End of Life & Existential Distress Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Training — November 12-15, 2026

End of Life & Existential Distress Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Training

Registration Opens June 15, 2026

Puerto Rico
November 12–15, 2026

This training is exclusively for residents of Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican practitioners.

The PRATI End-of-Life and Existential Distress Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (PAT) Training builds upon our Foundations in Psychedelic Medicine course, equipping practitioners with the clinical skills necessary to support patients and families facing end-of-life (EOL) concerns, existential distress, grief, and palliative care needs. The program integrates practical clinical skills, current research, and supported ketamine experiences to inform and empower participants in this emerging area of practice. This unique training provides a strong grounding in end-of-life, grief, and existential distress practice, while also establishing a foundation for work with other psychedelic modalities, including psilocybin, as it becomes legally available.

Over four immersive days, participants will co-create a supportive and contained learning environment that fosters both professional development and personal reflection. Guided by PRATI’s experienced faculty, the training emphasizes emotional safety, relational depth, and thoughtful pacing, allowing participants to engage meaningfully with the material and experiential components. A high faculty-to-participant ratio supports individualized guidance, while shared moments of connection, warmth, and levity help cultivate a sense of community that many participants describe as a defining element of the training experience.

Important Note: Participation in the optional experiential ketamine component of this program requires completion of a pre-training virtual medical evaluation. Experiential participation is subject to medical clearance; participants should allow sufficient time before the training to complete the evaluation and obtain any necessary approvals. Medical evaluation appointments will be available leading up to the training start date.  

What You Will Learn

PRATI’s immersive training approach integrates didactic instruction with experiential learning in a retreat-style setting. Participants engage in dyadic work as well as large- and small-group formats, creating multiple opportunities for meaningful connection, reflection, and applied learning. Over the four-day program, we will co-create a supportive container for deep personal and professional growth, guided by PRATI’s expert faculty and informed by participants’ exploration of psychedelic medicine in the context of death, grief and existential distress.

Because group cohesion and psychological safety are essential to the training experience, all participants are required to remain onsite at the venue for the full duration of the course.

This unique program builds upon participants’ foundational training in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and expands clinical, experiential, and contemplative competencies. Participants will gain practical skills and hands-on experience in the following areas:

  • Two optional ketamine-assisted experiences (contingent upon medical approval), supported in one-to-one and small-group formats
  • Existential and end-of-life concerns in mental health and medical practice
  • Theory and practice of working with grief and loss
  • Review of current research on end-of-life care, psychedelics, and existential distress, including demoralization and anxiety
  • Supporting patients and families through the end-of-life journey
  • Preparation and integration practices in end-of-life work
  • Personal and professional exploration of grief
  • Curation of the death experience
  • Examination of belief systems related to loss and death
  • Discussion of death rituals and ceremonial practices
  • Understanding clinical care models and family support systems at end of life and within palliative care settings
  • The role of spirituality in exploring impermanence and non-attachment for caregivers, patients, families, and clinicians
  • Skills for facing death as a gateway to end-of-life planning
  • Community building and professional networking opportunities

This training is designed to deepen clinical presence, expand therapeutic skill sets, and foster a grounded, compassionate approach to psychedelic-assisted care at the end of life.

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Program Eligibility

PRATI’s End-of-Life and Existential Distress Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (PAT) Training Program is intended for professionals currently working in clinical or care-oriented settings. Eligible participants include:

  • Must be a resident of Puerto Rico
  • Nursing and medical professionals
  • Palliative care and hospice practitioners
  • Mental health professionals
  • Social workers, counselors,
  • Chaplains and spiritual guide
  • Death and End of Life doulas

Completion of a recognized experiential ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) or PAT training program (e.g., PRATI, Polaris, Ketamine Training Center, or IPI) is required prior to attending this training.

Applicants who have not completed foundational training may still apply; if approved through the initial application and interview process, they will be required to complete asynchronous foundational training prior to participation. Training requirements will be determined based on each applicant’s prior experience and assessed training needs. Depending on the training pathway assigned, completion may include coursework offered free of charge by PRATI and/or additional training through external providers that may require separate fees.

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Registration

Select your preferred ticket type (Standard or Scholarship) by clicking the corresponding link and completing checkout to secure your space. A $250 deposit is required for both ticket types at the time of registration. Please review the Cost tab below for fee details and scholarship information. Once registration is completed, you will receive a confirmation email with program details, logistics, and next steps.

Participation is limited to a capped cohort of 30 participants to ensure an intimate, high-quality training experience that supports meaningful engagement, group process, and individualized learning.

