Psychedelics on the Couch

A resurgence of research on psychedelics for common mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and addictions, is rapidly shifting emerging practices in mental health care. Psychoactive substances, including MDMA and psilocybin, have received breakthrough treatment status from the Food and Drug Administration, with MDMA expected to be available by prescription within just a few years. Certain plant medicines, such as ayahuasca and ibogaine, have ample anecdotal and other evidence supporting their therapeutic value and are being investigated in clinical trials. Ketamine assisted psychotherapy is already being offered across the country for depression. Opportunities for therapists and counselors to offer their skills within a new practice model of psychedelic-assisted therapy will increase exponentially over the next decade.

This introductory workshop for counseling and helping professionals 1) examines the history of therapeutic and recreational uses of psychedelics and critically examines our own political and socio-cultural baggage around their uses, 2) provides frameworks for understanding the uses and actions of psychoactive substances in healing or therapeutic contexts, 3) summarizes the emerging research on psychedelics for a range of conditions, 3) evaluates the uses, effects, and risks of the most common psychedelic substances, and 4) discusses the shifting paradigms that psychedelics have brought to psychiatry and the mental health field. Importantly, counselors will be introduced to ethical professional roles, competencies, and skill sets for engaging with clients in this emerging area of practice. This training is for counselors, therapists, or any helping professional who wants to develop a firmer knowledge base on psychedelics for their ongoing professional competence.

This workshop will be delivered in-person in Fort Collins, CO, at a location to be announced. We will have a break for lunch. You can bring your own lunch, or buy lunch at a nearby restaurant. We will provide light snacks, refreshments, and coffee for the morning.  

Dr. Shannon Hughes, MSW, PhD

Dr. Shannon Hughes teaches, consults, and conducts research on how we use drugs and medicines in our society today. She is a community organizer and leader in articulating the shifting paradigms around our relationships with Self and medicines/drugs. She has developed and delivered education and training to professional social workers, counselors, and researchers, and to young people trying to make sense of their distress and struggles. Dr. Hughes earned her doctorate in Social Work in 2010 and is an Associate Professor in Social Work at Colorado State University and in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health, Colorado School of Public Health. She is a founding member of The Nowak Society, 501c3, a Colorado-based non-profit providing community education and organizing around psychedelics and drug policy reform.

Dr. Rob Colbert, MA, PhD, LPC

Dr. Rob Colbert earned his Masters degree in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology from Naropa University and his doctorate at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Dr. Colbert's research explores the experiences of adult couples who use MDMA recreationally and the perceived benefits of MDMA use on their relationships. The cognitive-relational model of MDMA use that emerged from this research suggests that individuals can make healthful choices about their drug use in recreational contexts and experience sustained benefits to relationships in their lives. Dr. Colbert is a sub-investigator in the Phase III clinical trials for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy organized by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. Dr. Colbert is also a founding member of the Psychedelic Research and Training Institite and has served as co-faculty in their ketamine-assisted therapy trainings. In his private practice as a licensed professional counselor, Dr. Colbert specializes in working with young adults, non-ordinary states of consciousness such as hearing voices or having visions, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, and psychedelic integration.

Dori Lewis, MA, Ed.M, LPC

Dori is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with a Masters in Education (EdM) and Masters in Psychology (MA) from Columbia University in New York, NY. Dori's therapeutic process draws from her extensive experience working with clients with a range of needs including but not limited to: depression, anxiety, trauma, sexual issues, and overall identity development. She was recently trained and certified to provide Ketamine-assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) and is actively providing KAP support to clients in the Fort Collins community. Dori has extensive knowledge of PTSD, adult identity development, feminist theory, sexual therapy, and gender identity development. Through her own personal work, as well as work with clients, Dori has developed an understanding of how to engage in meaningful conversation about the bigger life questions and how they relate to human existence, the natural world, and the collective consciousness.