Kendra Doukas

What drew me into completing a year-long intensive training and certification program in psychedelic-assisted therapy was the fact that all the areas of study I was involved in were pointing towards psychedelics. I like to stay on top of current research and noticed that all the major key players in the field of trauma recovery were attending training and using psychedelics in therapy. Over the course of my career, I have tended to trust theories and topics that seem to pull the field together, making connections in concepts and providing sound research to back the work. To me, there are many different effective ways to treat mental health, and not every method is right for every client or for every practicing clinician. Psychedelics seem to be a compelling tool in therapeutic work, and I am excited to bring it to my clients.

Let me be very clear- I am not a clinician who believes that “psychedelics are for everyone”! In fact, I often cringe when I am reading yet another article about Ketamine in the media claiming to be a magical cure-all. What I do believe about psychedelics is that they can be a powerful tool in healing from deep trauma, depression, and anxiety. Psychedelics, when used safely in a safe setting with a trained and competent provider, can help people to release fiercely held negative beliefs and stuck ideas about themselves and their conditions. I have seen them bring about tremendous healing. My clients can engage in behavior changes that they simply were not able to engage in prior to their KAP experiences.

The power of psychedelic-assisted work is vast and awesome in the truest sense of that word. I recognize that power and potential for healing and feel extremely humbled by it. I understand just how vulnerable clients are when doing this type of healing and work hard to keep them safe. I am honored to be part of a client’s journey to healing.