Understand
What this stage covers
Building the therapeutic alliance, setting expectations, and readying the participant for the dosing experience.
The shared aim is to build enough understanding, trust, and practical readiness for the participant and care team to enter the medicine session with clear expectations and contingencies.
Locate the stage
Across the care pathway
Six stages form the main pathway. Risk monitoring and cross-phase practice remain continuous lenses rather than moments in that sequence.
Orientation snapshot
Frequency describes the current source map; it does not rank professional importance.
Most represented categories
Most commonly named roles
Most represented protocols
Complete stage
Competency index
321 competencies shown.
- 0194 sources
Informed consent, decisional capacity, autonomy, and withdrawal rights
Teaches how to obtain and maintain valid informed consent through clear disclosure, comprehension checks, capacity support, voluntariness, non-coercion, and respect for refusal or withdrawal. The competency also covers consent for screening procedures, recordings, collateral contact, rescue interventions, and documentation of the consent process.
- 02110 sources
Preparation and integration support
Cluster covering 31 related competencies including: Integration support, Integration therapy, Integration coaching.
- 0376 sources
Confidentiality, privacy, and research data protection
Teaches protection of participant identity, sensitive clinical or occupational information, recordings, and research data. The competency covers coded identifiers, restricted access, secure handling, confidentiality safeguards, and privacy-preserving documentation.
- 0473 sources
Acute psychological response and emergency management during dosing
Cluster covering 35 related competencies for monitoring acute psychological effects, recognising and managing distress, crisis containment, emergency escalation, and rescue-medication coordination during psychedelic dosing sessions.
- 0567 sources
Adverse event identification, documentation, and reporting
Teaches how to detect, elicit, document, and report adverse events and serious adverse events across the participant journey. The focus is accurate source documentation, regulatory reporting discipline, follow-up, and preservation of participant safety and trial integrity.
- 0668 sources
Suicide and serious psychiatric risk assessment
Teaches structured assessment of suicidal ideation, intent, psychiatric deterioration, and related high-risk presentations. Learners are trained to use appropriate tools, safety planning, emergency contacts, clinician access, and escalation pathways when risk is identified.
- 0786 sources
Screening, eligibility, and readiness assessment
Teaches how to assess clinical suitability before psychedelic or ketamine treatment, including medical and psychiatric screening, readiness evaluation, contraindication review, inclusion/exclusion criteria, and ongoing eligibility re-checks before dosing.
- 0861 sources
Manual fidelity, protocol adherence, and deviation management
Teaches faithful delivery of manualized treatment and protocol-defined procedures while documenting and managing unavoidable deviations. The competency protects participant welfare, treatment consistency, data integrity, and sponsor oversight.
- 0960 sources
Post-dose follow-up, safety monitoring, and retention support
Teaches ongoing participant contact after dosing to support stability, detect delayed adverse effects, maintain therapeutic containment, and sustain adherence to follow-up visits and outcome assessments.
- 1055 sources
Emergency recognition, escalation, and disposition planning
Teaches recognition of medical or psychiatric emergencies and the steps required to escalate care safely. The competency includes de-escalation, clinical consultation, 911 or emergency department transfer, serious-event escalation, and referral to appropriate higher-level care.
- 1144 sources
Discharge readiness, escort safety, and post-session supervision
Teaches how to determine when a participant is safe to leave after dosing and how to arrange appropriate supervision afterward. The competency covers psychological and physical stability, escort/support-person coordination, discharge restrictions, overnight or post-session support, and follow-up contact when needed.
- 1240 sources
Medication, substance-use, washout, and taper management
Teaches review and management of concomitant medications, restricted therapies, prohibited substances, washout periods, tapering requirements, and abstinence expectations. The competency includes participant counseling, medication reconciliation, sponsor notification, and team coordination when restrictions affect safety or interpretability.
- 1343 sources
Manualized psychedelic psychotherapy delivery
Teaches delivery of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy according to an approved study manual across preparation, dosing, integration, and follow-up. The competency balances standardized structure with non-directive support for the participant’s therapeutic process.
- 1438 sources
Study documentation, data integrity, and regulatory recordkeeping
Teaches accurate study documentation, source-record quality, secure data capture, Good Clinical Practice recordkeeping, IRB and sponsor documentation requirements, monitoring readiness, audit support, accountability, and retention obligations.
- 1537 sources
Blinding, allocation concealment, and unblinding control
Teaches how to preserve blinded trial conduct across participant interactions, outcome collection, staff roles, and session procedures. The competency includes preventing accidental unblinding, minimizing bias, and using emergency unblinding only when clinically necessary.
- 1636 sources
Co-therapist and multidisciplinary team coordination
Teaches coordinated practice across co-therapists, physicians, psychiatrists, study coordinators, principal investigators, and other care-team members. The focus is shared responsibility, clear communication, role clarity, and coordinated observation of participant status.
- 1734 sources
Good Clinical Practice and protocol procedure compliance
Teaches adherence to Good Clinical Practice, assigned study roles, protocol procedures, delegation boundaries, and applicable research regulations. The competency supports consistent execution of approved procedures across sites and participants.
- 1834 sources
Study record and trial registration literacy
Teaches how to understand ClinicalTrials.gov records and related study information, including glossary terms, registration fields, protocol descriptors, and results-reporting elements used to interpret clinical research records.
- 1935 sources
Therapeutic alliance building
Cluster covering 2 related competencies including: Therapeutic alliance building, Therapeutic alliance and rapport building.
- 2032 sources
Therapeutic boundaries, professional conduct, and consent for touch
Teaches how to maintain clear relational and physical boundaries in emotionally vulnerable treatment settings. This includes professional conduct, rapport without overreach, explicit consent for touch, the right to revoke consent, and strict prohibition of sexual or erotic contact.
- 2130 sources
Acute psychiatric and behavioral risk monitoring
Teaches continuous monitoring for distress, confusion, psychotic symptoms, suicidality, agitation, and other acute behavioral risks during and after dosing. The focus is early recognition, documentation, and escalation to clinical support when risk emerges.
- 2229 sources
Physical safety monitoring
Cluster covering 3 related competencies including: Physical safety monitoring, Safety monitoring during dosing sessions, Medical safety monitoring during psilocybin administration.
- 2328 sources
Psychological support during altered states
Provides supportive therapeutic presence while the patient is under the influence of ketamine. Uses calming, noncoercive guidance to help the patient navigate dissociation and emotional material.
- 2431 sources
Preparation support
Cluster covering 11 related competencies including: Preparation support, Psilocybin preparation, Therapeutic preparation.
- 2526 sources
Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy preparation and integration
Teaches structured pre-dose preparation and post-dose integration as the therapeutic frame for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. The therapist supports rapport, intention clarification, meaning-making, emotional processing, and consolidation of insights after dosing.
- 2622 sources
Ethical conduct in human-subject research
Able to practice ethically in a clinical trial environment involving a Schedule-sensitive psychoactive intervention. This includes protecting participants, adhering to protocol, and supporting valid informed participation.
- 2720 sources
Comprehensive psychiatric assessment
Ability to perform or supervise detailed psychiatric evaluation for diagnosis, eligibility, and ongoing monitoring. The therapist/facilitator must understand symptom presentations relevant to MDD, AUD, suicidality, psychosis, and dissociation.
- 2820 sources
Risk screening and exclusion judgment
Know the medical and psychiatric exclusions that protect participants from foreseeable harm. Facilitators must recognize conditions that make MDMA-assisted psychotherapy unsafe or inappropriate.
- 2920 sources
Supportive nondirective therapeutic stance
Cluster covering 6 related competencies including: Therapeutic support during dosing, Nondirective dosing-session presence, Supportive dosing-session facilitation.
- 3018 sources
Adverse effects and side-effect management
Teaches recognition and management of expected and unexpected side effects during psychedelic or ketamine treatment. The competency emphasizes active observation, supportive response, and clinical escalation when symptoms exceed routine tolerability.
- 3128 sources
Psilocybin session facilitation
Cluster covering 9 related competencies including: Psilocybin facilitation, Psilocybin session support, Psilocybin facilitation basics.
- 3217 sources
Non-directive facilitation
Therapists must facilitate rather than control the participant's process, using invitations and timing interventions carefully. They should preserve the participant-led unfolding of experience while knowing when gentle direction or safety-based assertiveness is needed.
- 3326 sources
Mindfulness, intention-setting, set and setting, and somatic presence
Teaches practices that support preparation and therapeutic presence, including mindfulness, intention-setting, body-aware attention, environmental preparation, mindset awareness, and regulation through somatic presence.
