EOL and Existential Distress Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Training — June 13 – 16, 2024

End of Life and Existential Distress Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Training

June 13 – 16, 2024

The PRATI End-of-Life and Existential Distress Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (PAT) Training builds on our Foundational KAP Training course by providing practitioners with the clinical skills they need to support end of life (EOL), existential distress and palliative care patients and their families. Our program incorporates practical skills, clinical research, and supported ketamine experiences to inform and empower you in this emerging field. This unique training provides a grounding in EOL and existential distress psychedelic medicine and a foundation for other psychedelics (specifically psilocybin once legally available).

You will be required to complete a pre-training virtual medical evaluation in order to participate in the experiential components of the training. Appointment slots for these evaluations will be available over the month leading up to the training start date. Please plan for this in your schedule before registering for this training.

 

What You Will Learn

PRATI’s immersive training approach combines didactic presentations with experiential components in a retreat-style setting. The training experience involves working in dyads as well as large and small groups, offering a variety of opportunities for connection and learning. Over the four days, we will co-create a container for deep personal and professional growth supported by PRATI’s expert faculty and catalyzed by your own exploration of psychedelic medicine in the context of death and existential distress. As group cohesion and safety are vital components of the training, we require all participants to stay on-site at the venue throughout the duration of the course.

This unique program will build on and add to participants’ foundational knowledge of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. You will gain practical skills and hands-on knowledge including:

  • Two optional ketamine experiences (contingent upon medical approval) supported by fellow participants in 1:1 and small group formats
  • Existential and EOL concerns in mental health and medical practice
  • Theory and practice of working with grief and loss
  • Review of research on EOL and psychedelics and existential distress/demoralization/anxiety
  • Guiding patients and their families through the EOL journey
  • Preparation and integration in end-of-life work
  • Personal and professional explorations of grief
  • Curation of the death experience
  • Exploration of belief systems around loss and death
  • Discussion of death rituals and ceremonial practices
  • Understanding clinical care and family support systems at EOL and in the palliative care setting
  • Role of spirituality in the exploration of impermanence and non-attachment for caregivers, patients, families, and clinicians
  • Skills in facing death as a gateway to end-of-life planning
  • Community building and networking opportunities

Eligibility

PRATI’s EOL and Existential Distress Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Training Program is designed for professionals actively working in clinical settings. This includes nursing and medical professionals, palliative care and hospice-trained professionals, mental health care professionals, social workers, counselors, chaplains, and spiritual guides with psychedelic-assisted therapy experience.

Completion of an established experiential KAP/PAT program (e.g., PRATI, Polaris, Ketamine Training Center, IPI) is highly desirable prior to attending this training.

PRATI recognizes that practitioners interested in PAT may come from a variety of backgrounds and orientations. If you are unsure about your eligibility for this training, please contact EOL Course Director Chris Pateros at Christine.Pateros@PRATIGroup.org before registering. If it is determined that you do not meet eligibility requirements, your registration may be canceled.

Tickets

Select your preferred ticket level (Standard or Scholarship) by clicking the link, and completing your checkout / registration to secure your space. Please carefully review the Tuition tab below for registration fee and cancellation information.

Scholarships

PRATI’s EOL PAT Training Scholarship Program aims to address the racial wealth gap in the United States and the intersectionality of health status, economic inequality, and marginalization by race. To this end, our Scholarship program places a strong priority on BIPOC identities when making award decisions.

If you are interested in a scholarship, please purchase a Scholarship Ticket and you will be sent a link to fill out the application. As a limited number of scholarships and application slots are available, please only apply if you would otherwise be unable to afford this training. We ask that all scholarship awardees pay the $500 deposit as an investment in this training. Please note that scholarships do not include food or lodging fees.

Deadlines for scholarship applications are listed within course registration pages. Applicants will be contacted once scholarship award decisions have been made. Scholarship applicants not chosen will receive a full refund for their application deposit. Please only apply for one training scholarship opportunity at a time!

Focus and Priorities

  • To make our PAT Training a more accessible event we are offering scholarships, with a BIPOC prioritization, for those in need. These are intended for practitioners who want to attend but are genuinely not able to afford our standard pricing. For those who are financially comfortable, we ask that you value the effort and expense it takes to produce these trainings and pay our standard rates.

The Application

  • The scholarship application form is not a “test” of need.
  • Please do not consider application questions about personal identities, education, and licensure as definitive reflections of your lived or professional experience.
  • We ask questions about racial and ethnic identities as part of our goal to measure and improve the diversity of the community we serve. These questions are optional, and when answered, are only one factor among many that are considered.

