Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)

What is Ketamine?

 

Ketamine is a legal, safe and effective medicine used to treat a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety 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.

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How Does Ketamine Feel?

 

The effects of ketamine, which most clients 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.

 

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.

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How Does Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Work?

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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 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 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 second 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.  The frequency of follow ups depends on your unique treatment plan, at a minimum of once per quarter.

 

What is the Cost of Treatment? 

Although the medical intake and follow ups are not covered by insurance, they are eligible for out-of-network reimbursement.  **Ask us about using CareCredit for this service**.

○ Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy : $200/hr

○ Journey Clinical Medical Costs ■ First-time patients ● Initial medical consultation with Journey Clinical + Cost of medication for first two sessions =  $338

■ Ongoing treatment: Follow-up medical consultation with Journey Clinical + Medication for 6 sessions =  $299

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Packages:

Trial KAP Package: For those interested in exploring Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) but are unsure about a 6 session committment, we provide a two-session trial option. Should participants then decide to continue with a full KAP treatment program, any payment made for the trial will be prorated towards the costs of a Standard Protocol Package. Price includes one preparation session, two 2-hour medicine sessions, and two 45 minute integration sessions - $1300 (save $100).

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Standard Protocol Package - Our standard treatment plan follows the research protocol developed by the Ketamine Research Foundation. Treatment goals are established during the initial intake session. The first ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) session is used to determine the optimal lozenge dosage. Six KAP sessions are administered over the course of six to eight weeks.  Price includes one preparation session, 6 two-hour medicine sessions, and six 45 minute integration sessions. - $3500 (save $300)

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Therapists who currently offer Ketamine Assisted Therapy : Sean OConnor, Michelle Shuler and Meredith Futernick-Gerak.

 

Helpful Resources:

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

2. 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

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