- 3416 sources
Hallucinogen pharmacology and effects
Cluster covering 7 related competencies including: Physiologic safety awareness, Hallucinogen pharmacology and effects, Hallucinogen-assisted therapy knowledge.
- 3516 sources
Special-interest adverse event vigilance
The protocol requires active monitoring for psychedelic-specific adverse events such as hallucinations, psychotic symptoms, dissociation, mood alteration, and cognitive disturbance. These require immediate notification and follow-up.
- 3624 sources
Ketamine psychotherapy delivery
Cluster covering 12 related competencies including: KAP psychotherapy delivery, Ketamine and KAP knowledge, Ketamine integration planning.
- 3715 sources
Dose escalation decision support
The therapist/facilitator must support structured dose escalation decisions within the individualized dosing regimen. Decisions depend on both patient-reported peak experience and clinical tolerability/safety judgments.
- 3815 sources
Participant education and informed consent communication
Clinicians and research staff must clearly educate participants about study procedures, risks, side effects, restrictions, and possible benefits, and obtain written informed consent before screening and study participation. Ethical delivery depends on transparent communication and opportunities for questions.
- 3914 sources
Continuation, discontinuation, and risk-benefit judgment
Teaches how clinicians determine whether a participant should proceed, pause, discontinue dosing, or terminate study participation. The competency centers on safety-driven clinical judgment, risk-benefit assessment, and early termination when continuation is no longer appropriate.
- 4014 sources
Dissociation and acute neuropsychiatric effect monitoring
Teaches recognition and documentation of dissociation, psychosis-like symptoms, mania, and other acute neuropsychiatric effects that can occur after ketamine, psychedelic dosing, or related interventions. The focus is monitoring, reporting, and escalation when symptoms become clinically significant.
- 4113 sources
Participant safety restriction counseling
Teaches how to instruct participants on post-dose and study-period restrictions that reduce risk from impaired judgment, unsafe activity, prohibited substances, or behaviors that could confound study outcomes.
- 4213 sources
Psychedelic-assisted therapy facilitation
Cluster covering 2 related competencies including: Psychedelic-assisted therapy facilitation, Group facilitation in a psychedelic setting.
- 4328 sources
Cultural humility, Indigenous respect, and equity-oriented care
Teaches culturally responsive psychedelic care, including humility, anti-bias practice, Indigenous and traditional-use awareness, cultural appropriation concerns, diversity and inclusion, and respectful work with marginalized communities.
- 4412 sources
Grounding and regulation techniques
Therapists must be able to teach and coach grounding practices that help participants regulate during preparation and dosing. These methods are used before medication and during distress.
- 4512 sources
Outcome Measure and Assessment Literacy
Teaches clinicians and research staff to understand the purpose, limits, scoring, interpretation, and clinical meaning of psychological measures and study instruments used to evaluate symptoms, functioning, safety, and treatment outcomes.
- 4612 sources
Psychedelic pharmacology and interaction awareness
Understand the pharmacology and interaction risks of 5-MeO-DMT/BPL-003, including serotonergic and cardiovascular concerns. This knowledge informs safe preparation, exclusion screening, and monitoring.
- 4712 sources
Trauma-informed therapeutic presence and somatic support
Teaches a trauma-informed stance during psychedelic work, including calm presence, non-verbal reassurance, body-aware support, somatic orientation, and containment through difficult experiences while maintaining safety and boundaries.
- 4811 sources
Ensure confidentiality and session containment
Maintain a contained therapeutic environment that protects the patient’s privacy and minimizes unwanted exposure. The session structure emphasizes confidentiality and controlled access to stimulation and outside contact.
- 4911 sources
Medical escalation and rescue medication coordination
Cluster covering 2 related competencies including: Medical escalation and rescue medication use, Medical escalation and rescue medication coordination.
- 5011 sources
Therapeutic rapport building
Cluster covering 4 related competencies including: Therapeutic rapport building, Rapport building and trust development, Therapeutic rapport and trust building.
- 5110 sources
Clinical Interviewing and PTSD Assessment
Teaches structured clinical interviewing and assessment administration for PTSD and related symptom domains, including symptom severity, functional impairment, risk factors, and appropriate use of standardized assessment tools.
- 5210 sources
Participant-centered discharge planning and aftercare
Support decision-making about ongoing treatment after trial completion, particularly for participants who received escitalopram. The clinician helps participants consider whether to continue, taper, or return to usual care.
- 5310 sources
Reproductive risk, contraception, and pregnancy monitoring
Teaches counseling and monitoring around contraception, reproductive restrictions, pregnancy risk, and pregnancy-related discontinuation rules. Learners are trained to explain requirements clearly and respond promptly when pregnancy or reproductive-safety concerns arise.
- 5412 sources
Psilocybin psychotherapy framework
Cluster covering 4 related competencies including: Psychedelic therapy workflow, Psilocybin psychotherapy framework, Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy framework.
- 5512 sources
Risk evaluation and safety monitoring
Teaches continuous evaluation of clinical risk and maintenance of a safe care environment throughout preparation, dosing, and follow-up. Learners monitor risk signals, apply safety procedures, and escalate care when needed.
- 5611 sources
Safe Therapeutic Container Creation
Teaches providers to create and maintain a psychologically and physically safe therapeutic setting through clear structure, preparation, boundaries, attunement, environmental design, and ongoing attention to participant safety.
- 579 sources
Assessment administration and interpretation
Ability to administer and interpret structured interviews, clinician ratings, and self-report measures used in the study. Therapists contribute to eligibility, safety, and outcome assessment.
- 589 sources
Clinical interviewing and history-taking
Therapists and study clinicians perform detailed biopsychosocial interviewing during preparation and screening. This supports treatment planning, risk assessment, and therapeutic understanding.
- 599 sources
Management of psychological distress
Facilitators must be able to contain and support intense psychological distress during the session. The study notes that the experience could be emotionally difficult even when participants felt safe.
- 609 sources
Participant preparation and procedural guidance
Prepare participants for the dosing session and guide them through standardized procedures. The facilitator should ensure readiness, adherence to study rules, and smooth progression through the session schedule.
- 619 sources
Recognition of contraindications and risk states
Therapists/facilitators must know the psychiatric and medical conditions that make KPT unsafe or inappropriate. Safe practice depends on excluding high-risk individuals.
- 629 sources
Safety escalation and collaboration
Knows when to involve physicians, psychologists, and independent safety oversight. Complex psychedelic sessions require clear escalation pathways and team coordination.
- 6310 sources
Client preparation and therapeutic set/setting
Cluster covering 2 related competencies including: Preparation of set and setting, Client preparation and therapeutic set/setting.
- 6410 sources
Therapeutic touch judgment
The training includes appropriate use of therapeutic touch as part of safe delivery. Learners are expected to use touch judiciously and within ethical boundaries.
- 658 sources
Physiologic monitoring during ketamine administration
Cluster covering 2 related competencies including: Safety monitoring during ketamine dosing, Physiologic monitoring during ketamine administration.
- 668 sources
Practice within evidence limitations and communicate uncertainty
Therapists should accurately represent the current evidence base and avoid overstating efficacy or durability. The article notes significant short-term benefit but also the need for larger multicenter trials and longer follow-up.
- 678 sources
Psychedelic phenomenology literacy
Understand the characteristic acute experiential domains elicited by ayahuasca. This includes perceptual, somatic, cognitive, affective, mystical, and temporal-spatial alterations.
- 688 sources
Psychological state assessment
Administer and interpret psychological and psychometric measures relevant to mood, cravings, expectations, mystical experience, ego dissolution, and functioning. Facilitators must accurately support questionnaire-based assessment across time points.
- 698 sources
Respect for cultural and indigenous context
The use of ayahuasca requires sensitivity to its traditional indigenous and ceremonial origins. Facilitators should avoid reducing the practice to a purely technical intervention and should respect cultural meaning and ceremonial context.
- 708 sources
Safe treatment-setting facilitation
Provide a calm and supportive environment during treatment to reduce distress and support tolerance of the experience. The case report notes food, rest, and a quiet place as part of care.
- 718 sources
Setting optimization
Create an environment that supports safety, comfort, and relaxation during the session. The setting is deliberately structured to reduce anxiety and facilitate a positive experience.
- 728 sources
Training and competency maintenance
Therapists and study personnel are expected to receive structured training and ongoing supervision. Competence includes both protocol adherence and the ability to work safely and consistently across sites.
- 738 sources
Transference, countertransference, and therapist self-awareness
Teaches recognition and management of relational dynamics that can intensify in psychedelic-assisted therapy. Learners develop self-awareness around countertransference, projection, attachment, dependency, and other therapeutic-process risks.
