Psychedelic-assisted groups (PAGs) may help clients who do not respond to traditional talk therapy, but U.S. practitioners often hesitate due to societal perceptions and scope-of-practice concerns. The article provides a historical overview of psychedelic treatments, emphasizing Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) ancestral group practices alongside Westernized methods. It addresses group dynamics including recruitment, screening, selection, and therapeutic processes, with attention to multicultural and social justice aspects and facilitator characteristics. The author contends that if reconnected to its BIPOC roots, PAGs can serve as a culturally responsive intervention for diverse clients.
Psychedelics combined with talk therapy show promise for challenging clients, such as those with PTSD, and groupwork emphasizing social connections can be effective. However, integrating psychedelics into professional counseling, especially groupwork, has seen little progress due to societal perceptions and concerns about practicing outside one's scope. This article overviews the lack of implementation, explains inhibiting factors, and advocates for a psychedelic-assisted groupwork (PAG) model. The argument is that psychedelic approaches can be transformative for group facilitators. It concludes with an overview of what a PAG with an interdisciplinary team could entail, including recruitment, screening, selection, therapeutic processes, and termination.