Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy 

I take on the psychotherapy portion of the experience, while Journey Clinical’s medical team supports you on all medical aspects. This includes determining eligibility, developing a custom treatment plan, prescribing the medicine and monitoring outcomes. Below is more information about KAP to help you navigate if it may be a good fit for you.

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What is Ketamine?

• Ketamine is a legal, safe and effective medicine used to treat a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, addictions, and PTSD. Ketamine has rapidly-acting antidepressant and mood-enhancing effects, which can begin to take effect within 1-2 hrs. after treatment and last for up to 2 weeks. It works by blocking the brain’s NMDA receptors as well as by stimulating AMPA receptors, which are thought to help form new synaptic connections and boost neural circuits that regulate stress and mood. Ketamine has also been shown to enhance overall neuroplasticity for lasting symptom improvement.

• Ketamine can be administered in a variety of ways, including IV infusion, intramuscular injection, via nasal spray and using sublingual lozenges. In my work with Journey Clinical we only use the sublingual lozenge form.

 

How Does Ketamine Feel?

• The effects of ketamine, which most patients find pleasant, last for approximately 45 minutes. These effects can make you feel “far from” your body, and facilitate shifts in perception that can often feel expansive in nature. Your motor and verbal abilities will be reduced, so you’ll be lying down in a comfortable position during the experience. Once these effects subsided, we’ll spend the remainder of our appointment giving you space to process and discuss your experience if you wish. While it may feel hard to articulate what happened during the experience, clients feel like the insights gained are none-the-less clear. Studies have shown that the benefits to mood and neurological growth can last up to two weeks after the Ketamine experience, and over time, can become permanent.

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How Does Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Work?

 

1. Initial consultation with Journey Clinical

   • You schedule an initial evaluation with a clinician from the Journey Clinical medical team via zoom. They will go over your medical and psychiatric history with you, provide education on the treatment and determine if you are eligible for KAP.

   • If Journey Clinical’s medical team determines that you are eligible for KAP, they will develop a personalized Ketamine prescription and outcome monitoring plan for you.

   • Journey Clinical’s medical staff will write a ketamine prescription for you, and a small amount of oral ketamine will be sent to your home, enough for the first 2 KAP sessions. You will be taught to take your vitals and self-administer the ketamine lozenges by Journey Clinical’s medical team in advance of our KAP sessions.

 

2.Preparation sessions:

• Once you receive your ketamine lozenges, we will schedule time together for our KAP preparation, dosing and integration sessions. Preparation session(s) will be scheduled just like regular therapy sessions prior to the KAP dosing session. The goal of a preparation session(s) is to align on the process and set intentions for our KAP sessions together.

 

3.KAP Dosing Session:

• A typical ketamine dosing session lasts between 2-3 hours and can take place either in-person at my office, or remotely via telehealth. After at least one in-person or remote dosing session, you may have the option to self-dose at home. These sessions are still scheduled with me, you must have a chaperone present, but are less expensive and more convenient. They lack the opportunity to process the dosing experience with me during or immediately after the experience.

• During a dosing session, you will take your vitals (blood pressure and heart rate), self-administer your ketamine lozenge either in my office or in your home. You will be in a comfortable, reclining position wearing an eye mask and listening to calming music. Although a KAP dosing session may be largely an internal experience, I will be present with you the entire time to hold space and provide support and interaction as needed.

 

4.Integration Sessions:

• Between KAP dosing sessions, we will meet for integration therapy sessions to review the memories, thoughts & insights that arose during your dosing session, and to prepare for the next dosing session. Integration sessions are regular psychotherapy, and we may use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), EMDR (Eye movement desensitization reprocessing), or other therapeutic modalities during this time as we normally would. Integration sessions, however, are important in taking advantage of the increased "neuroplasticity" or your brain's enhanced ability to learn, change and grow as a result of Ketamine exposure.

 

5.Follow-up consultations with Journey Clinical:

• After our first KAP session, Journey Clinical’s medical team schedules regular follow ups with you to monitor outcomes and prescribe ketamine lozenge refills, as appropriate. The frequency of follow ups depends on your unique treatment plan, at a minimum of once per quarter.

 

What is the Cost of Treatment?

• Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy is an affordable, accessible modality. Although the medical intake and follow ups are currently only directly covered by a few insurance plans, they are eligible for out-of-network reimbursement. Most insurance companies will pay for one hour of dosing sessions, and will pay for preparation and integration sessions in the same way they would for all psychotherapy. A typical course of KAP is 8 dosing sessions and 8 integration sessions, plus one to three preparation sessions.

  • Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy

    • My typical hourly rate is $180 but I reduce it to $165/hr for those without insurance or for those portions of KAP not covered by insurance. Most health insurance plans will cover many of the sessions required of KAP. (Medicare and Medicaid currently will not).

  • Journey Clinical Medical Costs

    • First-time patients

      • Initial medical consultation with Journey Clinical: $250

      • Cost of medication: $85 (enough for 2 sessions)

    • Ongoing treatment

      • Follow-up medical consultation with Journey Clinical $150 (at least 1X per quarter)

      • Cost of medication: $145 (enough for up to 6 sessions)

 

How Do I Sign Up?

• If you would like to explore the possibility of working with me on KAP, please e-mail me at admin@linwildercounseling.com, or fill out the form below, to discuss eligibility and next steps.

 

What is Journey Clinical?

• Journey Clinical is a platform for licensed psychotherapists to incorporate science-based psychedelic therapies in their practice safely and effectively, starting with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). Journey Clinical’s in-house medical team takes on patient eligibility, prescriptions and outcome monitoring, while I take on the therapy. Their collaborative care model is designed to deliver personalized treatment plans to meet your individual needs and improve long-term outcomes.

 

Helpful Resources:

1. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy Patient Stories video

2. Paradigms of Ketamine Treatment by Raquel Bennett, Psy.D. for MAPS

3. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP): Patient Demographics, Clinical Data and Outcomes in Three Large Practices Administering Ketamine with Psychotherapy - research study by Jennifer Dore et al, 2018

4. Ketamine for Depression and Mood Disorders by Erica Zelfand, ND for Townsend Letter

5. Ketamine-Facilitated Psychotherapy for Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression by goop

6. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy with Jonathan Sabbagh of Journey Clinical; - Psychology Talk Podcast

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