- 7411 sources
Ethical psychedelic facilitation
Cluster covering 3 related competencies including: Ethical psychedelic facilitation, Safe, legal psychedelic care facilitation, Ethical decision-making in psychedelic facilitation.
- 759 sources
Management of concomitant medication interactions
Cluster covering 5 related competencies including: Concomitant medication review, Contraindication and interaction awareness, Contraindications, drug effects, and interactions.
- 767 sources
Crisis and adverse-event response
The page signals training in managing difficult or high-risk moments, including crisis intervention and trigger management. Learners are expected to respond appropriately when a session becomes destabilizing or unsafe.
- 777 sources
Function effectively as a therapy pair
Where co-therapy is used, therapists should work cohesively, remain present, and respect participant preferences within the dyad.
- 787 sources
Informed preparation and orientation of the subject
The therapist is responsible for giving truthful, individualized preparation and reassurance about the experience, including likely sensations, risks of resistance, and expectations for conduct. The preparation aims to reduce fear, improve cooperation, and support voluntary participation.
- 797 sources
Knowledge of MDMA effects and risks
Facilitators must understand the expected psychological, physiological, and potential adverse effects of MDMA in order to prepare participants, support the session, and detect complications.
- 807 sources
Motivational interviewing and enhancement
Uses motivational interviewing methods to strengthen intrinsic motivation and commitment to change. Tailors discussions to the participant’s ambivalence, goals, and readiness to change drinking behavior.
- 817 sources
Preparatory psychotherapy competence
Conduct preparatory sessions that orient the subject, assess readiness, and set expectations for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. These sessions are used to prepare for safety, adherence, and therapeutic engagement.
- 827 sources
Prioritize participant wellbeing over research aims
Participant safety and wellbeing must take precedence over scientific objectives at all times. Therapists must communicate and operationalize this priority throughout screening, treatment, and follow-up.
- 837 sources
Professional boundaries and recording consent
Therapists may record sessions only with explicit participant consent and must handle recordings for training and research within protocol limits. Recording is part of the therapeutic and scientific framework, not routine clinical use.
- 847 sources
Therapeutic alliance and supportive presence
Ability to provide a consistent, supportive therapeutic environment during intensive psychedelic-assisted sessions. The facilitation role depends on maintaining trust and emotional safety.
- 857 sources
Understand dose-response and time course
The facilitator should know how oral and intravenous dosing relate to onset, duration, and peak effects. This knowledge supports proper session planning, monitoring, and integration timing.
- 866 sources
Controlled-substance handling awareness
Understands that MDMA is a Schedule 1 investigational product and must be stored, dispensed, and accounted for under regulatory control. Supports compliant handling during the session.
- 876 sources
Cultural and spiritual sensitivity
Responds respectfully to spiritual, mystical, and value-related themes that may arise during psilocybin sessions and debriefing. Integrates these themes into therapy without imposing interpretations.
- 886 sources
Empathic presence and active listening
Therapists are expected to provide consistent empathic presence, nonjudgmental attunement, and deep listening throughout the process. This includes validating feelings, listening for deeper meaning, and creating psychological permission for openness.
- 896 sources
Ketamine infusion monitoring
Cluster covering 5 related competencies including: Cardiac safety monitoring, Ketamine infusion monitoring, Ketamine infusion administration.
- 906 sources
Knowledge of ayahuasca pharmacology and effects
Understand the basic pharmacology and clinical effects of ayahuasca to inform safe facilitation and interpretation of responses. The source identifies dimethyltryptamine as a 5-HT2A agonist and harmine as a monoamine-oxidase A inhibitor.
- 916 sources
Participant safety planning and support network coordination
Can identify and involve support persons, attendants, and outside providers to enhance safety. The facilitator must coordinate practical supports while respecting confidentiality and protocol boundaries.
- 926 sources
Practice nondirective, participant-led facilitation
A core competency is following rather than steering the participant’s process, intervening only in service of the unfolding inner-directed experience.
- 936 sources
Psilocybin psychoeducation
Cluster covering 2 related competencies including: Psilocybin psychoeducation, Psychedelic psychoeducation and expectation management.
- 946 sources
Respect autonomy and individualized communication preferences
Adapt language and interpersonal style to the patient’s preferences to promote dignity and comfort. The therapist should also respect the patient’s autonomy within safety limits.
- 956 sources
Therapeutic alliance and trust building
The therapist must create an atmosphere of confidence and mutual understanding before ketamine administration. This relationship is treated as a key therapeutic factor in the protocol.
- 966 sources
Use clear, participant-centered communication
Therapists should communicate in language and nonverbal style the participant can readily follow, avoiding overly theoretical or confusing discourse.
- 977 sources
Session facilitation and therapeutic holding
Cluster covering 2 related competencies including: Session facilitation and therapeutic holding, Session facilitation and support during intense experiences.
- 985 sources
Competence in specialized psychedelic therapy training
The protocol implies that facilitators should have specific psychiatric, psychotherapeutic, or psycholytic therapy training relevant to altered-state treatment. Specialized experience supports safe and effective delivery of LSD-assisted psychotherapy.
- 995 sources
Expectation and expectancy management
Understand how treatment expectations can influence treatment response and study interpretation. Facilitation must avoid inadvertently shaping expectations in a biased or misleading way.
- 1005 sources
Handle altered, irrational, or hallucinatory narratives without invalidation
Accept the patient’s experience as meaningful without disputing or forcing interpretation. The therapist supports reflection while avoiding premature conclusions about reality or correctness.
- 1015 sources
Informed consent responsibility
Facilitators are responsible for ensuring that participants have provided informed consent before receiving MDMA-assisted therapy. This reflects an ethical and regulatory duty central to work with investigational treatments.
- 1025 sources
Knowledge of PTSD and fear extinction theory
Understand the clinical and neurobehavioral rationale for PE and exposure-based treatment. The therapist should know how extinction learning is conceptualized in the study model.
- 1035 sources
Management of dual relationships and undue influence
Therapists must protect voluntariness when potential participants are also their patients. Independent evaluation should be used to reduce pressure or perceived coercion in recruitment and consent.
- 1045 sources
MDMA administration oversight
Study clinicians are responsible for administering study drug, ensuring correct dose assignment, and supervising safe oral ingestion during blinded sessions. This includes verifying visit-specific randomization information and ensuring dosing is delivered under the blinded workflow.
- 1055 sources
Professional qualifications and experience threshold
The manual specifies baseline professional requirements for study therapists. These include licensure and substantial clinical experience with psychiatric populations.
- 1065 sources
Team communication and escalation pathways
Coordinate effectively with the study clinician, medical monitor, rater team, and MRI staff. Facilitation is embedded in a broader clinical-research workflow requiring timely communication.
- 1075 sources
Understanding of trial procedures and schedule
Know the sequence, timing, and purpose of screening, preparation, dosing, scanning, follow-up, and unblinding visits. The therapist/facilitator must be able to work within the full protocol structure.
- 1085 sources
Virtual care facilitation
Capacity to conduct assessments and therapy sessions virtually when needed while preserving safety and confidentiality. The study permits telehealth sessions for certain visits and contingencies.
- 1095 sources
Working with inner healing intelligence
The course teaches how to work with the 'Inner Healing Intelligence,' indicating a non-directive or facilitative stance toward client-led healing processes. This is framed as a core therapeutic concept in psychedelic work.
- 11010 sources
Professional self-care and burnout prevention
Teaches sustainable self-care practices for clinicians and facilitators working in emotionally intense settings. The competency supports emotional resilience, ethical boundaries, reflective practice, and burnout prevention.
- 1119 sources
Professional Scope and Practice Alignment
Teaches clinicians to recognise their role boundaries, align services with training, licensure, supervision, and organisational policy, and refer or escalate when participant needs fall outside their scope of competence.
- 1126 sources
Safety monitoring and emergency awareness
The page points to checklists and a guide to basic medical emergencies, indicating that learners should be able to monitor safety and recognize urgent issues. The overall training context also stresses keeping both client and practitioner safe.
- 1134 sources
Balance inner focus with communication
Therapists should support an appropriate rhythm between inward experiential focus and verbal interaction, with either therapist or participant able to initiate shifts.
- 1144 sources
Competence in protocol adherence for dosing sessions
The intervention involved two separate psilocybin dosing sessions 3 weeks apart under a randomized controlled protocol, implying the need for facilitators to reliably support treatment according to a fixed schedule and study procedures.
- 1154 sources
Dosage judgment and administration safety
Competent facilitation requires practical knowledge of dosage ranges, initial dosing, boosters, formulation handling, and administration errors. The handbook stresses both clinical judgment and meticulous procedural care.
