NAMI Ask the Expert: A Research Update on Psychedelic Mental Health Treatments OD021

An on-demand video and transcript of the presentation are available here [opens in new tab].

About The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. They are an alliance of more than 650 local Affiliates and 49 State organizations who work in your community to raise awareness and provide support and education to people with mental illness and their loved ones. Through awareness, advocacy and education, NAMI is committed to building stronger communities and a better future for everyone affected by mental illness.

Course Summary

Practice Level: Intermediate

This course, based on the Ask the Expert webinar series by NAMI, provides a comprehensive overview of current research on psychedelic mental health treatments, including MDMA, psilocybin, and ketamine. The presentation explores clinical findings, mechanisms of action, safety considerations, ethical issues, and the future of psychedelic-assisted therapies in psychiatric care.

The course, with an intended audience of social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and counselors, then highlights the clinical promise and cautions of these rapidly evolving interventions, offering evidence-based insights into their potential role in treatment-resistant conditions and trauma care.

Course Format

This course contains a participant guide, practice test, and on-demand video (with a transcript and slide deck of the presentation). When you’re ready, purchase the course by clicking the “Add To Cart” or “Enroll” button. This will let you take the test, complete the course evaluation and receive your certificate for CE credits.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the primary mechanisms and therapeutic targets of MDMA, psilocybin, and ketamine in mental health treatment.
2. Describe the clinical evidence, benefits, and limitations of psychedelic-assisted therapies for conditions such as PTSD and treatment-resistant depression.
3. Analyze the ethical, cultural, and safety considerations involved in psychedelic mental health research and clinical practice.

Course Syllabus

• Introduction to Psychedelic Treatments and Their Mechanisms
• MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD
• Psilocybin Research in Depression
• Ketamine Treatment and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
• Ethical, Cultural, and Clinical Considerations in Psychedelic Therapy

Current References

Aaronson, S. T., van der Vaart, A., Miller, T., LaPratt, J., Swartz, K., Shoultz, A., Lauterbach, M., Sackeim, H. A., & Suppes, T. (2024). Single-dose synthetic psilocybin with psychotherapy for treatment-resistant bipolar type II major depressive episodes: A nonrandomized open-label trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 81(6), 555–562. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.4685[opens in new tab]

Alnefeesi, Y., Chen-Li, D., Krane, E., Jawad, M. Y., Rodrigues, N. B., Ceban, F., Di Vincenzo, J. D., Meshkat, S., Ho, R. C. M., Gill, H., Teopiz, K. M., Cao, B., Lee, Y., McIntyre, R. S., & Rosenblat, J. D. (2022). Real-world effectiveness of ketamine in treatment-resistant depression: A systematic review & meta-analysis. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 151, 693–709. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.04.037[opens in new tab]

aan het Rot, M., Collins, K. A., Murrough, J. W., Perez, A. M., Reich, D. L., Charney, D. S., & Mathew, S. J. (2010). Safety and efficacy of repeated-dose intravenous ketamine for treatment-resistant depression. Biological Psychiatry, 67(2), 139–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2009.08.038[opens in new tab]

Bhatt, K. V., Compton, J. N., Ellerman, E., Mishra, J., Perivoliotis, D., Pittman, J., Ramanathan, D., & Bismark, A. (2025). Ketamine-occasioned mystical experience in veterans with treatment-resistant depression: A retrospective exploratory analysis. Psychedelic Medicine, 3(3), 136–145. https://doi.org/10.1089/psymed.2024.0040[opens in new tab]

Carhart-Harris, R. L., Giribaldi, B., Watts, R., Baker-Jones, M., Murphy-Beiner, A., Murphy, R., Martell, J., Blemings, A., Erritzoe, D., & Nutt, D. J. (2021). Trial of psilocybin versus escitalopram for depression. The New England Journal of Medicine, 384(15), 1402–1411. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2032994[opens in new tab]

Colcott, J., Guerin, A. A., Carter, O., Meikle, S., & Bedi, G. (2024). Side-effects of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuropsychopharmacology, 49(8), 1208–1226. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-024-01865-8[opens in new tab]

