Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
A Path to Deeper Healing
A unique approach combining psychotherapy and ketamine to unlock breakthroughs
I’m excited to share that I offer Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) in collaboration with Journey Clinical.
KAP is a powerful therapeutic approach that combines the use of ketamine with psychotherapy to help eligible clients achieve deeper breakthroughs and lasting relief from symptoms.
Here’s how it works: I focus on the psychotherapy side of the process, using EMDR Intensives to guide you through your sessions, while Journey Clinical’s expert medical team handles all medical aspects. They’ll determine your eligibility, create a personalized treatment plan, prescribe the medication, and monitor your progress throughout the journey.
Schedule a consultation to help you decide if KAP might be the right fit for you.
What is Ketamine?
Ketamine is a legal, safe, and effective medication widely used to treat mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Known for its rapid antidepressant and mood-enhancing effects, ketamine can start working within 1-2 hours after treatment, with benefits lasting up to two weeks.
Here’s how it works: Ketamine blocks NMDA receptors in the brain while stimulating AMPA receptors, which are believed to promote the formation of new neural connections. This process helps strengthen the brain’s circuits responsible for managing stress and regulating mood. Over time, ketamine has also been shown to enhance neuroplasticity, supporting long-term symptom relief and emotional well-being.
There are several ways to administer ketamine, including IV infusions, intramuscular injections, nasal sprays, and sublingual lozenges. In partnership with Journey Clinical, I exclusively use sublingual lozenges, offering a gentle and effective approach to complement psychotherapy.
How Does Ketamine Feel?
Ketamine’s effects, which most people find to be calming and pleasant, typically last around 45 minutes. During this time, you may feel a sense of being “far from” your body, with shifts in perception that can feel expansive and insightful. These sensations help create a unique state of mind that allows for deeper exploration and healing.
Since ketamine can temporarily reduce your motor and verbal abilities, you’ll remain comfortably lying down throughout the experience. Once the effects subside, we’ll use the remaining time in our session to reflect on your experience and process it together. While it can sometimes be challenging to fully describe what happened, many people report feeling a clear sense of understanding and personal insight.
Research shows that ketamine not only boosts mood but also promotes neurological growth, with benefits that can last up to two weeks after treatment. It’s a powerful tool for fostering emotional healing and transformation.
How Does Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Work?
Step 1: Initial Consultation with Journey Clinical
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Your journey with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) begins with an initial evaluation conducted via Zoom with a clinician from Journey Clinical's medical team. They will review your medical and psychiatric history, provide thorough education about KAP, and determine if it’s the right fit for you.
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If you’re approved for KAP, the medical team will create a personalized treatment plan tailored to your unique needs. This includes a ketamine prescription and an outcome monitoring plan to ensure your progress is tracked every step of the way.
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Journey Clinical will prescribe a small amount of oral ketamine, which will be shipped directly to your home. Before our first KAP session, their medical team will guide you on how to take your vitals and self-administer the ketamine lozenges safely and effectively, ensuring you feel fully prepared.
Step 2: Preparation Sessions
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Once your ketamine lozenges arrive, we’ll schedule 1 to 3 sessions to prepare for your KAP journey. These preparation sessions are structured like regular therapy sessions and take place before your first ketamine dosing session.
Step 3: KAP Dosing Session
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Your ketamine dosing session typically lasts 3 hours and can be done remotely via telehealth.
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During the session, you’ll self-administer your ketamine lozenge in a calm, comfortable setting in your home. You’ll be reclining, wearing an eye mask, and listening to soothing music to enhance your experience.
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While the dosing session is often an internal, reflective process, I’ll be with you the entire time, holding space and providing support as needed. My goal is to ensure you feel safe, supported, and fully able to explore the healing opportunities of your KAP journey.
Step 4: Integration Session
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Following your KAP dosing session, we’ll meet for integration therapy sessions to explore and process the thoughts, memories, and insights that surfaced during your experience. These sessions are vital for transforming the breakthroughs from your dosing session into meaningful, lasting change.
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We will be using the EMDR Intensive format; combining the benefits of both modalities. This allows for deeper, concentrated processing in a shorter time frame, helping you make significant progress between dosing sessions.
Step 5: Follow-up Consultations with Journey Clinical
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After your first KAP session, Journey Clinical’s medical team will schedule regular follow-up consultations to monitor your progress and ensure the treatment is meeting your needs. These check-ins are an essential part of your care, helping to assess outcomes and adjust your plan as necessary.
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If appropriate, their team will prescribe ketamine lozenge refills during these follow-ups. The frequency of these consultations will depend on your personalized treatment plan, but they occur at least once per quarter to maintain consistent oversight and support.
Is KAP Right for You?
Are you wondering if Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy could be the next step in your healing journey?
This brief quiz is designed to help you reflect on your needs and challenges to determine if KAP aligns with your mental health goals.
Not ready for a quiz but curious about KAP?
What is the Cost of KAP?
Journey Clinical Medical Costs
Journey Clinical handles all medical aspects of KAP, including your evaluation, prescription, and follow-ups. Some insurance plans are accepted and may be eligible for out-of-network reimbursement, as well.
First-Time Patients
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Initial Medical Consultation with Journey Clinical: $250
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Cost of Medication: $88 (sufficient for two sessions)
Ongoing Treatment
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Follow-Up Medical Consultations with Journey Clinical: $150 (minimum of once per quarter)
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Cost of Medication: $148 (sufficient for up to six sessions)
Therapy Costs
KAP Dosing Session: 3 hours
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Virtual - $275/hour
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Group (virtual; 4 person limit) - $200/hour
Preparation Sessions and Integration Sessions are equivalent to Pre-Intensive Sessions and EMDR Intensive Sessions and are billed at the same rate.
At least one Integration Session/EMDR Intensive Session is required with each KAP Dosing Session.
What is Journey Clinical?
Journey Clinical is a trusted platform that partners with licensed psychotherapists to safely and effectively bring science-backed psychedelic therapies into their practice, starting with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP).
Through their collaborative care model, Journey Clinical’s experienced in-house medical team manages the medical aspects of your treatment, including:
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Assessing eligibility for KAP
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Creating personalized treatment plans
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Prescribing and monitoring the use of ketamine
Meanwhile, I focus on the therapeutic process, guiding you through preparation, dosing, and integration sessions. Together, we create a comprehensive and personalized approach to help you achieve meaningful, lasting progress in your healing journey.
Helpful Resources:
1. Paradigms of Ketamine Treatment by Raquel Bennett, Psy.D. for MAPS
2. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP): Patient Demographics, Clinical Data and Outcomes in Three Large Practices Administering Ketamine with Psychotherapy - research study by Jennifer Dore et al, 2018
3. Ketamine for Depression and Mood Disorders by Erica Zelfand, ND for Townsend Letter 4. Ketamine-Facilitated Psychotherapy for Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression by goop
5. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy with Jonathan Sabbagh of Journey Clinical - Psychology Talk Podcast ©