- 1164 sources
Elicit and formulate positive intentions
Help the patient identify personally meaningful, positive intentions to guide the session and future change. Intentions should be active, concrete, and framed toward desired gains rather than avoidance.
- 1174 sources
Empathic presence and listening
Therapists must listen with nonjudgmental, emotionally attuned presence and convey validation, reassurance, and curiosity. They should be able to stay relaxed yet engaged, including noticing nonverbal cues and responding without prying.
- 1184 sources
Evaluate readiness and contraindications for subsequent sessions
After each MDMA session, therapists must assess whether continuing treatment is safe and clinically appropriate. The participant’s choice is respected unless safety concerns warrant exclusion.
- 1194 sources
Group facilitation and relationship management
When leading group sessions, therapists must manage group size, relational instability, empathic bonds, exclusion dynamics, and mutual support among therapists. The handbook treats group structure as a clinically important variable.
- 1204 sources
Identity and values reconstruction
Facilitators must support the bereaved person in rebuilding identity and future orientation after loss. The protocol uses values clarification to help participants orient life around their own goals and surviving self.
- 1214 sources
Informed consent and treatment briefing
Therapists/facilitators must support ethically valid informed consent by ensuring participants understand the intervention, expectations, risks, and logistics. They also provide anticipatory guidance before ketamine sessions and discharge information after dosing.
- 1224 sources
Interdisciplinary coordination across mental health and medical services
Combined ketamine infusion and PE treatment requires coordination between psychotherapy providers and medical/anesthesia or medication administration staff. Effective collaboration supports timing, safety oversight, and protocol fidelity.
- 1234 sources
Knowledge of ayahuasca and traditional Amazonian medicine
Understands the therapeutic role of ayahuasca as a psychoactive plant brew used ritually in traditional Amazonian medicine. Knowledge of the cultural and medicinal context is necessary to support safe and appropriate facilitation.
- 1244 sources
Manage agitation and elopement risk
Respond to agitation or attempts to leave the room in a way that preserves safety for the patient and others. The therapist should use containment, redirection, and escalation protocols when needed.
- 1254 sources
Management of residual symptoms and re-entry
Therapists must prepare the subject for residual effects after the main session and provide practical safeguards for sleep, transportation, and home support. This includes framing recurrence of symptoms in a non-alarming way.
- 1264 sources
Meaning reconstruction therapy delivery
Therapists must competently deliver the 9-session meaning reconstruction protocol for grief, including its event story, back story, and personal story phases. The work is aimed at helping bereaved participants make sense of the loss, revise attachment-related meanings, and reconstruct identity and future orientation.
- 1274 sources
Pre-session dosing behavior instructions
Teaches clear communication of behavioral requirements before dosing sessions so conditions are standardized and preventable risks are reduced. Staff confirm that participants understand and follow pre-session instructions.
- 1284 sources
Protocol adherence and dose conditions
Follows the study's operational rules for dose timing, progression, and stopping conditions. Reliable execution is necessary for both safety and interpretability of results.
- 1294 sources
Psychological flexibility focus
Understand and apply a therapeutic framework centered on psychological flexibility. The intervention was explicitly described as time-limited and relational, with this focus guiding therapist work.
- 1304 sources
Risk and contraindication screening
Facilitators must know the risks and contraindications associated with ayahuasca use. They should identify medical and psychological factors that make participation unsafe or require extra caution.
- 1314 sources
Stress inoculation and breathwork instruction
At least one therapist must be able to teach stress inoculation methods, especially diaphragmatic breathing, and apply breath-based interventions during sessions. Breath is used both for relaxation and for staying present with difficult experience.
- 1324 sources
Supportive-expressive psychedelic psychotherapy
Therapists must be able to help participants confront, tolerate, and work through intense experiences rather than prematurely suppress them. The method emphasizes support, reassurance, emotional processing, and integration of meaningful material.
- 1334 sources
Understanding MDMA effects and non-linear healing
Therapists must have a thorough understanding of MDMA’s subjective, relational, and physiological effects, including the non-linear way these may support healing. This knowledge is necessary for preparation, in-session decisions, and normalization of participant experiences.
- 1344 sources
Work with bodily sensations and somatic process
Therapists should orient to and explore the participant’s somatic experience, both in experimental and integrative sessions, as a central channel of processing.
- 1355 sources
Guided inquiry and reflective language
Students learn to use language and questions that deepen a client’s inner experience and support healing. This is a practical communication competency for facilitation and integration work.
- 1365 sources
Pharmacology, contraindications, and interaction awareness
Teaches psychoactive substance pharmacology, expected drug effects, contraindications, and relevant drug-interaction risks. The competency supports safer screening, medication review, participant education, and clinical decision-making.
- 1373 sources
Alcohol use disorder clinical knowledge
Have a working understanding of moderate to severe AUD, relapse processes, craving, withdrawal, and common comorbidities. This knowledge is required to deliver the integrated treatment model safely and effectively.
- 1383 sources
Assess and engage support systems
Therapists should understand the participant’s support network and appropriately involve support persons when relevant and desired.
- 1393 sources
Assessment-driven therapeutic tailoring
Uses assessment findings to individualize therapy and medication-session preparation. Adapts the approach based on participant response, goals, and clinical presentation.
- 1403 sources
Attendant supervision and role clarity
Therapists must ensure attendants are appropriately selected and instructed for overnight monitoring. Attendants provide supportive care and observation without taking on psychotherapeutic functions.
- 1413 sources
Competence in MDMA-assisted psychotherapy training
Have formal training in MDMA-assisted therapy before treating participants. The protocol notes that study therapists were trained in an MDMA-assisted therapy program from prior clinical-trial experience.
- 1423 sources
Conduct qualitative, client-centered inquiry
Facilitators/research therapists should be able to elicit and understand patients’ subjective experience from a client-centered perspective. The study used semi-structured interviews focused on experience, anxiety, quality of life, and values.
- 1433 sources
Controlled inhalation administration
Can safely administer vaporized GH001 using standardized equipment and procedure. Accurate delivery and participant instruction are essential to reliable dosing.
- 1443 sources
Coordinate with outside providers ethically
Therapists must coordinate with prescribing clinicians and existing psychotherapists when relevant, while respecting consent and confidentiality. Communication should support safety, continuity, and protocol integrity.
- 1453 sources
Deliver mindfulness and grounding exercises
Use brief mindfulness practices and grounding strategies to stabilize attention and reduce distress before and during the session. These techniques help the patient reconnect to present-moment awareness and bodily sensation.
- 1463 sources
Experience with altered states of consciousness
Facilitators are expected to have substantial prior experience supporting altered states of consciousness. This experience supports containment, trust, and skilled response to unusual perceptual and emotional phenomena.
- 1473 sources
Focused bodywork competence
Focused bodywork is an optional advanced intervention used to facilitate release of blocked emotion or somatic tension when spontaneous processing has stalled. Therapists need specific judgment and skill to apply it safely and only when indicated.
- 1483 sources
Knowledge of psychedelic session structure
Facilitators need to understand the full treatment sequence and how each phase contributes to safety and treatment delivery. The intervention depends on correct sequencing and timing.
- 1493 sources
Mindfulness instruction
Facilitator can teach and cue mindfulness practices consistent with the study protocol. Mindfulness is presented as present-moment, nonjudgmental awareness.
- 1503 sources
Neutral, unbiased facilitation
The facilitator must minimize bias in how assessments are administered and in how participant responses are handled. This is important because the trial is open-label and relies heavily on patient-reported outcomes.
- 1513 sources
Protection against coercion and dual-role influence
The protocol explicitly addresses the risk of undue influence when investigators recruit current or former patients, requiring safeguards and ongoing monitoring for coercion.
- 1523 sources
Protocol adherence and visit scheduling
Ability to manage the study schedule, windows, and follow-up procedures accurately. This supports treatment delivery and valid outcome collection.
- 1533 sources
Psychoeducation about MDMA effects and session trajectory
Therapists must understand MDMA’s expected subjective, interpersonal, and physiological effects and prepare participants accordingly. This knowledge supports normalization, reassurance, and effective use of the medicine within therapy.
- 1543 sources
Psychological preparation and anxiety reduction
Facilitators need practical skills in preparing participants emotionally for ketamine administration and reducing distress. The protocol highlights relaxation, breathing, and grounding strategies to reduce anxiety or discomfort associated with the drug experience.
- 1553 sources
Research-professional role separation
Distinguish psychotherapy/facilitation functions from outcome assessment and other research tasks. Separation reduces bias and protects the integrity of blinded assessments.
- 1563 sources
Session pacing and timing
Therapists must pace the day appropriately, from early dosing to flexible termination, avoiding premature ending that could destabilize the subject. The handbook presents timing as an active facilitative skill rather than a logistical detail.
