Journal of Humanistic Psychology
June 29, 2017
Janis Phelps
215 citations
Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy has shown positive effects on clinical symptoms and quality of life since the 1950s, but the focus on outcomes has led to neglect of therapist competencies. This review compiles six core therapist competencies from the psychedelic literature: empathetic abiding presence, trust enhancement, spiritual intelligence, knowledge of psychedelic effects, therapist self-awareness and ethical integrity, and proficiency in complementary techniques. It also delineates 12 fundamental curricular domains for training. With Phase 3 and expanded access programs for psilocybin- and MDMA-assisted therapies, competent therapists will be needed, especially if legal medical use is approved within 6 to 10 years.
Journal of palliative medicine
August 1, 2022
William E Rosa, Zachary Sager, Megan Miller et al.
49 citations
Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is a promising treatment for conditions like treatment-resistant depression, substance use disorder, and PTSD. In palliative care, a single PAT session can produce lasting reductions in anxiety, depression, and demoralization—symptoms that harm quality of life for seriously ill and end-of-life patients. Although interest in psychedelics has revived, few resources exist for applying PAT in hospice and palliative care. This article provides 10 evidence-informed tips for palliative care clinicians, developed with international experts, to help familiarize teams with PAT, address legal and logistical barriers, discuss therapeutic competencies, and highlight approaches to maximize safety and benefits for patients and caregivers.
Journal of Humanistic Psychology
April 23, 2021
Andrew Penn, Janis Phelps, William E. Rosa et al.
37 citations
Psychedelic therapies combine a healing environment, psychotherapy, and psychedelic medicine to treat depression and PTSD. This article uses Jean Watson's nursing theory of human caring science to describe essential caring qualities in psychedelic therapy. It maps these qualities onto traits of a psychedelic therapist articulated by Janis Phelps, illustrating them with qualitative data from a psilocybin-assisted therapy study. The resulting nursing-informed philosophical framework helps examine trust between patient and therapist, therapeutic openness, mutual learning, the influence of therapists' spiritual practices, optimizing healing environments, and physical care during sessions. The article aims to identify themes and generate hypotheses for future nursing-informed psychedelic psychotherapy research.
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
June 10, 2025
Torsten Passie, Anja Loizaga-Velder, Alicia Danforth et al.
4 citations
A consensus-based model curriculum for education and training in substance-assisted psychotherapy (SAP) covers theoretical topics and practical components including apprenticeship observation, ongoing clinical supervision, and self-experience for trainees. The model, developed by authors with extensive SAP experience, also addresses peer and conventional supervision, respect for intercultural differences, and teachings about indigenous use of related substances. It is largely adapted to western industrialized countries with established graduate-level psychotherapy training. The curriculum may be valuable for psychedelic researchers, those training therapists for research studies, and those preparing for clinical work outside research settings.