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Reading clinical research can feel alienating for psychotherapists: You are in the room with people who are suffering, yet studies reduce large pools of participants into categories and statistical outcomes to find trends that don’t always seem relevant. How can we understand the relationship between research and practice and apply what’s helpful? Are you really supposed to follow the same treatment manual to the letter in your private practice office? These are the questions we answer with Evidence-Based Practice (EBP).
EBP is the incorporation of empirically supported treatments into clinical practice, taking into account unique patient factors and the therapist’s best clinical judgment. Empirically supported treatments (ESTs) can be defined in different ways in different fields, but they are generally the specific protocols research studies investigate. Usually, these are formal, manualized interventions provided in a standardized way across multiple sites.
In the world of psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a good example of an EST. Here’s why:
Research base: CBT has been tested in hundreds of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) across diverse populations.
Efficacy: It consistently demonstrates significant reductions in depressive symptoms compared to waitlist controls, treatment-as-usual, and in many cases, antidepressant medication.
Replicability: Findings have been replicated across different age groups (adolescents, adults, older adults), cultures, and treatment settings.
Guideline inclusion: Major professional organizations (e.g., American Psychological Association, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE] in the UK) recommend CBT as a first-line treatment for depression.
As such, CBT has become a standard of care. But when you provide it as a clinician you adapt a CBT protocol to your patient’s needs.This can happen for a number of reasons: your patient may resist certain exercises, or may not be able to attend the same session frequency. Your clinical judgment and the patient’s level of acceptance of the treatment are important factors.
When you make these modifications you are engaging in EBP; a decision-making framework that integrates three key components:
Best available research evidence — findings from clinical trials, systematic reviews, and treatment guidelines.
Clinical expertise — the therapist’s judgment, skills, and experience in delivering therapy.
Patient values and preferences — the client’s cultural background, treatment goals, personal values, and circumstances.
Rather than relying solely on research and excluding clinical judgement and patient factors, therapy is strengthened through the dynamic integration of all three.
So, how can a therapist engage in EBP with psychedelics?
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) is the best example here, as it presents the broadest opportunity for EBP of a psychedelic therapy. Here’s how:
The research evidence tells us that ketamine can produce rapid reductions in depressive symptoms, and psychotherapy may extend and deepen these effects.
The clinician’s expertise ensures ketamine sessions are conducted safely and that therapy techniques are appropriately integrated.
The patient’s values and preferences can guide the specific topics and nuances of the sessions.
For example, if a therapist is working with a client who has treatment-resistant depression they can:
Present the evidence: ketamine is an off-label treatment for depression, but it has demonstrated rapid antidepressant effects.
Apply clinical expertise: select clients for KAP based on clinical judgement about who is a good candidate and stands to benefit, taking into account the whole clinical presentation.
Honor client preferences: if the client wants to focus on rebuilding relationships and reconnecting with purpose, integration work can emphasize these topic areas.
In this way, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy becomes an evidence-based practice: not because there’s a single manual to follow for KAP yet, but because clinicians can apply the best available evidence, their own skills, and the client’s goals in an integrated framework.
As the field of psychedelic research progresses, I expect we’ll see similar trends with empirical support for the use of other psychedelic compounds for a variety of indications emerging. While the research studies will continue to use specific protocols, the real clinical process of EBP will need clinicians to understand, interpret, and appropriately apply the findings in practice.
Thanks for reading,
Fluence Co-Founder
In this live webinar, Lauren Okano, PhD, MS, will be joined by Dan Roberts, MD, MSW, to explore the evolving landscape shaping best practices in psychedelic therapy. Together they will examine historical context and emerging research, focusing on how practice standards are being developed and applied across both research and clinical settings. As psychedelic therapy moves toward broader clinical adoption, questions of standardization, evidence-based protocols, and adaptability are key to ensuring safe, ethical, and effective care.
Our discussion will highlight how rigorous standards of practice are emerging within clinical trials, how these approaches inform (and sometimes diverge from) real-world clinical practice, and what this means for therapists seeking to deliver patient-centered care. We’ll also explore the challenges and opportunities of translating research frameworks into flexible, responsive approaches for diverse client needs.