Danforth, A. L., Grob, C.S., Struble, C., Feduccia, A. A., Walker, N., Jerome, L., Yazar-Klosinski, B., & Emerson, A. (2018). Reduction in social anxiety after MDMA-assisted psychotherapy with autistic adults: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study. Psychopharmacology, 235, 3137–3148. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-018-5010-9[opens in new tab]

Dore, J., Turnipseed, B., Dwyer, S., Turnipseed, A., Andries, J., Ascani, G., Monnette, C., Huidekoper, A., Strauss, N., & Wolfson, P. (2019). Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP): Patient demographics, clinical data and outcomes in three large practices administering ketamine with psychotherapy. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 51(2), 189–198. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2019.1587556[opens in new tab]

Drozdz, S. J., Goel, A., McGarr, M. W., Katz, J., Ritvo, P., Mattina, G. F., Bhat, V., Diep, C., & Ladha, K. S. (2022). Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy: A systematic narrative review of the literature. Journal of Pain Research, 15, 1691–1706. https://doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S360733[opens in new tab]

Goodwin, G. M., Aaronson, S. T., Alvarez, O., Arden, P. C., Baker, A., Bennett, J. C., Bird, C., Blom, R. E., Brennan, C., Brusch, D., Burke, L., Campbell-Coker, K., Carhart-Harris, R., Cattell, J., Daniel, A., DeBattista, C., Dunlop, B. W., Eisen, K., Feifel, D., … & Malievskaia, E. (2022). Single-dose psilocybin for a treatment-resistant episode of major depression. The New England Journal of Medicine, 387(18), 1637–1648. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2206443[opens in new tab]

Gorman, I., Belser, A. B., Jerome, L., Hennigan, C., Shechet, B., Hamilton, S., Yazar-Klosinski, B., Emerson, A., & Feduccia, A. A. (2020). Posttraumatic growth after MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 33(2), 161–170. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22479[opens in new tab]

Kelmendi, B., Kichuk, S. A., DePalmer, G., Maloney, G., Ching, T. H. W., Belser, A., & Pittenger, C. (2022). Single-dose psilocybin for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder: A case report. Heliyon, 8(12), e12135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12135[opens in new tab]

Kew, B. M., Porter, R. J., Douglas, K. M., Glue, P., Mentzel, C. L., & Beaglehole, B. (2023). Ketamine and psychotherapy for the treatment of psychiatric disorders: Systematic review. BJPsych Open, 9(3), e79. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2023.53[opens in new tab]

Mithoefer, M. C., Mithoefer, A. T., Feduccia, A. A., Jerome, L., Wagner, M., Wymer, J., Holland, J., Hamilton, S., Yazar-Klosinski, B., Emerson, A., & Doblin, R. (2018). 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder in military veterans, firefighters, and police officers: A randomised, double-blind, dose-response, phase 2 clinical trial. The Lancet Psychiatry, 5(6), 486–497. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30135-4[opens in new tab]

Mitchell, J. M., Bogenschutz, M., Lilienstein, A., Harrison, C., Kleiman, S., Parker-Guilbert, K., Ot’alora G., M., Garas, W., Paleos, C., Gorman, I., Nicholas, C., Mithoefer, M., Carlin, S., Poulter, B., Mithoefer, A., Quevedo, S., Wells, G., Klaire, S. S., van der Kolk, B., … Doblin, R. (2021). MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study. Nature Medicine, 27(6), 1025–1033. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-021-01336-3[opens in new tab]

Mitchell, J. M., Ot’alora G., M., van der Kolk, B., Shannon, S., Bogenschutz, M., Gelfand, Y., Paleos, C., Nicholas, C. R., Quevedo, S., Balliett, B., Hamilton, S., Mithoefer, M., Kleiman, S., Parker-Guilbert, K., Tzarfaty, K., Harrison, C., de Boer, A., Doblin, R., & Yazar-Klosinski, B. (2023). MDMA-assisted therapy for moderate to severe PTSD: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study. Nature Medicine, 29(10), 2473–2480. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02565-4[opens in new tab]

Murrough, J. W., Iosifescu, D. V., Chang, L. C., Al Jurdi, R. K., Green, C. E., Perez, A. M., Iqbal, S., Pillemer, S., Foulkes, A., Shah, A., Charney, D. S., & Mathew, S. J. (2013). Antidepressant efficacy of ketamine in treatment-resistant major depression: A two-site randomized controlled trial. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 170(10), 1134–1142. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.13030392[opens in new tab]

