Tarzie's Therapist Training
Donation protected
Mobilizing Psychedelic Psychotherapy in Alberta – Tarzie’s Therapist Training
Many of you who are close to me know that I have been accepted into a clinical psychedelic psychotherapist training program that is taking place in BC over the summer. This will be an amazing opportunity and my participation in this will help contribute to community mobilization work that has been happening in this area, including advocacy for these medicines to be counted as viable therapeutic tools. I look forward to transferring the knowledge I will gain back into the community, but am asking for support to make this possible as I prepare to journey into this opportunity.
Background
I have been involved in peer support and harm reduction efforts within the Alberta festival community for over ten years, helping to build, coordinate and sustain the Sanctuary / Psy-Crisis program model that is offered at many music festivals and events. This experience has encouraged me to be curious about more therapeutic applications of psychedelic medicines, as I have worked with many individuals who have had profound transformations after using these substances. This intersects with my career in counselling as a therapist and mental health consultant; many times in my professional role I have wondered about the expansion of resources that could or should be available to individuals who are facing challenging personal processes in their growth and healing. I feel that if there is potential therapeutic merit in a medicine or substance, shouldn’t this be available as an option? Thus, this area of work is shadowed by the history of prohibition and restriction around access. The time is now to help shift how our society views these substances, as they hold huger potential in helping individuals progress through various personal, psychological, and spiritual hurdles. The resurgence in clinical research about psychedelics is helping turn this tide as compelling evidence is coming forth around the efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy in treating a myriad of presenting concerns.
The Training
This training is offered by the Orenda Institute, led by Richard Yensen and Donna Dryer. Richard is a psychologist and Donna is a psychiatrist, both whom have decades of experience as therapists as well as working in clinical trials both in Canada and the US. Fifteen individuals, myself included, have been accepted into this training program. It will require travel over three separate weeks over the next few months – the end of June, end of August, and the end of September, out at a remote location in the Gulf Islands on the coast of BC. It will be intensely personal, psychodynamic, deep personal work, while connecting and building a community of therapists who will help bring forth this form of healing modality back to their various networks and spheres of influence. It is important to note that no medicines or substances are part of the training, but that experiences will happen through activities such as breathwork, meditation, and other personal “inward” processes.
Cost details
The entire cost of the training is $6000, $3000 has been paid already, and the remaining $3000 will be paid over 2 rounds by September. I am asking for assistance in covering only part of these expenses. In addition to this is the cost of travel to BC three times, which will be at least $500-$600 per trip. My first round of travel is in just over two weeks. While this training is amazing, it is also very tricky to try and accommodate the cost while having a family/kids to support at the same time. And that’s not even mentioning the time that my family and support people will be offering in order to step up while I am away for those 3 full weeks – I have asked them to take on a lot!
Applications / future benefits to community
To date, I have offered workshops in the community about psychedelic psychotherapy and peer support as well as general offerings about personal wellness and self-exploration, and am very motivated to continue to do so on an ongoing basis, as this training will equip me with more information to share beyond. In regards to being able to offer therapy openly to the community, of course, until there is a shift in legal status, psychedelics are still controlled substances that cannot be administered unless this is done under approved clinical / research trials. However, what I am able to offer definitively is post-experience integration, whereby when someone has already had a psychedelic experience and they want to work on integrating and navigating the meaning of it in their life. This would be an expansion of the counselling work that I have already been doing. It is known that many people experience profound interactions when using psychedelics whether in recreational settings or in pursuit of spiritual journeys, and there is often little to no support after these experiences around how to contextualize and process what has happened. Thus, I will be offering post-experience integration therapy as part of my private practice work, as well as future workshops. The other area of application is around community advocacy, education, awareness and mentoring in working toward social change in understanding of these medicines. There is a lot of momentum in Alberta already where people are coming together to discuss psychedelics as tools for healing and talk about how to help support each other in escalating this work so it can become a viable option in medicine and therapy.
What else
I have felt very motivated as well as supported as I am stepping forward to do this work, and while it is challenging to ask for help, I am grateful to any assistance that people can offer, from friends who have stood beside me in my efforts, to my family who has and will continue to accommodate more of my commitment to this, and to anyone who graciously is able to put any financial support forward to help offset the costs of the training. While I am one individual in the community who is taking a very in-depth training opportunity, the implications for carrying this work forth are definitely linked to the community and its people. This is a social movement, and I invite you to be open and curious about it and think about how we can all contribute to supporting each other in personal growth and healing that will indeed create a giant ripple effect.
Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this, whether you are called to contribute to this campaign or not. If anyone wishes to connect with me further, I welcome any communications. In gratitude…~~Tarzie~~
Many of you who are close to me know that I have been accepted into a clinical psychedelic psychotherapist training program that is taking place in BC over the summer. This will be an amazing opportunity and my participation in this will help contribute to community mobilization work that has been happening in this area, including advocacy for these medicines to be counted as viable therapeutic tools. I look forward to transferring the knowledge I will gain back into the community, but am asking for support to make this possible as I prepare to journey into this opportunity.
Background
I have been involved in peer support and harm reduction efforts within the Alberta festival community for over ten years, helping to build, coordinate and sustain the Sanctuary / Psy-Crisis program model that is offered at many music festivals and events. This experience has encouraged me to be curious about more therapeutic applications of psychedelic medicines, as I have worked with many individuals who have had profound transformations after using these substances. This intersects with my career in counselling as a therapist and mental health consultant; many times in my professional role I have wondered about the expansion of resources that could or should be available to individuals who are facing challenging personal processes in their growth and healing. I feel that if there is potential therapeutic merit in a medicine or substance, shouldn’t this be available as an option? Thus, this area of work is shadowed by the history of prohibition and restriction around access. The time is now to help shift how our society views these substances, as they hold huger potential in helping individuals progress through various personal, psychological, and spiritual hurdles. The resurgence in clinical research about psychedelics is helping turn this tide as compelling evidence is coming forth around the efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy in treating a myriad of presenting concerns.
The Training
This training is offered by the Orenda Institute, led by Richard Yensen and Donna Dryer. Richard is a psychologist and Donna is a psychiatrist, both whom have decades of experience as therapists as well as working in clinical trials both in Canada and the US. Fifteen individuals, myself included, have been accepted into this training program. It will require travel over three separate weeks over the next few months – the end of June, end of August, and the end of September, out at a remote location in the Gulf Islands on the coast of BC. It will be intensely personal, psychodynamic, deep personal work, while connecting and building a community of therapists who will help bring forth this form of healing modality back to their various networks and spheres of influence. It is important to note that no medicines or substances are part of the training, but that experiences will happen through activities such as breathwork, meditation, and other personal “inward” processes.
Cost details
The entire cost of the training is $6000, $3000 has been paid already, and the remaining $3000 will be paid over 2 rounds by September. I am asking for assistance in covering only part of these expenses. In addition to this is the cost of travel to BC three times, which will be at least $500-$600 per trip. My first round of travel is in just over two weeks. While this training is amazing, it is also very tricky to try and accommodate the cost while having a family/kids to support at the same time. And that’s not even mentioning the time that my family and support people will be offering in order to step up while I am away for those 3 full weeks – I have asked them to take on a lot!
Applications / future benefits to community
To date, I have offered workshops in the community about psychedelic psychotherapy and peer support as well as general offerings about personal wellness and self-exploration, and am very motivated to continue to do so on an ongoing basis, as this training will equip me with more information to share beyond. In regards to being able to offer therapy openly to the community, of course, until there is a shift in legal status, psychedelics are still controlled substances that cannot be administered unless this is done under approved clinical / research trials. However, what I am able to offer definitively is post-experience integration, whereby when someone has already had a psychedelic experience and they want to work on integrating and navigating the meaning of it in their life. This would be an expansion of the counselling work that I have already been doing. It is known that many people experience profound interactions when using psychedelics whether in recreational settings or in pursuit of spiritual journeys, and there is often little to no support after these experiences around how to contextualize and process what has happened. Thus, I will be offering post-experience integration therapy as part of my private practice work, as well as future workshops. The other area of application is around community advocacy, education, awareness and mentoring in working toward social change in understanding of these medicines. There is a lot of momentum in Alberta already where people are coming together to discuss psychedelics as tools for healing and talk about how to help support each other in escalating this work so it can become a viable option in medicine and therapy.
What else
I have felt very motivated as well as supported as I am stepping forward to do this work, and while it is challenging to ask for help, I am grateful to any assistance that people can offer, from friends who have stood beside me in my efforts, to my family who has and will continue to accommodate more of my commitment to this, and to anyone who graciously is able to put any financial support forward to help offset the costs of the training. While I am one individual in the community who is taking a very in-depth training opportunity, the implications for carrying this work forth are definitely linked to the community and its people. This is a social movement, and I invite you to be open and curious about it and think about how we can all contribute to supporting each other in personal growth and healing that will indeed create a giant ripple effect.
Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this, whether you are called to contribute to this campaign or not. If anyone wishes to connect with me further, I welcome any communications. In gratitude…~~Tarzie~~
Organizer
Tarzie McLean
Organizer
Calgary, AB