Psychedelics and the Therapeutic Frame: Foundations for Licensed Clinicians

A 3-hour, NBCC-approved CE course for licensed mental health professionals whose clients are already using psychedelics, often without saying so. Learn the pharmacology, professional boundaries, and first-contact clinical skills to respond competently and ethically when psychedelics come up in session. 
Format

Online Course

Credit Hour

3 Credit Hour, NBCC

Author

Dr. Peter H. Addy

Price

$ 137

Unsure What to Say When a Client Brings Up Psychedelics?

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Are you confident in how you'd respond if a client disclosed using psilocybin, ayahuasca, or MDMA in your next session?

Do you know which substances carry real contraindication risk, and which safety concerns are commonly overstated?

Have you noticed that most psychedelic training options are either too thin to be useful, or designed for a clinical role you're not pursuing?

You’re not alone.

Most licensed clinicians received no psychedelic training in graduate school. Yet millions of their clients are already using psychedelics, and many aren't disclosing because they're not sure their therapist will know what to do with it.

We See the Challenges

Here's the reality for licensed clinicians whose clients are already using psychedelics:
  • The disclosure problem is already here: An estimated 8 million Americans used psilocybin in the past year, and most aren't telling their clinician. Non-disclosure can be a rational protective response to perceived judgment.
  • The contraindication stakes are real: Lithium and classic psychedelics, MAOIs and ayahuasca, a client who doesn't volunteer their medication history; missing these interactions is a clinical risk, not just a knowledge gap.
  • The training options don't fit: Long-form facilitation certifications are designed for a clinical role most licensed therapists aren't pursuing, and short offerings often skip the equity questions, ethics failures, and places where the evidence is genuinely contested.
  • Scope of practice is murkier than it should be: The line between clinical support and facilitation is both consequential and underexplained, and most clinicians haven't been given a clear answer.
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But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Psychedelics and the Therapeutic Frame: Foundations for Licensed Clinicians gives you the grounded, clinical foundation this moment actually requires . Without hype, overreach, or pretending the evidence is further along than it is.

introducing

Psychedelics and the Therapeutic Frame: Foundations for Licensed Clinicians

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This is an introductory continuing education course for licensed mental health professionals who want a clinically grounded foundation in psychedelic-informed practice. The course covers the pharmacology and contraindication profiles of the major psychedelic substances encountered in clinical settings, the current federal and state legal landscape, and the scope-of-practice boundaries relevant to licensed clinicians.

Participants are introduced to the Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration framework as a clinical orientation for working with clients who are already using psychedelics. The course concludes with an examination of ethics and professional responsibility, including power dynamics, equity in access to psychedelic services, and the field's current ethical challenges.

This course is delivered as an on-demand, video-based home study program. This program offers 3 NBCC credit hours upon completion. Partial credit is not available.

Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:
Identify the current federal and state legal status of major psychedelics and its practical implications for licensed clinicians.
Distinguish the scope-of-practice role of a licensed clinician from that of a psychedelic facilitator, and articulate what each role does and does not permit.
Explain the Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration framework and why harm reduction and integration are held in productive tension rather than treated as competing orientations.
Describe a clinically sound, non-judgmental response when a client discloses psychedelic use, including first-contact language, contraindication screening priorities, and documentation considerations.

Presenter

This course is taught by a licensed clinician who actively works with psychedelics and harm reduction in real clinical settings.

The instruction integrates academic research, hands-on therapeutic practice, and a deep focus on ethical responsibility, boundaries, and scope of practice.

Rather than abstract principles, the teaching is grounded in real therapy-room dilemmas - helping clinicians navigate ethical complexity with clarity, discernment, and professional integrity.

Dr. Peter H. Addy

PhD, LPC, LMHC

Dr. Peter H. Addy is an expert in the field of psychedelic substances and states of consciousness. With 15 years of experience, Dr. Addy has established himself as an authority on the transformative effects of transcendence and wholeness. Dr. Addy's knowledge and expertise have led him to become a highly sought-after speaker and presenter, having given talks internationally on a range of topics related to spirituality, transpersonal states, psychedelic science, and research methodology. Dr. Addy is also an accomplished writer, having authored numerous scientific articles, book chapters, and popular press articles on typical and atypical psychedelics, substance abuse, and spirituality.

Course Lessons

Continuing Education Approvals and Information

NBCC-Approved Provider
Psychedelic Affirming Education has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7579. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Psychedelic Affirming Education is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. This course content is primarily designed or intended for graduate-level professional counselors. However, the course content also may meet criteria for Oregon Psilocybin Services Facilitator CE hours.
This program is designed to meet continuing education requirements for the following boards:
  • Mental Health & Addiction Certification Board of Oregon
  • Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists (OAR 833-080-0011)
  • Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers (OAR 877-025-0011)
  • Oregon Board of Psychology (OAR 858-040-0015)
  • Washington Examining Board of Psychology (WAC 246-924-240)
  • Washington Mental Health Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Social Workers Advisory Committee (WAC 246-809-620)
Please note: The responsibility for substantiating that a particular program meets the requirements rests solely with the licensee. 

Frequently asked questions

I'm not planning to become a psychedelic therapist. Is this course still relevant to me?

Yes. This course was specifically designed for you. The focus is on practicing competently with clients who are already using psychedelics, within your existing license and scope of practice. It is not a facilitation training and does not assume or require any interest in administering psychedelics or supervising sessions.

Do I need prior training in psychedelics to take this course?

No prior psychedelic training is assumed or required. This is an introductory course designed to meet licensed clinicians where they are, regardless of whether they've previously engaged with this material.

How is this different from a general psychedelic awareness course?

This course is built around clinical decision-making: contraindication screening, documentation, scope-of-practice clarity, and specific language for handling client disclosures. It covers the equity and ethics dimensions the field often sidesteps. It is evidence-forward and grounded in current research, not promotional.

What does the PHRI framework mean in practice?

PHRI (Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration ) is a meta-framework for holding two complementary clinical orientations together: harm reduction (meeting clients where they are, reducing risk) and integration (supporting meaning-making after an experience). Section 4 covers this in depth, including what it looks like across different clinical roles and scenarios.

Will this course tell me which clients to refer for psychedelic therapy?

The course covers referral criteria and community resources, including what currently available legal options exist and what access constraints apply. It does not position you as a gatekeeper for psychedelic treatment. That framing isn't consistent with the licensed clinician's scope, and the course explains why.

I don't think any of my clients use psychedelics. Is this still relevant?

Almost certainly yes. Most clients don't disclose. Only 22% tell primary care providers and 58% tell psychiatric providers. And 23% of naturalistic users are taking potentially interacting psychiatric medications. Not asking, and not being ready to receive a disclosure well, is itself a clinical risk.

Do you offer accommodations for participants with disabilities?

Yes. Psychedelic Affirming Education is committed to providing equal access to our courses in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and similar laws. We provide appropriate accommodations for participants with physical, visual, auditory, and other legally-recognized disabilities. To request accommodations, please contact us. Our team will guide you through the process and respond to your request within 10 business days.

Can Oregon psilocybin facilitators take this course?

Yes! This course directly fulfills specific OPS curriculum requirements for the "Safety, Ethics, Law and Responsibilities" module requirements including client boundaries, ethical considerations, and documentation (OAR 333-333-3060(3)).
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