- 1573 sources
Support peak or mystical-type experiences without imposing them
Facilitators should be able to contain and make therapeutic use of profound emotional or peak experiences, including ego loosening, awe, reassurance, and feelings of unity or peace. The article suggests these experiences can be highly meaningful and therapeutic, but not all need to meet full mystical criteria.
- 1583 sources
Therapeutic rapport and engagement support
Help patients engage in emotionally intense trauma-focused treatment and reduce dropout risk. The therapist should recognize comorbid depression or anxiety that may interfere with adherence and response.
- 1593 sources
Training in PAP and protocol manual adherence
Therapists must be specifically trained in psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy and in the study’s manualized procedures. Competence includes familiarity with the therapeutic model and difficult-state management guidance.
- 1603 sources
Trauma treatment background
Therapists need a solid professional background in psychotherapy, especially PTSD treatment. Prior experience with established trauma therapies and related approaches is considered important preparation for this work.
- 1613 sources
Use of ACT and adjunctive psychotherapies
Apply Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as the primary psychotherapeutic framework, while using other modalities as clinically indicated. The protocol also references CBT, psychodynamic approaches, and Internal Family Systems.
- 1623 sources
Values clarification and committed action coaching
Therapists must help participants identify, recover, and translate values into concrete behavior change. The manual treats values work as central to depression recovery and integration.
- 1633 sources
Working with family/collateral supports
The protocol expects involvement of relatives in follow-up, indicating a facilitator competency in engaging collateral supports. This helps verify outcomes and sustain recovery monitoring.
- 16410 sources
Harm reduction and risk awareness
Cluster covering 5 related competencies including: Harm-reduction orientation, Harm reduction and risk awareness, Harm reduction for client support.
- 16510 sources
Trauma-informed care
Cluster covering 2 related competencies including: Trauma-informed care, Trauma-informed psychedelic care.
- 1666 sources
Clinical protocol literacy
Teaches practitioners to read and understand clinical protocols, treatment manuals, and evidence-based psychedelic care procedures. The focus is knowing how protocol requirements shape preparation, dosing, integration, documentation, and safety responsibilities.
- 1676 sources
Legal and Regulatory Navigation
Teaches practitioners to identify and apply relevant legal, regulatory, ethical, and institutional requirements, including documentation, consent, reporting, controlled-substance, and jurisdiction-specific obligations.
- 1686 sources
Psychotherapeutic facilitation methods
Cluster covering 2 related competencies including: Facilitation of psychedelic journeys, Psychotherapeutic facilitation methods.
- 1694 sources
Basic life support
Learners are explicitly offered Basic Life Support training, indicating emergency readiness and medical safety preparation. The page notes DORA-required status, signaling regulatory safety relevance.
- 1704 sources
Confidentiality and trust maintenance
The course explicitly discusses confidentiality, especially in underground practice and with anonymous practitioners. Learners are expected to understand confidentiality as a core part of maintaining safe and effective psychedelic care relationships.
- 1712 sources
ACT-based case formulation
Therapists must understand participant distress through an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy lens and use that formulation throughout preparation, dosing, and integration. They identify psychological inflexibility processes and track movement toward or away from psychological flexibility.
- 1722 sources
Acute anxiety and psychosis management
Responds to distressing anxious or psychotic reactions with verbal de-escalation and, if needed, rescue medications. Escalates intervention in a stepwise manner based on clinical response.
- 1732 sources
Appropriate facilitator qualifications
Lead facilitators were doctoral-level psychologists or physicians with major depressive disorder treatment experience, and co-facilitators had at least a bachelor’s degree in a mental health-related field. The source therefore indicates role-appropriate clinical background and experience requirements.
- 1742 sources
Assessment of treatment response
Track onset, duration, and phases of ibogaine effects as part of clinical monitoring. The manual describes multiple stages of effect and expects the provider to observe them carefully.
- 1752 sources
Ayahuasca pharmacology and dosing awareness
Facilitators need basic knowledge of ayahuasca composition, dosing, and interaction risks to support safe administration. The protocol emphasizes dose calculation, substance composition, and monitoring for contraindications.
- 1762 sources
Boundary-respecting physical support
Use physical contact only when necessary, explicitly permitted, and minimal. The facilitator must respect participant autonomy and avoid any contact that is not justified for safety or grounding.
- 1772 sources
Bounded therapeutic scope
Work within protocol-defined limits of therapist support. The trial excluded participants whose conditions could jeopardize rapport given those limits, underscoring the need for clear boundaries.
- 1782 sources
Ceremonial framing and intentional therapeutic setting
Facilitators require skill in establishing ceremonial and intentional framing around ketamine sessions to support therapeutic depth and coherence. This includes preparing participants for the significance and structure of the experience within the group model.
- 1792 sources
Cultural and language competence for participation
Staff must ensure participants can understand and engage with the protocol in the site’s recognized language and can participate in a way that preserves safety and informed consent. This is part of the practical knowledge needed for ethical facilitation.
- 1802 sources
Deliver culturally sensitive care
Therapists must adapt their practice to diverse cultural and linguistic contexts. Cultural sensitivity is important for trust, communication, and consistency across sites.
- 1812 sources
Experience-informed observation and validation
Ability to attend closely to participant responses during altered states and validate them without pathologizing normal psychedelic phenomena. This supports safety and meaning-making.
- 1822 sources
Explain likely effects of MDMA
Therapists should prepare participants by describing common psychological and physiological effects of MDMA and emphasizing variability of response.
- 1832 sources
Informed consent administration
Therapists/facilitators must ensure participants are properly informed using approved consent materials before participation in MDMA-assisted psychotherapy research.
- 1842 sources
Informed consent and experimental-treatment disclosure
Clearly explain the investigational nature of ibogaine treatment and its known serious risks before treatment begins. Ethical practice requires that patients understand both uncertain benefits and significant safety concerns.
- 1852 sources
Integrate support persons appropriately
Therapists must work thoughtfully with the patient's social support system to enhance safety and continuity of care. This includes selective disclosure, education, involvement in sessions when appropriate, and crisis planning.
- 1862 sources
Interprofessional coordination and referral management
Safe delivery requires coordination among therapists, physicians, nurses, blinded assessors, outside therapists, and emergency services.
- 1872 sources
Knowledge of target population risks and context
Therapists need specific knowledge of methamphetamine use disorder, HIV risk behaviors, and the social context of affected populations to deliver relevant and responsive care. This includes understanding how methamphetamine use intersects with trauma, sexual risk, and HIV prevention or treatment adherence.
- 1882 sources
Maintain a post-session safety net
Therapists must provide continuity, availability, and clear support structures after MDMA sessions to reduce anxiety and manage emerging difficulties. This safety net extends beyond the dosing day.
- 1892 sources
Maintain beginner’s mind
Therapists should cultivate openness about both the participant’s process and their own interpretations. This prevents forcing experience into rigid theoretical frames and supports curiosity and compassion.
- 1902 sources
Management of assessment-related distress
Because interviews and questionnaires may provoke emotional reactions or fatigue, facilitators must respond supportively and mitigate burden. This includes addressing distress during assessments and offering breaks.
- 1912 sources
Motivational enhancement for quitting
Elicit and strengthen motivation to quit smoking and remain abstinent. Facilitators use sessions to explore values, reasons for quitting, and treatment commitment.
- 1922 sources
Nausea and vomiting management
Recognize and respond to gastrointestinal adverse effects that may occur frequently with higher doses. Manage emesis to reduce aspiration risk, dehydration, and treatment disruption.
- 1932 sources
Ongoing informed consent
Treat consent as a continuing process rather than a one-time event. Patients must understand the treatment and retain the ability to revoke consent, with special procedures during the medication session for safety.
- 1942 sources
Optional biomarker/genomic research handling
Understands the optional nature and operational limits of biomarker and pharmacogenomic collection. Ensures consent, timing, fasting guidance, and sample handling requirements are respected.
- 1952 sources
Paranoia and psychotomimetic state management
The therapist must recognize confusion, paranoia, referential thinking, withdrawal, or grandiosity and respond with steady trust, containment, and continued presence. Management skill is particularly important because these reactions may still be workable and may shift with proper handling.
- 1962 sources
Preparation for altered-state experience
A major therapist competency is preparing patients extensively for the ketamine session, including the nature of the special state of consciousness and possible ego dissolution or separation from the body. Preparation is both educational and psychotherapeutic.
- 1972 sources
Regulatory information handling
Responsibility to treat study information in a manner consistent with registration and results-reporting requirements. This includes using official definitions rather than improvising field content.
