Launch a Nonprofit Psychedelic Training Program
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I’m Greg Robillard, LMFT, and I am asking you to help me build the Synaptic Institute, a non-profit psychedelic training program. In the coming year, we plan to provide facilitator training for psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy.
You mean magic mushrooms?
That’s right. Oregon is the first state to make this treatment available, with Washington and Colorado coming soon.
Clinical trials at top research institutions like Johns Hopkins and NYU have shown psilocybin assists with treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, smoking cessation, and end-of-life anxiety. The FDA has authorized the use of psilocybin as a breakthrough treatment for a variety of mental health conditions.
There are links below to some of the clinical applications of this vital medicine.
“Most health care providers learned nothing about psychedelics in their training, so in order to ensure that psychedelic medicines are accessible by everyone who can benefit from them, the doctors, therapists, and other clinicians that patients go to seek help need to be well-informed about these therapies so that they can share that information with their patients.”
— Dr. Lynn-Marie Morski, M.D, Business Insider
I’ve seen this work myself.
In my work as a trauma therapist, I have seen the benefit of psychedelics firsthand. My clients who have worked with psilocybin and other psychedelics have seen a reduction in depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and PTSD symptoms.
I’ve done my own training as a facilitator, and it’s helped me become a more compassionate caregiver.
Why a non-profit?
To provide effective and safe psychedelic care, Oregon requires students to have over 140 hours of instruction, including 40 hours of supervised practicum. Training is expensive.
The Synaptic Institute is committed to keeping costs down for training as well as treatment, and we will continue to raise funds to subsidize training costs and offer scholarships.
What have you done so far?
- Dr. Matthew Hicks, ND, our Executive Director, has provided ketamine-assisted psychotherapy at his clinic in Portland since 2020.
- We have created a Board of Directors and identified teaching staff which is multiracial, international, identifies as LGBTQIA, and includes therapists, naturopathic and allopathic doctors, and psychologists.
- We are a registered nonprofit organization in the state of Oregon, and waiting to hear from the IRS about our 501(c)(3) status.
- Since 2020, Synaptic has offered a journal club, which enables health care professionals to network, share ideas, and learn from each other about the latest in psychedelic medicine.
Most importantly, this summer Oregon approved our training curriculum.
What’s the money for?
- Legal and business startup costs
- Audiovisual equipment for distance learning
- What the HECC? Since we are offering an official license to Oregon’s psilocybin facilitators, we need to be accredited by the state’s Higher Education Coordination Commission (yes, it really is HECC). This application alone will cost $7500, and without it, we cannot move forward.
On a personal note, like so many people, I have lost friends and family, including my father, to struggles with addiction and mental illness. Everyone deserves to feel better, and we need to use any and all tools that can promote healing. Please help however you can.
Gratefully,
Greg Robillard, MA, LMFT
Board Secretary, Synaptic Institute
6536 SE Duke St. Suite 7
Portland, OR 97206
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Greg Robillard
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Portland, OR