Cultural Humility and Psychedelics: A Framework Analysis of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Manuals and Practice Guidelines

Practice manuals and clinical guidelines for psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) show varying alignment with the American Psychological Association's 2017 Multicultural Guidelines, but none offer teachable instructions for delivering culturally responsive care. This gap points to a need for more comprehensive training of PAT facilitators to ensure equitable treatment for diverse populations.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract Background Cultural biases within healthcare systems result in inequitable treatment, harms, and mistrust—particularly for individuals with marginalized identities. Cultural humility training is dynamic, reflective, and emphasizes person-centered care and mutual respect. Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is an emerging modality for treating psychiatric disorders. Practice manuals and clinical guidelines are crucial for standardizing PAT and for attending to PAT’s unique sensitivity to set and setting, including cultural aspects of care. Methods This study investigates the integration of multicultural principles into PAT by analyzing open-source PAT manuals/guidelines against the Multicultural Guidelines established by the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2017. Using framework analysis, two pairs of reviewers assessed the alignment of the PAT manuals/guidelines’ language with the APA guidelines and evaluated their applicability for training therapists to conduct PAT with cultural humility. Results Results revealed that while the five manuals/guidelines analyzed exhibit varying degrees of alignment with the guidelines, none provide teachable instructions for delivering culturally responsive care. Conclusions Our findings highlight significant gaps in PAT practice manuals and guidelines and underscore the need for a more comprehensive approach to training PAT facilitators. Addressing these shortcomings is essential for advancing equitable PAT for diverse populations. Future efforts should prioritize integrating cultural humility into PAT frameworks to optimize therapeutic outcomes for all.