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These days, it might seem unnecessary to be a licensed therapist with specialized training in psychedelic therapy. Some organizations are promoting psychedelic coaching in lieu of therapy, and AI chatbots are cropping up as competitors in mental health support. With so much evolution and experimentation in the field, you might wonder: Why go to the trouble of getting licensed and trained? Who does it really serve?
These are fair questions. The training burden for licensed professionals is high, and it can feel like an unattainable or even exclusionary barrier to entry. But beneath the surface of certification checklists and licensure regulations lies something more enduring: a deep commitment to the well-being of our clients, the credibility of our field, and the long-term integrity of mental health care.
Let’s start with the assumption that you are a licensed therapist or on the path to becoming one. With licensure comes a set of responsibilities, obligations, and privileges. You are part of a regulated profession grounded in legal recognition and ethical accountability. Your license gives you access to protected titles and practices, the ability to bill insurance, and, in some cases, the authority to take clinical actions like recommending hospitalization or writing letters necessary for treatment access. And in most cases your communications with patients enjoy legally protected confidentiality, ensuring a level of privacy that services from non-licensed individuals do not carry.
With that authority comes the duty to understand and stay within both your scope of practice and your area of professional competence. Scopes of practice are broad, by design. For example, as a licensed psychologist, I’m authorized to provide psychotherapy—but that doesn’t mean I’m competent to practice every form of psychotherapy. Competence is built through training, supervision, and ongoing education. It is our professional responsibility to pursue additional training in areas where we wish to grow, especially when introducing powerful and complex tools like psychedelics into clinical work.
This is where post-licensure training in psychedelic therapy comes in. Ketamine, for instance, is a dissociative anesthetic with unique effects on consciousness and psychological experience. Its use in therapy requires a nuanced understanding of set and setting, therapeutic preparation and integration, and the clinical dynamics that emerge in altered states. Licensed therapists are already trained in working with mental health diagnoses, therapeutic relationships, and ethical care. Adding psychedelic therapy to your repertoire isn’t a detour from your role, it’s an extension of it.
Consider also the issue of malpractice coverage. It’s something many of us set up and renew each year without much thought until perhaps the day comes when we need it. If a complaint arises, one of the first questions asked is whether you were working within your scope of practice and competency. Being able to demonstrate that you pursued formal training, followed established protocols, and sought consultation when appropriate can be the difference between defensible care and professional risk. If you’re a licensed therapist, your training pathway should reflect the weight of that responsibility and the opportunity it brings to offer transformative care safely and ethically.
Ultimately, post-licensure training in psychedelic therapy isn’t just about complying with regulations or guarding against liability. It’s about honoring your professional identity, deepening your clinical skillset, and committing to the highest standard of care for your clients. In a fast-moving and sometimes chaotic landscape, your training is one of the few things you can control—and one of the most powerful ways to ground your practice in integrity.
Thanks for reading,
Fluence Co-Founder
Join us this September for a practical and values-driven conversation on what it takes to build and sustain a psychedelic therapy practice. In this live webinar, Fluence’s Marketing and Communication Manager, Kabir Cooppan-Boyd, will sit down with Chantelle Thomas, PhD, a psychologist and experienced ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) provider, for a grounded and candid conversation about practice-building in the evolving world of psychedelic therapy.
Dr. Thomas brings extensive experience as a clinician, program director, and clinical researcher, with a background in both residential addiction treatment and psychedelic-assisted therapy. Her work blends psychological depth, systems thinking, and real-world experience navigating ethical and logistical complexities in practice.
This CE-granting session offers real-world insights for clinicians who are curious about:
How to build a practice that centers care, integrity, and responsibility
Navigating scope of practice, licensure, and regulatory considerations
Balancing sustainability and accessibility in service delivery
Ways structure can support or undermine the therapeutic frame
Common questions from new KAP providers entering the field
The webinar will conclude with a live Q&A.
We’ll send a recording of the event to everyone who registers, so sign up even if you can’t attend live.