 

Cancellation Policy

  • For Standard Ticket purchasers, the $250 deposit is non-refundable.
  • For Scholarship Ticket recipients, the $250 deposit becomes non-refundable within 45 days of the training start date.

You may request to transfer your spot to another qualified participant (pending PRATI approval) up to 21 days before the training start date.

Standard Ticket Refund Schedule

  • 45+ days prior to the training start date: Refund minus deposit.
  • 30–44 days prior to the training start date: 50% refund
  • Less than 30 days prior to the training start date: No refund

We understand that life circumstances arise, and while we may not be able to make exceptions to the above policy, we approach each situation with care.

If PRATI cancels the training, all payments will be fully refunded.

All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing.

Training Duration

The training will take place over four days, from November 12-15, 2026. Check-in at El Oasis Hotel begins on Wednesday, November 11, at 3:00 p.m. local time and check-out on Sunday is at 11:00 a.m. The course will conclude at approximately 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 15.

Please note that participants must be present for all didactic and interactive components of the training in order to receive a completion certificate. Early departures prior to 1:00 p.m. on Sunday do not meet course completion requirements. Please plan travel arrangements accordingly.

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Accommodations

All participants are required to register separately with El Oasis Hotel for lodging and meals. Accommodation options include single- and double-occupancy rooms, with rates ranging from approximately $522 to $735 for a four-night stay. Fees are charged per bed rather than per room and include dinner at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday for those arriving in time, three meals per full training day, and breakfast on the day of check-out.

To ensure safety and foster group cohesion, all participants are required to stay onsite for the duration of the training course. Family and friends are not permitted to stay with participants at El Oasis during the training, as this can be disruptive to the supportive and immersive environment essential to the program.

 

End of Life & Existential Distress Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Training — November 12-15, 2026

Select a Ticket Level

Registration Fees

Standard Ticket: $2,500*

*Training registration fees do not include travel, lodging, or meals. For a detailed breakdown of accommodation fees, please see the Location & Accommodations tab below.

A $250 deposit is required at registration to secure your space for both Standard and Scholarship Tickets.

Scholarship Ticket:

Applicants accepted through the scholarship process will be assigned one of the following registration tiers based on demonstrated need and available funding.

Tier 1: $0 registration fee
Tier 2: $625 registration fee
Tier 3: $1,250 registration fee
Tier 4: $1,875 registration fee

Registration through the scholarship pathway requires completion of a separate scholarship application for review and consideration. Scholarship applications are reviewed and awarded on a rolling, first-come-first-served basis. The final deadline to submit a scholarship application is September 28, 2026.

Cancellation Policy

  • For Standard Ticket purchasers, the $250 deposit is non-refundable.
  • For Scholarship Ticket recipients, the $250 deposit becomes non-refundable within 45 days of the training start date.

You may request to transfer your spot to another qualified participant (pending PRATI approval) up to 21 days before the training start date.

Standard Ticket Refund Schedule

  • 45+ days prior to the training start date: Refund minus deposit.
  • 30–44 days prior to the training start date: 50% refund
  • Less than 30 days prior to the training start date: No refund

We understand that life circumstances arise, and while we may not be able to make exceptions to the above policy, we approach each situation with care.

If PRATI cancels the training, all payments will be fully refunded.

All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing

The support of grant funding for this training allows PRATI to offer a limited number of scholarships to eligible participants. Scholarships are available across three tiers, reflecting different levels of financial support.

Scholarship Tiers (includes $250 deposit at registration)

Tier 1 requires no additional payment beyond the $250 deposit made at registration.

  • Tier 1: $0 registration fee
  • Tier 2: $625 registration fee
  • Tier 3: $1,250 registration fee
  • Tier 4: $1,875 registration fee

For those awarded a scholarship, the total cost of the training includes a $250 deposit (paid at the time of registration) and the selected scholarship tier amount, paid to PRATI. The $250 deposit will be applied toward any remaining scholarship balance.

*Scholarships do not include lodging, meals, or travel.

Participation in the optional experiential ketamine component of this program requires completion of a pre-training virtual medical evaluation. Medical evaluation appointments will be available in the month leading up to the training start date.

This training is exclusively for residents of Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican practitioners.

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PRATI is pleased to offer partial scholarships in five categories to promote diversity, inclusion, and accessibility within our community:

  • Person of the Global Majority (historically/systemically excluded individuals)
  • LGBTQIA2S+
  • Person with a disability
  • Veteran
  • Person with financial need

We consider a range of socioeconomic factors when reviewing applications, including household size, number of dependents, expendable income, access to generational wealth, and debt-to-income ratio.

