Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)

Ketamine therapy and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is a holistic treatment modality in which medical ketamine treatment is used as a complement to ketamine psychotherapy to help eligible patients experience more frequent therapeutic breakthroughs and sustained improvement in mental health symptoms. The KAP therapist takes on the psychedelic therapy portion of the experience, while a ketamine psychiatrist supports you on all medical ketamine aspects. This ketamine treatment process includes determining ketamine eligibility, developing a custom ketamine protocol, prescribing ketamine medicine and monitoring ketamine outcomes.

WHAT IS KETAMINE?

Medical ketamine is a legal, safe and effective therapeutic medicine used to treat a variety of mental health conditions, including treatment-resistant depression, chronic anxiety and PTSD treatment. Ketamine therapy has rapidly acting antidepressant benefits and mood-enhancing properties, which can begin to take effect within 1-2 hrs. after ketamine administration. 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 response and mood disorders. Ketamine treatment has also been shown to enhance overall brain neuroplasticity for lasting symptom improvement.

Ketamine infusion therapy can be administered in a variety of ways, including ketamine IV infusion, intramuscular ketamine injection, ketamine nasal spray and using sublingual ketamine lozenges. In my Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) practice, we only use the sublingual ketamine treatment form.

HOW DOES KETAMINE FEEL?

The ketamine experience effects, which most ketamine therapy patients find pleasant, last for approximately 45 minutes. These ketamine treatment effects can make you feel dissociative symptoms, and facilitate perceptual shifts that can often feel consciousness-expanding in nature. Your motor and verbal abilities will be reduced, so you'll be lying down in a comfortable position during the ketamine session. Once these ketamine effects subside, we'll spend the remainder of our ketamine integration appointment giving you space to process and discuss your psychedelic therapy experience. While it may feel hard to articulate what happens during the ketamine journey, patients feel like the therapeutic insights gained are clear.

HOW DOES KETAMINE-ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY WORK?

1. Initial consultation with Prescriber (either your own or through Journey Clinical)

  • You schedule an initial evaluation with either your own prescriber or a clinician from the Journey Clinical medical team. 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 Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, 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 Journey Clinical Inc 2023 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 1-2 hours and can take place either in-person at my office, or remotely via telehealth.

  • During a dosing session, you will 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 as needed.

4. Integration Sessions:

  • After our KAP dosing session, we will meet for multiple integration therapy sessions to review the memories, thoughts & insights that arose during your dosing session, and to prepare for the next dosing session.

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 KAP TREATMENT?

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy is an affordable, accessible modality. Although the medical intake and follow ups are not covered by insurance, they are eligible for out-of-network reimbursement.

• My rate is set at $185 per hour. KAP Sessions can last up to 3 hours ($555 total), depending on the day.

  • Sliding scale is available for those in need. Reach out for a first time discount offering.

Medical Costs w Journey Clinical Prescriber

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)

INTERESTED IN TRYING KAP?

If you would like to explore the possibility of working with me using KAP, please fill out my contact form here to discuss eligibility and next steps!



MORE RESOURCES ON KETAMINE-ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY:

1. An Introduction to Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy by Wendy Boring-Bray, DBH, LPCC for Psychology Today

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

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

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

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