Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) treatment is a therapeutic modality in which ketamine is used as a complement to psychotherapy to help eligible patients experience more frequent breakthroughs and sustained improvement in symptoms.

While I take on the psychotherapy portion of KAP treatment, I partner with organizations called Journey Clinical and Isha Health which have specialized medical teams that handle all medical aspects including determining eligibility, developing a custom treatment plan, prescribing the medicine, and monitoring progress.

KAP treatment includes psychotherapy preparation sessions, ketamine dosing sessions (self-administered by mouth), and integration psychotherapy sessions. I will also collaborate with your current treatment providers (as applicable).

KAP treatment can come in the form of ongoing therapy where I become your primary therapist, or as an adjunct to your current therapy if you already have a primary therapist.

Psychedelic integration therapy is a service that is separate from psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. It does not involve the use of a psychedelic substance during the session in the same way as KAP treatment. Psychedelic integration therapy is for those who have had an experience with psychedelics outside of the clinical setting, and are looking for support in integrating (or making meaning of) their experiences.

Psychedelics can offer deep insights, and some people report relief, improved wellbeing, or even difficult experiences they feel confused about. This is where psychedelic integration therapy can be useful and supportive. I take a harm reduction approach, and can support you therapeutically after a psychedelic experience to help you make sense of it and integrate it into your daily life — including helping you reduce risk.

Ketamine is a synthetic pharmaceutical compound. Although it is commonly known as a dissociative anesthetic used in medical settings, it is also used as an effective off-label treatment for a variety of mental health conditions, including, but not limited to, depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

Ketamine has rapidly-acting antidepressant and mood-enhancing effects, which can begin to take effect within 1-2 hours after treatment. It works by blocking the brain’s NMDA receptors as well as by stimulating AMPA receptors, which are thought to help form new synaptic connections and boost neural circuits that regulate stress and mood. Ketamine has also been shown to enhance overall neuroplasticity for lasting symptom improvement. Studies have shown that the benefits to mood and neurological growth can last up to two weeks after the ketamine experience. Antidepressant effects can tend to be cumulative, therefore requiring multiple dosing sessions.

Ketamine can be administered in a variety of ways, including IV infusion, intramuscular injection, via nasal spray, and using sublingual lozenges. Journey Clinical and Isha Health prescribe sublingual lozenges or troches (dissolving under the tongue) for KAP treatment.

The peak effects of ketamine lozenges typically start anywhere from 5-15 minutes post administration sublingually, and last for approximately 45 minutes. These effects can make you feel a sense of detachment from your body, environment and usual sense of self, and facilitate shifts in perception that can often feel expansive in nature. The intensity of these effects can fluctuate with dose, and impacted by various factors. Your motor and verbal abilities during the dosing session will be reduced, so you will be lying down in a comfortable position during the experience. You may also experience sensitivity to light and sound, an altered sense of time, out-of-body sensations, feelings of movement or floating, vivid imagery, and other sensory effects. Once these effects have subsided, we will spend the remainder of your appointment giving you space to process and discuss your experience. You may experience some lingering altered sensory effects for several hours after your session, and I will support you in making a safety and self-care plan for the remainder of the day.

Below are steps to the KAP process:

1. Initial Clinical Intake with Your Therapist

You will first have an initial virtual clinical intake session with me. During this session, I will complete an assessment to determine whether KAP may be a potential treatment option for you. I may then make a referral to Journey Clinical or Isha Health for a psychiatric intake to determine your eligibility for KAP and a ketamine prescription.

2. Initial Consultation with Journey Clinical

Once I complete the referral, you will schedule an initial evaluation with a clinician from the Journey Clinical or Isha Health medical team via Zoom. They will go over your medical and psychiatric history with you, provide education on the treatment, and determine if you are eligible for KAP. If eligible, they will develop a personalized ketamine prescription and treatment plan for you.

Journey Clinical or Isha Health’s medical staff will write a ketamine prescription for you, and a specified amount of oral ketamine will be sent to your home. You will be taught how to self-administer the ketamine lozenges by Journey Clinical or Isha Health’s medical team in advance of your KAP sessions.

3. Preparation Sessions

We will then schedule your KAP preparation, dosing, and integration sessions. Preparation session(s) will be scheduled just like regular therapy sessions prior to the KAP dosing session. The goal of a preparation session(s) is to align on the KAP process, set goals and intentions, address immediate needs, and provide you with information in preparation for your KAP sessions.

4. KAP Dosing Sessions

A typical ketamine dosing session lasts approx. 2.5 hours and will take place in-person in Oakland, CA, or remotely via Zoom. During a dosing session, you will self-administer your ketamine lozenge(s) while in my therapy office or in your home with a support person (i.e. friend, partner, family member, etc.) present in your home with you. You will be in a comfortable, reclining position wearing an eye mask and listening to calming music. I will be present with you the entire time in-office or on Zoom to hold space and provide therapeutic support as needed. (Note: eligibility for remote KAP sessions via Zoom will be determined on a case-by-case basis).

5. Integration Sessions

After your KAP dosing session, we will meet for integration therapy sessions to review the memories, thoughts and insights that arose during your dosing session, explore how to apply them to your daily life, and prepare for the next dosing session.

6. Follow-up Consultations with Journey Clinical or Isha Health

After your first or second KAP session, Journey Clinical or Isha Health’s medical team schedules regular follow ups with you to monitor progress and prescribe ketamine lozenge refills, as appropriate. The frequency of follow ups depends on your unique treatment plan.

Below are my regular fees: (Inquire about sliding scale availability)

Psychedelic Integration Therapy Fees:

• 55-minute Clinical Intake — $280

• 45-minute Psychotherapy Integration Session — $250

Ketamine Assisted Therapy Fees:

My KAP Fees:

• 55-minute Clinical Intake — $280

• 45-minute Psychotherapy Preparation or Integration Session — $250

• 2.5-hour KAP Dosing Psychotherapy Session — $900

  I do have a sliding scale between $750-900 for KAP sessions depending on ability to pay — priority for reduced fees will go to those with marginalized identities and with limited finances. We can discuss my availability for sliding scale fees together.

Some fees may be eligible for out-of-network reimbursement, including preparation and integration psychotherapy sessions. KAP sessions are currently not eligible for reimbursement by insurance.

Please check with your insurance carrier about reimbursement rates prior to beginning therapy.

Journey Clinical and Isha Health Medical Fees:

The medical intake and follow up appointment fees at Journey Clinical or Isha Health are separate from my KAP fees above. Their fees may be eligible for out-of-network reimbursement. Please inquire with them and also check with your insurance carrier about reimbursement rates.

The initial 55-minute clinical intake session and all 45-minute psychotherapy preparation and integration sessions after that will be held online via Zoom or phone. For the Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) dosing appointments, you have the option to do those ~2.5 hour sessions in-person in Oakland, CA, or online via Zoom (eligibility for remote sessions will be determined on a case-by-case basis).