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Expenses Not Covered by Scholarships

To participate, scholarship recipients will also need to arrange and pay for:

  • Lodging at Oasis Hotel (meals are included in this cost)
  • Travel to and from the event

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Application Process & Notifications

Registering for a scholarship ticket allows you to apply for PRATI’s tiered scholarship program. Within the application, you will select the scholarship tier you can afford from the following options:

  • Tier 1: $0 registration fee (requires no additional payment beyond the $250 deposit made at registration)
  • Tier 2: $625 registration fee
  • Tier 3: $1,250 registration fee
  • Tier 4: $1,875 registration fee

Scholarship applications will be reviewed and awarded on a rolling, first-come-first-served basis. The final deadline to submit a scholarship application is September 28, 2026.

Due to limited resources and a small review team, we appreciate your patience during the application review process. Unfortunately, we are unable to approve all applications or provide individual feedback or status updates. Scholarship decisions are based on multiple factors and reviewed by more than one evaluator to ensure fairness.

El Oasis Hotel

Aguada, Puerto Rico

El Oasis Hotel is located in Aguada on the western coast of Puerto Rico, offering a tranquil and comfortable setting well-suited for immersive training experiences. The hotel features thoughtfully appointed rooms with air-conditioning, private bathrooms, and modern amenities. Guests can enjoy complimentary WiFi, bathrobes, and views of the surrounding gardens.

In addition to its accommodations, El Oasis offers a range of amenities including a swimming pool, lush garden spaces, and a terrace for relaxation. The property also includes an on-site restaurant, outdoor seating areas, and free private parking for guests.

Accommodation options include single- and double-occupancy rooms, with rates ranging from approximately $522 to $735 for a four-night stay. Fees are charged per bed rather than per room and include dinner at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday for those arriving in time, three meals per full training day, and breakfast on the day of check-out.

Participants are responsible for covering the cost of their accommodations and meals for this training and are required to register separately with El Oasis Hotel for lodging and meals.

To support participant safety and foster group cohesion, all trainees are required to remain onsite for the full duration of the training. Family members and friends are not permitted to stay with trainees during the training experience, as their presence may disrupt the supportive container essential to the program.

Course Director: Christine Pateros, MA, RN, is a global spiritual guide, ceremonialist, psychedelic-assisted nurse therapist, artist, author, healer, teacher and presenter. Chris serves as Course Director for PRATI’s End Of Life Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Training, and is Lead Faculty and Operations Director for other PRATI offerings. Grounding in ecocentric ritual, ceremony and practices, and called to existential work, Chris’ seeking and mystical soul-seeing has awakened her spirit to support others to own and share their potent gifts in the world by guiding individuals and groups in embodied conscious living and dying practices through her private practice based in Denver, Colorado. Chris is a lineage carrier of the Qero mystics of the Peruvian Andes. She is a trained and certified ketamine-assisted therapist (Ketamine Training Center, 2019) and Ecopsychologist (MA 2022) and is MAPS MDMA trained (2024). As a mother who has lost a child, Chris is intimate with living and thriving with grief as a part of the medicine of life that she carries in her work in the world. She currently lives in Denver, Colorado with regular time spent in Chicago and Kythira, Greece.

Wilhelmina De Castro, LCSW, (She/They) serves as PRATI's Executive Director and is trained in KAP (Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy) through PRATI and MDMA Assisted Psychotherapy through MAPS. They support organizations in building justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives, systems, and cultures. Wilhelmina also works as a lead therapist in a Psilocybin Phase 3 Clinical Trial for Treatment-Resistant Depression and sits on the Advisory Board for Thank You Life. As a Queer, Filipinx, non-binary person, they are deeply committed to anti-oppressive work, diversifying the psychedelic space, and uplifting the voices of BIPOC and LGBTQIA2s+ people. Wilhelmina is currently practicing KAP with individuals, groups, and families, and offering low-cost/donation-based KAP. She specializes in the areas of anxiety, depression, trauma, and life transitions. She has significant experience in working with the Queer folx and People of the Global majority and communities that have been impacted by global and systemic oppression.

Mary Cosimano, LMSW, Mary Cosimano, LMSW, Psychedelic Support and Integration LLC. Services include Psychedelic Integration Coaching; teaching; training and mentoring for Psychedelic- Assisted Therapy; Death Awareness/Death with Psychedelics Workshop. Mary was employed at Johns Hopkins University in the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research from 2000-2024. She served as Director of Clinical Services, Psychedelic Session Facilitator and as a Research Program Coordinator. She was involved with multiple psilocybin clinical trials and conducted over 500 study sessions including Club Drug studies with Salvia Divinorum and Dextromethorphan. Mary has trained postdoctoral fellows, faculty, clinicians, and research assistants as guides and taught individual and group meditation to breast cancer patients in a Johns Hopkins research study. She completed the MAPS MDMA/PTSD therapy training program and PRATI’s KAP foundational training and joined the PRATI team. She is a teacher and mentor at California Institute to Integral Studies for their Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research (CPTR) certificate program and conducts training for therapists in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. She presents a Death Awareness/Death and Psychedelics workshop. She initiated and facilitated a meditation group for Johns Hopkins employees from 2003-2020. She also has 15 years of experience with direct patient care as a hospice volunteer.