Roscoe, J., & Lozy, O. (2022). Can psilocybin be safely administered under medical supervision? A systematic review of adverse event reporting in clinical trials. Drug Science, Policy and Law, 8, 20503245221085222. https://doi.org/10.1177/20503245221085222[opens in new tab]

Shiroma, P. R., Johns, B., Kuskowski, M., Wels, J., Thuras, P., Albott, C. S., & Lim, K.O. (2014). Augmentation of response and remission to serial intravenous subanesthetic ketamine in treatment-resistant depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 155, 123–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2013.10.036[opens in new tab]

Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (2004). Posttraumatic growth: Conceptual foundations and empirical evidence. Psychological Inquiry, 15(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1501_01[opens in new tab]

Treichler, E. B. H., McBride, L. E., Gomez, E., Jain, J., Seaton, S., Yu, K. E., Oakes, D., Perivoliotis, D., Girard, V., Reznik, S., Salyers, M. P., Thomas, M. L., Spaulding, W. D., Granholm, E. L., Rabin, B. A., & Light, G. A. (2024). Enhancing patient-clinician collaboration during treatment decision-making: Study protocol for a community-engaged, mixed method hybrid type 1 trial of collaborative decision skills training (CDST) for veterans with psychosis. Trials, 25(1), 363. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-024-08127-4[opens in new tab]

Wilkinson, S. T., Ballard, E. D., Bloch, M. H., Mathew, S. J., Murrough, J. W., Feder, A., Sos, P., Wang, G., Zarate Jr., C. A., & Sanacora, G. (2017). The effect of a single dose of intravenous ketamine on suicidal ideation: A systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 175(2), 150–158. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.17040472[opens in new tab]

Wilkinson, S. T., Rhee, T. G., Joormann, J., Webler, R., Ortiz Lopez, M., Kitay, B., Fasula, M., Elder, C., Fenton, L., & Sanacora, G. (2021). Cognitive behavioral therapy to sustain the antidepressant effects of ketamine in treatment-resistant depression: A randomized clinical trial. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 90(5), 318–327. https://doi.org/10.1159/000517074[opens in new tab]

Instructors

Dimitri Perivoliotis, Ph.D. Psychologist, VA San Diego Healthcare System – Neuromodulation Program Clinical Professor, UCSD School of Medicine Dept. of Psychiatry

Dr. Perivoliotis focuses on developing innovative applications of evidence-based psychotherapy for improving functioning and quality of life in people with serious mental illness (SMI). He currently is a staff psychologist at the VA San Diego Healthcare System and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the UCSD School of Medicine. His primary research and clinical interest is psychedelic-assisted therapy. He oversees the design and implementation of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and other psychotherapeutic services at the VA San Diego Neuromodulation Program, a recovery-oriented clinic for Veterans with treatment-resistant depression and PTSD. Dr. Perivoliotis is a co-investigator and study therapist on a pilot study of MDMA-assisted brief cognitive behavioral conjoint therapy for Veterans with PTSD and their partners, the first of its kind at the VA San Diego (principal investigator: Dr. Leslie Morland). Previously, he served as Lead US Adherence Rater for the Lykos Therapeutics (formerly Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) Public Benefit Corporation) Phase III clinical trials of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. He also managed an award-winning psychosis clinic and psychosis training program at the VA San Diego. Along with Dr. Aaron T. Beck and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania, he co-developed a promising new approach to cognitive therapy for promoting recovery in people with SMI and co-authored the book, Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy for Serious Mental Health Conditions.

Nicole Errickson, LCSW

Nicole is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the state of Georgia. She brings over 19 years experience in the social work field, primarily working in school systems as a school social worker and with the McKinney-Vento grant. Over her career, Nicole has had several opportunities to help develop and execute professional development events. Nicole has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of South Alabama and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Alabama.

Accreditation Approval Statements

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CE4Less.com, provider #1115, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 8/8/24-8/8/27.

Social workers completing this course receive 1 clinical continuing education credits.

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