Dan Roberts, MD, MSW, is a board-certified psychiatrist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, where he is a clinician-researcher at the Center for Psychedelic Medicine and attending psychiatrist at the World Trade Center Health Program. He has served as a study physician and lead therapist on over seven psychedelic-assisted therapy clinical trials and is deeply involved in training and supervising psychedelic therapists through NYU, Fluence, and the MAPS Public Benefit Corporation. With a foundation in both social work and psychiatry, Dan brings unique expertise in bridging research and clinical delivery in psychedelic therapy.
Participants will gain insights into:
The role of standardization in shaping methodology, procedures, and analysis in psychedelic therapy
The benefits and limitations of protocolized approaches for clinical and community-based practice
This CE-granting session will benefit clinicians, students, researchers, and anyone interested in how psychedelic-assisted therapy is evolving across contexts.
The webinar will conclude with a live Q&A. A recording will be sent to everyone who registers, so sign up even if you can’t attend live.
Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Time: 1:00 PM–2:00 PM ET
Presented by: Lauren Okano, PhD, MS
Special Guest: Dan Roberts, MD, MSW
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 Zoom 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
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 Zoom call with Kabir
Start your journey now and move toward certification in Psilocybin Facilitation, or Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy at the current, lower rate.
All certificate programs start with our six-week Essentials of Psychedelic Therapy course, with the November cohort taught by Sarah Zoghbi, LPC.
Certificate Programs
Psilocybin Facilitation
Nov 4 - Sep, 2026
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Nov 4 - May 12, 2026
Standalone Courses
Psychedelics and Psychoanalysis
Oct 16 - Dec - 11, 2025
Sarah Zoghbi is a Licensed Professional Counselor and trainer whose work integrates relational psychodynamic psychotherapy with holistic, somatic, and psychedelic-assisted approaches. She is currently re-establishing her private practice, Psychevolve, in Nashville; meanwhile, she continues to serve clients in New Orleans via telehealth and in collaboration with The Center for Psychedelic Therapy at Spyre Center.
Sarah earned her M.S. in Counseling at Loyola University New Orleans, where she received multiple honors, and holds B.A.s in Psychology and Theatre. Her postgraduate training in psychedelic-assisted therapy has been primarily through Fluence and MAPS/Lykos. She is also a lineage carrier of a Germanic shamanic drum journey tradition and has apprenticed in ceremonial group work with indigenous healers.
Through trauma-informed, relational, and experiential methods, Sarah creates a safe and compassionate container that honors the natural intelligence of the healing process and the expansion of consciousness. With a specialty in group work as well as individual therapy, she draws on a clinical “medicine cabinet” that includes ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, comprehensive psychedelic harm reduction and integration, aromatherapy, shamanic drum journeys, autogenic hypnosis, mindfulness, breathwork, and beyond — all grounded in formal training, professional certification, and influences from her mentorship experiences across Hawaii, Germany, and the Americas.
In addition to her teaching with Fluence, Sarah co-founded and directed the Loyola Center for Counseling & Education, founded and directed Care for Creatives New Orleans, and serves as co-founder and board member of the Psychedelic Society of New Orleans. She also has experience facilitating therapeutic retreats and advancing community-based group models, reflected in her published research.
Royal College of Psychiatrists urges UK to allow compassionate use of psychedelic treatments
The Royal College of Psychiatrists has called on UK policymakers to enable controlled access to psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA, and ketamine under “compassionate use” for patients without other options, while also asking for a national database to monitor treatment outcomes.
Mid-stage LSD study shows long-lasting anxiety relief
A clinical trial led by MindMed found that a single 100 microgram dose of LSD significantly reduced symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, with almost half of the participants reaching remission for up to three months in some cases.
Yale expert issues ethics call: consent, support, and long-term follow-up essential
A Yale psychologist emphasized the importance of rigorous consent processes and long-term support for individuals engaging with psychedelic medicine, warning against underestimating the complexity of aftercare and the ethical responsibilities of practitioners.
