be found on the Overview page found in every module.

  • Thursday August 17 to Wednesday August 23

Assessments Due

  • Module 1 Knowledge Check should be completed by Thursday August 17

Friday August 18, 2023 to Thursday August 24, 2023

Pre-work Topics

  • The therapeutic stance

  • Co-facilitation dyads

  • Attachment theory

  • Relationship-centered care

Learning Outcomes

  • Display and embody a common understanding and language around the Numinus therapeutic stance when conducting psychedelic-assisted therapy.

  • Apply Kolb’s experiential learning cycle to the client’s learning experience during and following Medicine Sessions and to the process of building a therapeutic relationship.

  • Explain the role health professionals play in the dynamic of creating a safe and supportive space during psychedelic-assisted therapy.

  • Define and list challenges and strategies for working safely within the enhanced intimacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy and upholding appropriate boundaries.

  • Identify a client’s attachment style in order to best strengthen the therapeutic relationship.

  • Demonstrate how to attend to a client’s non-verbal cues.

  • Compare the sensations experienced during down-regulating and up-regulating exercises in order to determine the best exercise to apply to a client’s specific need.

Virtual Classes

  • Thursday August 24

    • 12:00PM to 3:00PM PT

    • 3:00PM to 6:00PM ET

    • 9:00PM to midnight CET

Practice Groups

Please meet with your practice groups between the following dates to practice Module 1 activities. More information about the specific activities to practice can be found on the Overview page found in every module.

  • Thursday August 24 to Wednesday August 30

Assessments Due

  • Module 2 Knowledge Check should be completed by Thursday August 24.

  • Mission and Intention Setting assignment should be completed by Thursday August 31.

Friday August 25, 2023 to Thursday August 31, 2023

Pre-work Topics

  • Interoceptive awareness

  • Embodied communication and inquiry

  • Somatic resourcing

  • Therapeutic supportive touch

  • ACT, ACE, and psychological flexibility models

  • Internal family systems

  • Enhancing trust

Learning Outcomes

  • Explain the role that psychedelic-assisted therapy plays as a brief intervention within the broader healing journey.

  • Describe the ARC of psychedelic-assisted therapy and its components (including therapeutic concepts).

  • Develop trust in inner healing intelligence.

  • Use language and inquiry that support deepening a patient’s inner experience and innate healing capacity at an introductory level.

  • Apply psychological flexibility to acceptance and commitment therapy, ACE model, and internal family systems.

  • Embody mindfulness and psychological flexibility using the method of embodied inquiry.

  • Discuss the value of practitioners to have spiritual intelligence, trust, and experience with altered states of consciousness.

Virtual Classes

  • Thursday August 31

    • 12:00PM to 3:00PM PT

    • 3:00PM to 6:00PM ET

    • 9:00PM to midnight CET

Practice Groups

Please meet with your practice groups between the following dates to practice Module 1 activities. More information about the specific activities to practice can be found on the Overview page found in every module.

  • Thursday August 31 to Wednesday September 6

Assessments Due

  • Module 3 Knowledge Check should be completed by Thursday August 31.

Friday September 1, 2023 to Thursday September 7, 2023

Pre-work Topics

  • Trauma and trauma psychobiology

  • Polyvagal theory

  • Self regulation

  • Motivational enhancement

Learning Outcomes

  • Incorporate an understanding of the autonomic nervous system as it applies to trauma case conceptualization and the delivery of care.

  • Differentiate between PTSD and other types of trauma.

  • Describe and apply trauma-specific skills.

  • Identify the framework and spectrum of structural dissociation from primary to tertiary.

  • Identify protector parts and lead inquiry into a protector’s core fears.

  • Safely and optimally support healing of trauma and avoid retraumatization of clients during and post-psychedelic-assisted therapy.

  • Explain polyvagal theory and self-regulation as they relate to trauma.

  • Differentiate between trauma therapy and other types of therapy.

Virtual Classes

  • Thursday September 7

    • 12:00PM to 3:00PM PT

    • 3:00PM to 6:00PM ET

    • 9:00PM to midnight CET

Practice Groups

Please meet with your practice groups between the following dates to practice Module 1 activities. More information about the specific activities to practice can be found on the Overview page found in every module.

  • Thursday September 7 to Wednesday September 13

Assessments Due

  • Module 4 Knowledge Check should be completed by Thursday September 7.

  • Reflection 1 assignment should be completed by Thursday September 7.