Darren Fisher, RN, BSN, has served as a hospice nurse for adult and pediatric patients for the past 11 years. His study of psychology and Buddhism has shaped his holistic approach to patient care. After learning of the beneficial outcomes in clinical studies of psychedelic medicines for those with terminal illness, Darren attended PRATI’s Foundational Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy program in 2021 and has since become faculty for PRATI’s End-Of-Life/Existential Distress Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Training. In addition to facilitating psychedelic-assisted therapy sessions for non-hospice clients, Darren advocates for the adoption of ketamine-assisted therapy in the palliative care and hospice setting to enhance support to patients and their loved ones and co-created a ketamine therapy pilot at the hospice where he works part-time.

Charlotte Charfen, MD is a board-certified Emergency Physician with over 20 years of experience in the field of Life & Death, living on the Big Island of rural Hawaii. In addition to emergency medicine, she has a private practice focused on end-of-life and serious illness support and helped found the North Hawaii based nonprofit, Life & Death Wellness. Their mission is to educate and support on all of life matters, but especially the end as a method to embrace one's life fully. But it was her patients that taught her the power of psychedelics at end-of-life and prompted her training with PRATI in 2021. Dr. Charfen is convinced that addressing our own mortality in addition to mental, and spiritual poise, are the keys to thriving in our world at any phase of life.

Meghan Fagundes, Ph.D. (she/they) is an Assistant Professor and Licensed Clinical Psychologist from San Diego, California, who teaches doctoral courses in psychological assessment, cognitive and affective psychology, and behavioral neuroscience. Since 2002, they have worked in community-based organizations, outpatient, residential and inpatient facilities, hospitals, and prison, offering clinical services to historically marginalized groups such as those with severe mental illness, co-occurring disorders, the LGBTQIA+ community, low-income and forensic populations.
Dr. Fagundes specializes in integrative somatic trauma therapy, the neurobiology of trauma, and somatic psychedelic therapy. They have completed certificates in ketamine assisted psychotherapy, psychedelic medicine, and psychedelic medicine for end of life and existential distress through the Psychedelic Research and Training Institute (PRATI). In addition, Dr. Fagundes trained in MDMA assisted therapy through the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) education program. They have facilitated consultation groups for the Psychedelic Assisted Therapy program at the Integrative Psychiatry Institute and co-facilitate psychedelic medicine retreats with Integrate Psychedelic Wellness and Education.

Stephanie Thomas, PharmD, NTP, CGP, is an integrative health professional based in Fort Collins, Colorado, with a background in pharmacy, nutrition, and holistic health. A former pharmacist, Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, and Certified Gut & Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) Practitioner, she bridges clinical science with whole-person approaches to healing, honoring both evidence-based medicine and the biological, psychological, and environmental factors that shape wellbeing. She is the founder of Happy Gut Healthy Mind Nutrition, where she provides education and nutrition coaching focused on the connection between gut health, mental health, and metabolic vitality. As Director of Operations and Administration for the Psychedelic Research and Training Institute (PRATI), Stephanie supports the organization and delivery of training programs and events, bringing a collaborative, detail-oriented approach and a strong commitment to ethical, high-quality education in the evolving field of psychedelic medicine.

I have participated in a variety of KAP trainings through different organizations over the last year and have learned a lot along the way and had lots of good experiences. PRATI's training, however, was above and beyond any expectations I have for quality of information delivered, skillfulness in group facilitation, and the safety of the holding environment for the experiential part of the training. I highly recommend training through PRATI.

- Amy Everson, LMFT

The PRATI organization is powerful, embodied, extremely inclusive and well organized. Highly recommend any training they offer. The staff is so experienced and knowledgeable and a very welcoming community. I can't wait to do more trainings with them!

- Carolyn Cubberly, RN

After having several experiences where I felt ignored and/or harmed in psychedelic training spaces as a Black woman, coming to PRATI was a healing and corrective experience I am so happy to have had. The only program I plan on doing psychedelic trainings with going forward. Thank you!
- Mercedes Hightower, MSW, LCSW-C