Essential Health Professional Competencies
More recently, Janis Phelps (2017) published a review of therapist competencies for psychedelic-assisted therapy. As we go throughout this module, we will learn about some additional key competencies.
Question
Can you recall any of the six essential therapist competencies from the video?
Phelps (2017) identified six essential therapist competencies:
- Empathetic abiding presence
- Trust enhancement
- Spiritual intelligence
- Knowledge of the effects of psychedelics
- Self-awareness and ethical integrity
- Proficiency in complementary teaching
Did You Know?
One of the things that makes Numinus’s certification pathway in ketamine-, MDMA-, and psilocybin-assisted therapy unique is the opportunity to participate in an experiential training component. This is where you can experience the effects of the medicine and the arc of psychedelic-assisted therapy yourself and have a more fulsome, collective understanding of the experience your clients are embarking on. You will also have the opportunity to participate in practicum placements where you will shadow a lead therapist who’s working with real clients through Preparation, Medicine, and Integration Sessions. This is a crucial opportunity to be part of a journey with a client that is experiencing one or more of the key clinical indications that we’ve taught you in our programs. You will also receive mentorship and support from our staff to ensure you have the skills and knowledge required to begin your own practice.
For more information on the Numinus Certification Pathway, visit our website.
Ethical Integrity
Ethical integrity is essential in any type of healthcare. Within a psychedelic context, there are some additional ethical considerations that health professionals must keep in mind. When clients are under the effects of the medicine, they are in a very vulnerable position physically and psychologically. In some cases, clients may share very deeply personal information (many likely rooted in trauma) or mumble and be somewhat non-responsive. Clients may express sexual energy as they’re processing a specific emotion or trauma and direct that energy towards the health professionals. Health professionals must uphold strict ethical integrity to not just reject the client’s advances but also to do so in a way that doesn’t damage the therapeutic relationship. Clients may also ask for the health professional to provide therapeutic supportive touch which is a boundary and support tool that must be agreed upon between the client and the health professional prior to commencing therapy.
It is also important to recognize that there have unfortunately been some cases of ethical violations in psychedelic-assisted therapy. Some of these ethical violeations include boundary violations (for example, promoting client emotional dependency on the therapist), engaging in non-consensual touch, or sexual abuse to name a few (Villeneuve & Prescott, 2022).
References
Phelps, J. (2017). Developing Guidelines and Competencies for the Training of Psychedelic Therapists. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 57(5), 450–487.
Thal, S., Engel, L. B., & Bright, S. J. (2022). Presence, Trust, and Empathy: Preferred Characteristics of Psychedelic Carers.
Pilecki, B., Luoma, J. B., Bathje, G. J., Rhea, J., & Fraguada Narlock, V. (2021). Ethical and legal issues in psychedelic harm reduction and integration therapy. Harm Reduction Journal, 18(40).
Villeneuve, N. & Prescott, D. (2022). Examining the Dark Sides of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy. ATSA Forum Newsletter, 34(4).