- 1982 sources
Research visit scheduling and follow-up coordination
Coordinate multi-visit assessment timelines around the psilocybin session. Follow-up data collection is essential for longitudinal outcomes and requires careful scheduling.
- 1992 sources
Respiratory monitoring
Facilitators must watch for slowed breathing, sleep apnea-related hypoxia, disordered breathing, and oxygen desaturation. Oxygenation needs ongoing assessment during the acute and post-acute periods.
- 2002 sources
Retention and engagement skills
Given the risk of high attrition, facilitators need strong engagement and follow-up skills. The protocol explicitly notes the importance of respecting time commitments, tracking procedures, and strong interpersonal skills of study personnel.
- 2012 sources
Risk-benefit judgment
Balances potential symptom relief against known and emerging safety risks in participants with opioid dependence. Makes conservative decisions when cardiac or adverse-effect concerns outweigh anticipated benefit.
- 2022 sources
Safety oversight and independent review
Clinical investigators must work within independent safety monitoring structures and avoid conflicts in oversight roles. Therapists/facilitators in research settings should support scheduled review of participant safety outcomes.
- 2032 sources
Short-duration session management
The facilitator should be able to manage a brief but intense treatment window. The source suggests a shorter-acting psychedelic may enable rapid onset of response and reduce burden compared with longer-acting agents.
- 2042 sources
Social support assessment and guidance
Therapists must assess the participant’s social support network and help plan appropriate use of supportive relationships during treatment. They should guide participants about the potential benefits and risks of sharing their experiences with others.
- 2052 sources
Therapist availability and time commitment
Therapists must be prepared for an extensive and sometimes unpredictable commitment of time and support. Ethical delivery includes reliable availability beyond scheduled sessions when participants need additional help.
- 2062 sources
Therapist self-regulation
The curriculum explicitly includes therapist self-regulation as a therapeutic skill. This suggests learners are expected to maintain steadiness and presence while supporting clients in altered states.
- 2072 sources
Treatment-condition matching and support
Deliver comparable behavioral support across psilocybin and NRT conditions while respecting protocol differences. Facilitators must maintain treatment fidelity and avoid bias toward one arm.
- 2082 sources
Use of observation and assessment tools
The therapist should assess both the immediate experience and longer-term change, using structured observation, self-report, and reports from others where possible. The handbook treats evaluation as difficult but necessary for understanding therapeutic effects.
- 2092 sources
Work collaboratively in therapist dyads and supervised teams
Psilocybin sessions are conducted with two trained therapists, and therapists-in-training may support sessions under supervision. Effective dyad work and supervised learning are central to the model.
- 2102 sources
Work with psychodynamic material
Therapists need knowledge of psychodynamic processes likely to arise under LSD, including emergence of previously excluded material, abreaction, catharsis, and memory-rich reliving of past experiences. The discussion explicitly identifies these as mechanisms relevant to treatment.
- 21117 sources
Psychedelic research literacy and evidence appraisal
Teaches how to interpret the psychedelic clinical evidence base, compare strength of evidence across indications, understand mechanism theories, and critically appraise research claims. The competency supports evidence-informed practice rather than relying on general field narratives.
- 2125 sources
Experiential Learning and Reflective Practice
Teaches practitioners to use experiential exercises, embodied awareness, supervision, and structured self-reflection to examine their own reactions, assumptions, limits, and relational patterns in clinical work.
- 2135 sources
Preparation and therapeutic alliance
Cluster covering 2 related competencies including: Preparation and therapeutic alliance, Preparation and therapeutic alliance building.
- 2144 sources
Psychedelic harm reduction and integration fundamentals
Cluster covering 2 related competencies including: Psychedelic harm reduction and integration therapy, Psychedelic harm reduction and integration fundamentals.
- 2154 sources
Trauma-informed practice
Cluster covering 2 related competencies including: Trauma-informed practice, Trauma-informed clinical practice.
- 2163 sources
Use of adjunctive therapeutic modalities
Advanced trainings mention topics like IFS, art therapy, breathwork, and integration, implying learners can deepen their practice with complementary methods. These are presented as continuing development topics rather than core prerequisites.
- 2171 source
Alliance repair and rupture management
Detect and address strains in the therapeutic relationship over the course of treatment. The discussion recommends frequent assessment and repair of alliance ruptures.
- 2181 source
Assess and prepare social support
Therapists should evaluate the participant’s support network and help plan how supports can assist between sessions. They must also guide participants about the benefits and risks of disclosing their experiences to others.
- 2191 source
Assessment of psychological readiness and vulnerability
Before administration, facilitators should assess readiness and factors that could increase the chance of a difficult session. The source highlights that preoccupation, rigidity, low trust, and poor support can worsen experiences.
- 2201 source
Assessment of therapeutic alliance
Understand how therapeutic alliance is measured and interpreted in psychedelic-assisted therapy research. The study used the WAI-SR with goal, task, and bond subscales.
- 2211 source
Authenticity and trustworthiness
Facilitators should present as authentic, relatable, and trustworthy, and be open to participant questions and feedback. Establishing a credible and safe relational basis is part of responsible practice.
- 2221 source
Awareness of interaction and formulation cautions
The therapist/facilitator must understand potential drug-interaction concerns and formulation-related differences that could alter tolerability or safety. The source mentions caution with antiemetics and alternative preparations.
- 2231 source
Boundary management in a dual-role therapeutic model
Navigate the combination of psychedelic support and AUD therapy while preserving clear therapeutic boundaries. The facilitator must deliver supportive care without role confusion or undue influence.
- 2241 source
CBT expertise for mood disorders
Clinicians must have working expertise in evidence-based CBT for depression and related mood conditions, including the ability to deliver core CBT components across preparation, post-session integration, and relapse prevention phases. The protocol assumes competence in standard CBT delivery as the psychosocial backbone of treatment.
- 2251 source
Clinical documentation and coordination
Some listed programs explicitly teach clinical documentation and related practice management skills. This suggests learners may be expected to document care, coordinate treatment processes, and work within structured clinical workflows.
- 2261 source
Cognitive-behavioral smoking cessation counseling
Deliver structured CBT-based smoking cessation support throughout the trial. Facilitators teach practical self-management strategies before and after the target quit date.
- 2271 source
Collaboration with medical and nursing staff
Ketamine-assisted treatment in this protocol is multidisciplinary, so facilitators must work closely with study doctors and nurses. This includes coordinating preparation, understanding monitoring responsibilities, and escalating concerns appropriately.
- 2281 source
Collaboratively address trauma material
Therapists should obtain agreement that trauma may be gently brought up if not spontaneously addressed, while preserving participant choice and collaborative exploration.
- 2291 source
Community network and sustainability building
Responsible practitioners cultivate relationships with other practitioners and community networks to support sustainable care. They help build systems that expand access while preserving integrity and safety.
- 2301 source
Competence with open-label continuation procedures
Understand the transition from blinded randomized treatment to open-label MDMA-assisted therapy for eligible participants. This includes separate consent, revised scheduling, and altered assessment timing.
- 2311 source
Cultivate beginner’s mind
Therapists should encourage participants to set aside rigid expectations and remain open to whatever arises during experimental sessions.
- 2321 source
Cultural and values-sensitive therapy
Explores participant values, including spiritual values, in a respectful way that supports behavior change. Integrates meaning-making without imposing therapist beliefs.
- 2331 source
Cultural humility and adaptation of ACT language
Adapt therapy language and mindfulness practices to fit participants' cultural, spiritual, and social contexts. The manual emphasizes that ACT concepts may need careful framing to avoid invalidation or misunderstanding.
- 2341 source
Elicit expectations, fears, and concerns
Therapists should proactively explore participants’ hopes, fears, concerns, and expectations about treatment and address them responsively.
- 2351 source
Emergency response readiness
Be prepared to recognize medical deterioration and summon emergency help immediately. The manual states that providers who cannot call for emergency assistance should not provide ibogaine therapy.
- 2361 source
Ethical data handling
Responsibility to use study information appropriately and in accordance with registry expectations. This includes respecting the limits of what can be inferred from the record text alone.
- 2371 source
Ethical handling of participant communication about future research
Manage optional future-contact procedures ethically and separately from current study participation. Participants may choose whether to authorize future contact without affecting present enrollment decisions.
- 2381 source
Ethical honesty and transparency in management
The handbook emphasizes straightforward, honest dealing with subjects, especially when they feel suspicious, followed, or influenced. Trust is built by avoiding manipulation, deception, or concealed motives.
- 2391 source
Ethical purpose and intention setting
Organizers should clarify the purpose of the session and the ethical means of achieving it. They should also encourage participants to prepare an intention in an ethical and responsible way.