Friday September 8, 2023 to Thursday September 14, 2023

Pre-work Topics

  • Context: set and setting

  • The healing environment

  • Intention setting

  • Dose ranges

  • Support persons

  • The therapeutic ritual

  • Anticipated challenges during Medicine Sessions

Learning Outcomes

  • Apply the essentials of psychedelic-assisted therapy Preparation Sessions including intention setting and optimizing set and setting.

  • Demonstrate how to assist a client to set therapeutic goals and clear intentions.

  • Describe the therapeutic ritual (including intention and goal setting) and why it is supportive in psychedelic-assisted therapy.

  • Design 1-2 therapeutic rituals to incorporate in Preparation and subsequent psychedelic-assisted therapy sessions.

  • Delineate the difference between psycholytic and psychedelic dose effects.

  • Apply appropriate interventions across the spectrum of effects as a result of the ranges between psycholytic and psychedelic doses.

  • Demonstrate proficiency in setting appropriate boundaries.

  • Describe the considerations needed to conduct preparation and integration sessions via video.

  • Discuss the important role that music plays during Medicine Sessions.

Virtual Classes

  • Thursday September 14

    • 12:00PM to 3:00PM PT

    • 3:00PM to 6:00PM ET

    • 9:00PM to midnight CET

Practice Groups

Please meet with your practice groups between the following dates to practice Module 1 activities. More information about the specific activities to practice can be found on the Overview page found in every module.

  • Thursday September 14 to Wednesday September 20

Assessments Due

  • Module 5 Knowledge Check should be completed by Thursday September 14.

Friday September 15, 2023 to Thursday September 21, 2023

Pre-work Topics

  • Talking during the period of peak effect

  • Utilizing music during Medicine Sessions

  • Responding to challenging health professional-client interactions

Learning Outcomes

  • Apply team-based care including how to work with a co-facilitator and allied health professionals.

  • Employ appropriate responses to specific clients’ behaviours and circumstances, such as psychological distress, avoidance, physical reactions.

  • Manage the arc of the Medicine Session including logistics prior to ingestion, reviewing appropriate boundaries, the ritual or administering the medicine, what to expect during the session, closing the session, and following up.

  • Describe how to work skillfully with music during the Medicine Session.

Virtual Classes

  • Thursday September 21

    • 12:00PM to 3:00PM PT

    • 3:00PM to 6:00PM ET

    • 9:00PM to midnight CET

Practice Groups

Please meet with your practice groups between the following dates to practice Module 1 activities. More information about the specific activities to practice can be found on the Overview page found in every module.

  • Thursday September 21 to Wednesday September 27

Assessments Due

  • Module 6 Knowledge Check should be completed by Thursday September 21.

Friday September 22, 2023 to Thursday September 28, 2023

Pre-work Topics

  • Regulation

  • Normalizing

  • Metabolizing

  • Meaning-making

  • Keeping it alive

  • Connection to others

  • Committed actions

  • Spiritual needs

Learning Outcomes

  • Apply the integration framework to Integration Sessions in order to help clients integrate their psychedelic experiences into their life in the hopes of creating long-term change.

  • Assist clients to use trauma-specific and regulation skills when required (outside Window of Tolerance).

Virtual Classes

  • Thursday September 28

    • 12:00PM to 3:00PM PT

    • 3:00PM to 6:00PM ET

    • 9:00PM to midnight CET

Practice Groups

Please meet with your practice groups between the following dates to practice Module 1 activities. More information about the specific activities to practice can be found on the Overview page found in every module.

  • Thursday September 28 to Wednesday October 4

Assessments Due

  • Module 7 Knowledge Check should be completed by Thursday September 28.

Friday September 29, 2023 to Thursday October 5, 2023

Pre-work Topics

  • Burnout and vicarious trauma

  • Health professional self-care

  • Prolonged session duration

  • Increased intimacy

Learning Outcomes

  • Practice self-care techniques in order to avoid psychedelic-assisted therapy burnout, trauma, or fatigue.

  • Identify opportunities for personal development.

  • Respond to countertransference with appropriate strategies to avoid harming the patient-health professional relationship while prioritizing the patient care and self-care.

Virtual Classes

  • Thursday October 5

    • 12:00PM to 3:00PM PT

    • 3:00PM to 6:00PM ET

    • 9:00PM to midnight CET

Practice Groups

Please meet with your practice groups between the following dates to practice Module 1 activities. More information about the specific activities to practice can be found on the Overview page found in every module.

  • Thursday October 5 and Sunday October 15

Assessments Due

  • Module 8 Knowledge Check should be completed by Thursday October 5.

  • Reflection 2 assignment should be completed by Sunday October 15.

  • Practice group logs should be completed by Sunday October 15.