Decisions and Notifications

  • We currently have limited resources and a small team to review scholarship applications and ask for patience during the time of review.
  • We regret that we cannot approve all applications or provide status updates or individual feedback on applications or award decisions.
  • We consider a variety of factors and involve multiple people in the decision-making process.

Cancellation Policy

Full payment deadline: May 6, 2024
Deposits are non-refundable (with exceptions for Scholarship ticket holders) and non-transferable. We are unable to transfer tuition payments to a subsequent training in the event of any cancellations. Please understand that cancellations impose a burden on our staff and the below policy covers us in the event we are unable to fill a cancelled spot.
  • If you cancel more than 60 days prior to the training start date, you will receive a full refund of tuition fees, minus the deposit.
  • If you cancel after the full payment deadline up to 2 weeks from the training start date, you will be refunded 50% of tuition fees, minus deposit.
  • Cancellations 2 weeks or less from the training start date forfeit all of the tuition fees.

Training Length of Stay

The training runs for four days, from June 13-16, 2024. Check-in at Sunrise Ranch begins on Wednesday, June 12 from 1:00 to 5:00 P.M. You may also arrive prior to the training start time of 8:45 A.M. on Thursday, June 13. The course will wrap up around 3 P.M. on Sunday, June 16. All times listed are in the Mountain time zone. Two optional Zoom calls (about 2 weeks prior and 1 week after) round out the training with opportunities to meet the faculty and reflect on your experience.

Please note that trainees must be present for all didactic and interactive course components to receive a completion certificate. Early departures from the training event prior to 12:00 p.m. on Sunday will not meet requirements for course completion. Please make your travel arrangements accordingly.

Accommodations

Each trainee must register with Sunrise separately, as they charge by the bed, not by the room, and this price also includes all of the meals you will be receiving during the training. Additionally, we do not allow family and friends to stay with you at Sunrise Ranch while you are in your training experience, as this is disruptive to the container.

EOL and Existential Distress Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Training — June 13 – 16, 2024

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Out of stock $500.00

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Select Options $2,985.00 – $4,425.00

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Sunrise Ranch

Loveland, Colorado

Sunrise Ranch is located in the beautiful foothills of the Rocky Mountains about one hour from Denver. Besides being a resort and retreat center, it is also an intentional spiritual community and a working sustainable ranch. The farm-to-table food is delicious and inspiring in quality.

**Tuition price does not include accommodations or meals.**

In addition to making tuition payment to PRATI, all participants must register with Sunrise Ranch separately, as they charge by the bed, not by the room. This payment will also includes all of the meals you will be receiving during the training. Accommodation options include shared and private rooms. We require all trainees to stay onsite for the duration of the training course to ensure safety and support group cohesion. Additionally, we do not allow family and friends to stay with trainees at Sunrise Ranch during the training experience, as this is disruptive to the container.

 

Course Director: Christine Pateros, RN, is a Shamanic Energy Medicine practitioner and ketamine therapist guiding and teaching private clients and groups to connect to their inner wisdom and essence. After “dying” in the Amazon jungle in 2011 in her own life affirming psychedelic journey, Christine’s course as a healer was transformed from nurse and clinical drug researcher to Cranio Sacral therapist, energy healing practitioner, and psychedelic therapist. Christine’s deep interest in research and the healing powers of psychedelics fuels her work so these medicines may be accessible to those they can help.

Medical Lead: German Ascani, MD, has a broad range of clinical experience having worked over a decade in public psychiatry, community mental health systems, and private practice in California. In his current Colorado practice, he uses an integrative approach and uses Ketamine, including Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy. He is a study physician and MAPS trained therapist working on the phase 3 study on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. German has particular interests in the potential for psychological, emotional, and spiritual healing that new and emerging psychedelic medicines bring to the mental health field. He supports the clinical use of these powerful transformative tools to open up a process of deep exploration, self-reflection, and lasting growth.

Mary Cosimano, LMSW has been with the Department of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research since 2000 when they began research with psilocybin. She is currently a Psychedelic Session Facilitator and has served as Director of Clinical Services and as a research coordinator. She has been involved with all the psilocybin studies and has conducted over 500 study sessions including Club Drug studies with Salvia Divinorum and Dextromethorphan. Mary has trained post doctorate 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 is a teacher and mentor at California Institute to Integral Studies for their Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research (CPTR) certificate program and conducts trainings for therapists in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. In 2003 she started a meditation group for employees in her department. She also has 15 years of experience with direct patient care as a hospice volunteer.

