Understanding Psychedelic Assisted Therapy in Australia: A Harm Minimization Approach

Understanding Psychedelic Assisted Therapy in Australia: A Harm Minimization Approach

In the context of Australia’s largest sector of psychedelic experiences occurring underground with unlicenced practitioners, the aim of this workshop is to support counsellors to develop an awareness of the use of psychedelics in Australia and to provide education about how clients may present. It will focus on building participants confidence and knowledge from a harm minimisation perspective. There will be particular emphasis on trauma sensitivity and cultural safety as well as working with challenging “bad trip” experiences.

Learning topics include:
• Background and theory
• Ethics, regulations and the legal landscape
• Client safety and raising awareness of contraindications to PAT
• Socio-cultural implications of PAT
• Trauma informed practice
• The spiritual nature of psychedelic use
• Therapeutic techniques to help stabilise clients

The workshop will be collaborative, drawing on participants expertise whilst offering learning content. There will be opportunities for experiential learning in small groups and individual self-reflective exercises. Participants need to bring along their own practice, their therapeutic approach, and an open mind so that they can seamlessly integrate new knowledge of psychedelic use in Australia.

Psychedelics offer another way for people to see beyond their conscious minds which means that PAT is not just about administering a substance; it involves integrating the profound experience into the therapeutic process so that meaning can be made, and lives can be change.

Counsellors have an important role to play supporting clients to make meaning of profound altered state experiences. Although some clients may have been participants on clinical trials or worked with an authorised prescriber, many will have sourced their psychedelic experience illegally from unlicensed practitioners and be hesitant to seek help. It is vital that therapists come from a nonjudgmental place and feel confident to work with the client’s experience so that therapeutic gains can be integrated into their lives and harm is minimised.

The future of this emerging field holds promising outcomes for mental health. As PAT health care capacity builds, there may be further opportunities for counselling to be part of the regulated PAT space in Australia.

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