Ketamine-assisted Therapy

The discovery call determines an individual’s inclusion in ketamine-assisted therapy. Each client is required to complete a comprehensive medical and psychiatric intake package. This package includes individual demographics, medical assessment forms, and consent to share information.

Our RN will lead each client through a one-on-one virtual “Discovery Call.” The client and clinician will establish rapport and ensure all the information is identified to complete a baseline medical and mental health assessment. The client will be asked to complete appropriate mental health psychometric assessment tools and have an opportunity to ask questions about the program. Our clinical team utilizes their knowledge and expertise to gather assessment information and provide a summary for our psychiatrist’s review. 

Our psychiatrist reviews the client’s medical information and the psychometric assessment scores and will meet with the client to complete a comprehensive assessment. Our psychiatrist and the client will mutually determine if KaT is an appropriate option for their condition.  

The Intention setting session is integral to the healing process of KaT and is often called the “set.” This is an opportunity for our clients to begin a relationship with our psychologists and explore what they hope to achieve with KaT. Our psychologist will provide the client with what to expect from KaT, support them in establishing their intention and work with them to identify their healing goals. This same psychologist will support the client’s integration sessions throughout the program. 

“Holding space” or creating the “setting” for the client undergoing KaT is essential. To ensure client safety, it is a requirement for a client to identify a “designated support” person who will escort the client to and from their ketamine treatment sessions each week.

The ketamine therapy sessions last approximately 2 1/2 hours to 3 hours, and during these sessions, the RN will administer intramuscular ketamine and closely monitor for any side effects. The RN may be accompanied by another non-clinical team member who will assist in a support role to meet the client’s personal needs as they arise. At the end of each session, there will be a short debrief with the client, which is a critical component to bridge into the integration phase of the program. 

The psychologist will meet with the client weekly to support the integration of their ketamine sessions. The optimal schedule for focused integration discussions is 48-72 hours (about three days) after the client’s ketamine therapy. We have taken this approach to provide the client time to process the experience by allowing for self-reflection and journaling of their initial reactions and feelings.

During the one-on-one integration session, the psychologist and client will collaboratively explore the experience to respond to the therapeutic narrative. The integration session will focus on varied approaches to assist the client in sharing their insight from the ketamine session as they start to process and reflect on their experience. 

The Psychiatrist, Psychologist and Registered Nurse will meet weekly to discuss dosing adjustments. The initial ketamine dose prescribed by the psychiatrist is based on the client’s age, weight, and the in-depth medical assessment completed prior to approving or beginning treatment. The doses will be reviewed as required and, if needed, they are adjusted on a weekly basis.

Each client is unique in how they metabolize the medicine, and some individuals may require incremental increases in their doses throughout the KaT program to achieve the desired effect. Observations from the ketamine sessions (including physical, verbal, and emotional factors) and feedback from the Integration sessions will be considered at each dosing round to achieve optimum results for the client. 

Depending on everyone’s treatment path, the 4-6 week cycle of ketamine treatment followed by focused integration work may require maintenance. Maintenance depends on the client’s needs, healing goals and commitment ability, so maintenance schedules are assessed individually. We will meet with the clients one month following the end of their program to review their progress and provide an overview of our maintenance program.