Services
Ketamine-Assisted Therapy (KAT)
Ketamine, a drug typically used for its anesthetic properties in medical settings, is now being used in lower doses to address emotional dysregulation and the challenges that come from feeling disconnected from vitality in oneself and others. Ketamine works by loosening the tight hold that our mind exerts over all aspects of our experience: thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. As we experience this holistic expansiveness, we have an opportunity to develop a new perspective on life and use these insights as an inspiration and resource for change.
The ritual of ingesting a plant or drug for its mind-altering properties is thousands of years old. I humbly offer ketamine-assisted therapy in this lineage, treating ketamine as medicine that, along with the creation of a comfortable space for your journey, has the potential to be transformative for you.
How It Works
My structure for offering KAT involves two to three preparatory sessions in which we’ll discuss your intentions for a KAT journey, what’s needed in terms of preparation on your end, and then explore and answer your questions about ketamine and ketamine-assisted therapy. I will refer you to a physician that you will contact for an appointment. Once you meet with the physician you’ll get a prescription for ketamine, which you can pick up at a pharmacy in Berkeley or have mailed to you. We will then set up an appointment for your ketamine-assisted session, which will take place either in my office or, if appropriate, in your home. Following your experiential, we’ll have an integration session within 48 to 72 hours of your ketamine journey. Integration offers an opportunity for both of us to work directly with any insights that arose either during or after your ketamine-assisted therapy session. Together, we begin to develop the scaffolding you can draw upon as you go about your daily life.
Fee
If you are not already in therapy with me, the cost of three preparation sessions, one ketamine experiential session and one integration session is $700 to $1,000, depending upon your resources. Those who pay at a higher level are directly subsidizing those individuals who cannot afford, but would benefit from, ketamine-assisted therapy. If you are already in therapy and wish to do ketamine work only with me, I will ask for a release of information to speak with your therapist as we begin the process of working together. I also offer integration sessions to support your psychedelic work in other contexts.
Thank you in advance for considering this as you contemplate working with me.
Psychotherapy
Beginning therapy, beginning anything new, is never easy, especially when we have never done it before. Although we may be suffering, our human experience tells us that the known is always going to be more comfortable than the unknown. When you start thinking about making that first contact with a therapist, you’re already beginning to change. Sometimes when we begin to change, we notice others reacting to our changes and we ourselves may feel a bit worse. That’s normal. I will be here to walk with you on the path of this process, developing a pace that is right for you as we work together.
Training
For many years I worked as a harm reduction therapist in places as varied as the Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco and in academia in my role as a program director and professor in a master’s program in Counseling and Forensic Psychology. I have deep knowledge of the principles of harm reduction and how to apply them to a variety of behaviors and contexts. I am also well-versed in the principles of motivational interviewing, a model for having more goal-directed conversations with individuals who are ambivalent about making change. One of my specific areas of interest includes how we as helpers respond to the people we work with who engage in more extreme behavior such as chaotic drug and alcohol use and other self-harming behaviors. I can provide you with a framework for becoming more aware of your responses to your clientele and how such awareness can inform your understanding of your client(s) and yourself in your work.
Consultation
I offer consultation to therapists, psychologists, and managers who seek an extra pair of eyes and ears to continue developing their clinical or managerial skills. During consultation, I pay special attention to the relational system that you and your client(s) or employees have built and how best to influence the system to achieve the goals that you and your clients want to reach. I draw upon my knowledge of depth-oriented dynamics, as well as my understanding of how systems develop and transform, to support you in developing a sturdier roadmap that can provide you with a greater sense of satisfaction in your work.