- 2401 source
Ethical risk communication
Communicates the experimental and unregulated nature of ibogaine treatment honestly. The source highlights an ibogaine subculture offering unregulated preparations, which creates an ethical duty to disclose uncertainty and risks.
- 2411 source
Ethical use of psychoactive substances in therapy
Responsibility to use LSD only within an ethically justified, clinically supervised framework. The source does not specify safeguards, but the therapeutic use of a potent psychoactive substance requires careful ethical oversight.
- 2421 source
Ethical use of trial information
Uses publicly available trial information responsibly and within its intended scope. Respects that registry content is not a substitute for clinical judgment, consent procedures, or study-specific training.
- 2431 source
Existential psychotherapy orientation
The therapist needs knowledge of existentially oriented psychotherapy and how to apply it in addiction treatment. The protocol explicitly frames KPT around meaning, values, self-concept, and life purpose.
- 2441 source
Goal alignment
Help participants form and revise therapeutic goals in a way that stays aligned with the intervention. Goals are one of the core dimensions of working alliance measured in the trial.
- 2451 source
Inform participants of new safety-relevant findings
Investigators have a continuing duty to inform participants about new findings regarding LSD or LSD-assisted therapy that emerge during the study. This reflects an ongoing consent responsibility rather than a one-time disclosure.
- 2461 source
Informed consent and ethical use in uncertain evidence
Use ibogaine only after a careful discussion of uncertain efficacy, limited research, and known risks. Ethical practice requires transparent communication about the experimental nature of treatment and the absence of robust clinical standards.
- 2471 source
Informed consent boundary awareness
Study personnel involved with participants must understand informed consent responsibilities and boundaries. Consent is an ongoing process, and appropriately trained staff without an existing clinical relationship obtain consent, not the PI.
- 2481 source
Intoxication assessment before preparation
Determine whether a patient is intoxicated enough to impair participation in preparation sessions. This requires clinical judgment focused on comprehension and therapeutic alliance.
- 2491 source
Knowledge of risks and benefits of MDMA-assisted therapy
Clinicians need working knowledge of the potential risks and benefits of MDMA-assisted therapy as the research is designed to explore both. This knowledge supports informed consent, clinical judgment, and participant monitoring.
- 2501 source
Legal awareness
Those organizing sessions should understand the legal implications of ayahuasca in their jurisdiction. This helps them manage accountability and reduce legal risk.
- 2511 source
Management of prolonged acute sessions
Plans and maintains support for sessions that may last many hours. Duration of effects can be substantial and requires sustained facilitator availability and structured observation.
- 2521 source
Managing short-duration high-intensity sessions
5-MeO-DMT produces a very short but intense experience, which changes facilitation demands. Facilitators must be prepared for rapid transitions into and out of the altered state.
- 2531 source
Monitoring depressive aftermath and unmet integration
The therapist should watch for depression after the experience, particularly when insights are not translated into action. Continued support is presented as a way to reduce this risk and restore constructive orientation.
- 2541 source
Participant preparation for medication adherence
Prepare participants to correctly use nicotine replacement therapy when assigned to the control arm. Facilitators must provide education, dosing instructions, and side-effect guidance.
- 2551 source
Preparation for ketamine sessions
Therapists must prepare participants psychologically and practically for ketamine dosing through rapport-building, psychoeducation, expectation-setting, and intention development. Preparation is emphasized because of trauma burden, psychiatric comorbidity, and instability in the target population.
- 2561 source
Professional training in human subjects research
Expectation that study personnel are trained in research ethics and responsible conduct of research. This underpins appropriate consent, confidentiality, and participant safety practices.
- 2571 source
Provide protocol-consistent patient education and informed framing
Clinicians should present the intervention accurately as ketamine- or midazolam-augmented PE within a research protocol, with clear explanation of purpose and expectations. Ethical practice includes avoiding overstatement of benefit and framing treatment as investigational augmentation of an established therapy.
- 2581 source
Regulatory compliance orientation
The facilitator should operate within the administrative and regulatory framework governing clinical trial documentation. This involves respecting the rules that apply to study record managers and submitted information.
- 2591 source
Relapse-prevention support
Help patients navigate craving, relapse risk, and post-treatment vulnerability. The manual notes that fear of relapse is more realistic than fear of withdrawal after ibogaine.
- 2601 source
Relational field attunement
Attend closely to the therapeutic relationship as an active part of the healing process. IMAP treats the relational field as a primary site where trauma, repair, trust, and connection unfold.
- 2611 source
Risk awareness for classic serotonergic psychedelics
Understands that mescaline is a classic serotonergic psychedelic with substantial acute psychoactive effects. Uses this knowledge to prepare for altered perception and prolonged subjective responses.
- 2621 source
Risk education and expectation setting
Can explain common, psychological, and severe risks of KAP in understandable terms. Sets realistic expectations that outcomes may vary and are not guaranteed.
- 2631 source
Route-specific administration awareness
Facilitators need working knowledge of administration routes because onset, duration, intensity, and tolerability vary substantially. This informs preparation, monitoring, and participant education.
- 2641 source
Set shaping and mindset influence
The facilitator influences the participant’s mindset through tone, language, responsiveness, and overall presence. They should intentionally support a conducive mental set from first contact through post-session care.
- 2651 source
Subject education and rule setting
Explain study rules, session expectations, and restrictions clearly to the subject. Education supports adherence, safety, and informed participation.
- 2661 source
Support for repeated-session care planning
Because the protocol compares single versus repeated KPT, therapists must be able to prepare patients for sequential sessions and maintain continuity across a month-spaced treatment course. This includes pre-session counseling and repeated integration work.
- 2671 source
Support relationship and support-system integration
Therapists must help participants navigate interpersonal shifts, disclosure decisions, and support-system responses during healing. They should anticipate misunderstanding, family-system changes, and new relational capacities.
- 2681 source
Task instruction and coaching
Prepare participants to complete emotional processing tasks and questionnaires accurately. Staff must teach task procedures and ensure participants understand expectations before scanning and follow-up assessments.
- 2691 source
Task-focused collaboration
Support clear agreement on what the participant and facilitator are doing together in the therapy process. In this study, task alliance showed particularly robust associations with outcomes.
- 2701 source
Therapist qualification and prior KAP experience
Therapists should meet formal licensure requirements and have specific prior training and experience in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. Competence is not generic psychotherapy alone but includes psychedelic/ketamine-specific preparation and familiarity with the study population.
- 2711 source
Trauma-informed, non-threatening interviewing
Use a caring, natural, and non-threatening interview style to assess psychiatric and psychological domains. The protocol emphasizes normalization, reduction of guilt, symptom exaggeration techniques, and a logical flow that facilitates rapport.
- 2721 source
Understanding of study schedule and visit procedures
Facilitators must know the study timeline to conduct therapy and safety checks at the correct times. They should understand which visits are in person, virtual, or questionnaire-only and what assessments occur at each stage.
- 2731 source
Use of cognitive and behavioral assessment domains
Understand the domains assessed in the Storyline psychiatric and neurological interviews and use this knowledge to support accurate administration and interpretation of study tasks. Domains include cognition, mood, homeostasis, social support, and psychosis/suicidality screening.
- 2741 source
Use of discussion to consolidate insight
Once stabilization is achieved, the therapist should help the subject translate diffuse feeling states into articulated ideas without imposing doctrinal answers. Discussion is used to deepen learning, interpersonal understanding, and future application.
- 2751 source
Use self-directed enquiry
Help participants direct attention to their own present-moment internal experience and explore it from multiple perspectives. This is practiced in preparation and used to support participants if challenging material emerges during dosing.
- 2761 source
Validate affirming experiences as healing
Therapists should validate positive, affirming, and resourcing experiences as meaningful components of healing, growth, and meaning-making.
- 2771 source
Validate difficult experiences as healing
Therapists should frame difficult emotions, challenging material, and distressing experiences as potentially meaningful parts of healing rather than signs of failure.
- 2781 source
Veteran-sensitive clinical care
Deliver care tailored to US military veterans with severe PTSD. The population context implies the need for appropriate rapport, sensitivity, and understanding of veteran experiences.
- 27912 sources
Case-based practice, peer consultation, and professional learning community
Teaches applied competence through role play, case discussion, peer consultation, seminars, mentorship, and learning-community structures. The emphasis is translating theory into practice, receiving feedback, and developing reflective clinical judgment with peers.
- 2809 sources
Psychedelic therapy foundation
Cluster covering 7 related competencies including: Psychedelic therapy foundation, Psychedelic therapy foundations, Psychedelic practice fundamentals.