Date: September 4th, 2025 | WednesdayTime: 11 AM - 12 PM ET
Hosted by: Kabir Cooppan-Boyd, Marketing & Communications Manager at Fluence
Special Guest: Chantelle Thomas, PhD, Fluence Training Faculty
Format: Live Webinar via Riverside
Cost: Free with Registration
CE Credit: 1 CE Hour Available
Curious about training in psychedelic therapy but unsure where to begin?We’d love to help you gain clarity on how one of our courses fits into your path. Schedule a free 1-on-1 info call with Kabir Cooppan-Boyd, dedicated to guiding you on your learning journey. During your call, Kabir can answer your questions and explain how our courses connect to professional certificates in:
Psilocybin Facilitation
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration
If you’re a clinician with questions or curiosity about our programs, this personalized conversation is the perfect way to find your best next step.
Schedule your free 1-on-1 call with Kabir
Start your journey now and move toward certification in Psilocybin Facilitation, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, or Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration at the current, lower rate.
All certificate programs start with our six-week Essentials of Psychedelic Therapy course, with the September cohort taught by Joseph McCowan, PsyD and Mia Sarno, PsyD.
Certificate Programs
Psilocybin Facilitation
Sep 9, 2025 - Apr 11, 2026
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Sep 9, 2025 - Apr 14, 2026
Specialty: Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration Therapy
Sep 8 - Dec 8, 2025
For learners who have already completed Essentials of Psychedelic Therapy or an equivalent training
Standalone Courses
Expanding the Self: Buddhism and Psychedelic Therapy
Sep 24 - Nov 19, 2025
Psychedelics and Psychoanalysis
Oct 16 - Dec - 11, 2025
Saundra is an Adjunct Clinical Affiliate, School of Nursing, at The University of Texas at Austin, and a psychotherapist in private practice. Her research explores the connection between wellness-enhancing practices and improvements in disease and wellness markers, as well as its anti-inflammatory effects. Dr. Jain is a co-creator of the WILD 5 Wellness Program and co-author of a well-received workbook written for those interested in improving their mental wellness, WILD 5 - A Proven Path to Wellness. WILD 5 is an evidence-based wellness intervention that combines five elements of wellness (exercise, mindfulness, sleep, social connectedness, nutrition and positive psychology “practices) into an easy-to-follow program.
Dr. Jain is co-creator of the Psychedelics and Wellness Survey (PAWS) exploring the intersection between psychedelics and wellness. She serves as a member of the Psych Congress Steering Committee providing direction regarding educational gaps/needs for mental health practitioners, and Sana Symposium providing psychedelics education for mental health and addiction professionals.
If you would like an opportunity to learn with Saundra, she will be instructing the Fall session of our Psychedelic Harm Reduction & Integration Therapy specialty course, sign up here.
Note: This course is for learners who have already completed Essentials of Psychedelic Therapy or an equivalent training.
Psilocybin as a geroprotector?A new preclinical study found that psilocin, psilocybin’s active metabolite, extended the lifespan of human skin and lung cells by over 50% and increased survival in aged mice from 50% to 80%, while also reversing signs like graying fur and poor coat condition.
Novel Psychedelic Therapy Rapidly Reduces Postpartum Depression Symptoms
Reunion Neuroscience reported that a single 30 mg subcutaneous dose of RE104, a fast-acting 4-OH-DiPT prodrug, produced a 23-point average drop in MADRS scores by day seven, with 77 % of participants achieving at least 50 % symptom reduction and 71 % entering remission; effects were sustained through day 28 and the treatment was well tolerated with rapid discharge readiness.
Colorado Eyes Expansion to Legal Iboga Services
Colorado regulators are considering making iboga legally available within the state’s regulated psychedelics program, potentially making it the first U.S. state to do so. This consideration comes under Proposition 122’s framework, with the Natural Medicines Advisory Board currently evaluating safety protocols and licensing structures for introducing iboga to the therapeutic landscape.