Darren Fisher, RN has a Bachelor’s in Psychology with a concentration in Buddhist psychology and a second Bachelor’s in Nursing. He has spent years studying and practicing meditation in Asia and has facilitated meditation groups in the US. A hospice nurse for the last 9 years, he attended the Fall 2021 PRATI training after learning about the positive role psychedelics have played in end of life care. Interested in the many benefits of group work, he has created and co-facilitated group KAT retreats focused on healing and spiritual deepening. Darren is a musician and enjoys curating and creating sound experiences to support clients in their psychedelic experience.

Catherine Beckett, LCSW, PhD has provided psychotherapy with a specialization in grief, loss and trauma since 1994, in a variety of settings including community agencies, addiction treatment centers, hospitals, and both adult and pediatric hospice. Her doctoral research focused on training mental health providers to work with grief, and she has designed and taught workshops and courses for professionals across the country. In addition to more mainstream counseling approaches, her practice draws from her training as an End of Life Doula and Reiki Master Practitioner. She completed her certification in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy at the Psychedelic Research and Training Institute in Colorado, and advanced KAP training with Polaris in San Francisco; she is grateful to be able to offer KAP as a treatment option in her private therapy practice in Portland, OR.

Jamie Beachy, MDiv, PhDJamie Beachy, MDiv, PhD, is a spiritual care educator (ACPE), ethics consultant, and psychedelic practitioner. She was a sub-investigator for MAPS Phase 3 clinical trials in Boulder, Colorado, researching the safety and efficacy of MDMA-assisted therapy for the treatment of PTSD. Dr. Beachy now serves as an MDMA-assisted Therapy Consultant, and a Field Scholar with the Emory Center for Psychedelics and Spirituality.

A leader in professional chaplaincy, Dr. Beachy co-founded Naropa University’s Center for Psychedelic Studies and was a founding member of the Transforming Chaplaincy Psychedelic Care Research Network. Prior to specializing in psychedelic-assisted therapy, Dr. Beachy served for many years as a palliative care and hospice chaplain. She developed an Essentials of Palliative Care Chaplaincy certificate for the CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care and has spoken broadly on the role of professional chaplains in both palliative care and psychedelic-assisted therapy. She currently serves as chair of the Board of Directors of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines.

Event Coordinator: Stephanie Thomas, PharmD, NTP, CGP, is a pharmacist, a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, and a certified GAPS practitioner focusing on the interplay between nutritional and mental health. In conjunction with the experience she has gained through her 400-hour Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training, she is well versed on the delicate and complex synergy between the gut, mind and body and is passionate about the healing potential these holistic treatment modalities can provide.

$2,985 - Professionals (LPC, LCSW, LMFT, PhD, APN, NP, PA, RN, etc.)

$4,425 - Physicians (MD, DO)

$500 - Scholarship Ticket (Professionals or Physicians)

A portion of tuition fees will be directly paid to the medical provider who will conduct your evaluation and medical services for training experientials.

**Price does not include accommodations or meals.

All participants are required to make a reservation at Sunrise Ranch in addition to making tuition payment to PRATI. We require all trainees to stay onsite for the duration of the training course to ensure safety and support group cohesion.

 

Accommodation prices range from $91 to $207 per night (roughly $360-$820 for a 4-night stay), with a variety of options from camping, dorm style arrangements, and private rooms in shared apartments. These fees also include all meals provided while onsite at the training.

 

Upon registering and paying the deposit (for Standard Tickets), your space is secured for this training. Scholarship applicants not selected will receive a full refund for their deposit. We look forward to connecting with you!

 

Full payment of the tuition balance is due by May 6, 2024 or you will lose your deposit. You will receive an email with a link to pay the balance.

 

Cancellation Policy

Full payment deadline: May 6, 2024

 

Deposits are non-refundable (with exceptions for Scholarship ticket holders) and non-transferable. We are unable to transfer tuition payments to a subsequent training in the event of any cancellations. Please understand that cancellations impose a burden on our staff and the below policy covers us in the event we are unable to fill a cancelled spot.
  • If you cancel more than 60 days prior to the training start date, you will receive a full refund of tuition fees, minus deposit.
  • If you cancel after the full payment deadline up to 2 weeks from the training start date, you will be refunded 50% of tuition fees, minus deposit.
  • Cancellations 2 weeks or less from the training start date forfeit all of the tuition fees.

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