- 2817 sources
Ethics and ethical practice
Cluster covering 4 related competencies including: Ethical practice, Ethics in psychedelic care, Ethics and ethical practice.
- 2826 sources
Neurobiology of non-ordinary states
Teaches the neurobiological basis of psychedelic and non-ordinary states, including default mode, salience, fear, and related brain-network models. The competency links altered-state phenomenology with therapeutic mechanisms and clinical implications.
- 2834 sources
Professional application and practice development
Teaches practitioners how to translate psychedelic-informed training into professional practice, including applied skill development, scope awareness, practice-building considerations, and integration of competencies into real clinical or wellness settings.
- 2843 sources
Complex-case support and ethics-based clinical judgment
Teaches work with clinically complex contexts such as trauma, palliative care, and other nuanced presentations where ethical judgment, scope discipline, careful assessment, and individualized support are required.
- 2853 sources
Legal access pathways and care-team coordination
Teaches how participants move through lawful access routes and coordinated care pathways. The competency covers referral navigation, team handoffs, and the practical steps needed to connect eligible participants with appropriate treatment or study settings.
- 2863 sources
Psilocybin prescribing fundamentals
Cluster covering 2 related competencies including: Psilocybin prescribing fundamentals, Prescribing fundamentals for psychedelic treatment.
- 2872 sources
Active guiding and purposeful intervention
The course also teaches a more active guiding style, especially through Ralph Metzner’s approach, where guides may introduce focused inquiries, somatic practices, or other interventions. Learners are shown how interventions can shape the trajectory of a session when used skillfully.
- 2882 sources
Apprenticeship and mentor shadowing
The program includes supervised apprenticeship hours with pre-approved mentors. Learners are expected to observe, assist, and translate training into supervised practice.
- 2892 sources
Assessment and intake
The curriculum includes practical assessment work and use of intake templates and assessment forms. Students learn to evaluate client fit and tailor support based on client goals and needs.
- 2902 sources
Clinical trial training and feedback use
The page highlights best-in-class clinical training for drug trials and AI-supported evaluation. Learners are expected to refine skills quickly and receive targeted feedback in training or evaluation contexts.
- 2912 sources
Collaborative work with adjunctive clients
Learners are taught how to work with clients who already have an outside therapist and to coordinate closely with existing treatment. The course also mentions treatment flow for groups and couples.
- 2922 sources
Collaborative-care role awareness
The program emphasizes that it prepares people for therapeutic and facilitative roles within a collaborative care framework, not independent medical practice. Learners are expected to understand role boundaries, especially around prescribing and administration.
- 2932 sources
Compound comparison for therapeutic use
The course teaches learners to distinguish between classic psychedelics and emerging therapies within therapeutic applications. This is a foundational comparative literacy competency rather than a protocol-specific skill.
- 2942 sources
Contemplative practice support
Contemplative practice is included as a core domain, suggesting learners are exposed to practices that support presence, reflection, and self-regulation in facilitation work. This likely supports both practitioner preparation and client-facing care.
- 2952 sources
Coordination and documentation using checklists and manuals
The page repeatedly points learners to manuals, checklists, PDFs, and reference materials, indicating a practical emphasis on coordination and structured preparation. This suggests learners should be able to organize session materials and support process consistency.
- 2962 sources
Debriefing and reflective practice
The practicum includes retreat team debriefs, supervisor meetings, and assessment presentations. This signals an expectation that learners can reflect on practice, receive feedback, and integrate learning.
- 2972 sources
Ethical and equitable practice
Learners are expected to follow the North Star Ethics Pledge and practice non-discrimination, equity, and inclusion. Ethical responsibility is positioned as a core professional competency.
- 2982 sources
Human-centred, experiential facilitation
The overall program emphasizes experiential, relational, and community-grounded learning, including retreat and practicum components. Learners are expected to develop a grounded facilitation presence in addition to theory.
- 2992 sources
Leadership and coaching presence in expanded states
Faculty and program structure emphasize leadership, coaching presence, and personal transformation as part of practitioner development. Students are expected to become more skillful in guiding high-achieving and growth-oriented clients.
- 3002 sources
Mentorship and professional development
Each trainee works with a mentor, and mentoring includes professional development discussions, role plays, and networking. This indicates structured support for building practice readiness and professional identity.
- 3012 sources
Microdosing and macrodosing protocol design
Learners are taught to design custom protocols for both microdosing and macrodosing based on client goals. The page also references microdosing formulas and practical application of timing and dosage nuances.
- 3022 sources
Observing and holding space without reacting
Learners are expected to develop the ability to witness clients and processes calmly, without overreacting or trying to control the experience. The course explicitly frames this as foundational to practitioner development.
- 3032 sources
Peer consultation and collaborative learning
Vital emphasizes study groups, peer interaction, and faculty-led sessions. Learners are expected to collaborate with others, receive feedback, and improve their practice through community learning.
- 3042 sources
Personal growth work and self-exploration
Students are expected to complete personal growth work outside the program, including therapy, guided entheogenic work, or meditation retreats. This signals the importance of self-awareness and personal preparation for facilitation work.
- 3052 sources
Professional identity and licensing readiness
The page repeatedly frames the program as preparing learners for licensure and professional practice in Oregon. Learners are expected to understand practice context, licensure requirements, and professional transitions.
- 3062 sources
Safety-oriented documentation and templates
Trainees receive templates such as consent and intake forms, informational documents, and guidelines, which implies competence in using standardized practice materials. The page also signals procedural support for safe and organized care delivery.
- 3072 sources
Safety, ethics, and responsibility in expanded states work
The course explicitly states that facilitators are guided in safety, ethics, and responsibility. Learners are expected to recognize and manage the unique risks of working with altered states.
- 3082 sources
Space preparation and ceremonial setup
Practicum hours may include operational tasks like preparing rooms, setting up altars, and arranging ceremonial spaces. These are treated as part of hands-on professional competence.
- 3092 sources
Structured PAP process navigation
The course teaches the overall PAP workflow from screening through follow-up. Learners are expected to understand and explain each phase of treatment in a structured way.
- 3102 sources
Supervised experiential practice
A defining feature of the training is hands-on experiential practice in both non-substance and substance-based modalities under supervision. Learners practice patient and therapist roles, facilitating and undergoing sessions in a structured learning context.
- 3112 sources
Supervised practicum and feedback integration
Students complete 50 supervised practicum hours and receive expert feedback while working with real clients. This is intended to translate theory into competent applied practice.
- 3122 sources
Supporting diverse spiritual and community contexts
The program states it prepares facilitators to address the needs of clients, patients, or community members from diverse faith traditions and communities of origin. Learners are expected to adapt facilitation to varied settings and worldviews.
- 3132 sources
Sustainable practice development and prescriber coordination
The course teaches practical steps to launch and sustain a KAP practice, including forging relationships with prescribers and identifying suitable practicum sites. This is framed as part of professional development and business planning.
- 3142 sources
Therapeutic technique enhancement
Vital says learners will expand their skills and enhance therapeutic techniques. This suggests training in improving how they support clients in psychedelic-related therapeutic work.
- 3152 sources
Tracking nervous systems and consent dynamics
The Colorado practicum site explicitly teaches relational competence, including tracking nervous systems, power, and consent dynamics moment by moment. This is presented as a core facilitation capability.
- 3162 sources
Use of complementary support methods
Students explore how psychedelics can be integrated with supportive methods such as breathwork, meditation, cold therapy, and neurofeedback. The course emphasizes a holistic toolkit rather than a single-method approach.
- 3172 sources
Use structured preparedness frameworks
The course is positioned as a preparedness-oriented training with self-directed preparation plus live facilitated learning. Learners are expected to internalize a framework for managing challenging or crisis moments with confidence and care.
- 3181 source
Bilingual and bicultural engagement
The page explicitly signals the value of bilingual and bicultural heritage as a foundation for practice. This points to competence in communicating and relating across language and cultural context.
- 3191 source
Hybrid in-person and virtual session support
The course teaches students to guide both in-person and online sessions, including the technical skills needed for virtual facilitation. It explicitly notes that online training includes learning tech skills to become a confident virtual guide.
- 3201 source
Therapeutic support in patient care settings
The page highlights extensive patient care experience and a background in holistic counseling psychology, suggesting practical competence in supporting participants in clinical or care environments. This is more general care-setting competence than protocol-specific technique.
- 32198 sources
General psychedelic-assisted practice skills
Catch-all cluster covering 189 general competencies for psychedelic-assisted clinical practice that did not group into a more specific category — including miscellaneous facilitation, monitoring, ethics, safety, regulatory awareness, group support, and program-specific skills not captured by dedicated clusters elsewhere.