Fundamentals of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

Heidi Allen, MSW, PhD, is an Associate Professor at Columbia University in the School of Social Work and Mailman School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Management. She has a certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research from the California Institute of Integral Studies (2023) and completed the MDMA Therapy Training Program offered by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) in 2022. In partnership with faculty from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Dr. Allen developed model curriculum for social work and nursing students in psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT). In 2024, Dr. Allen launched the Columbia Psychedelic Therapy Training Program (PTTP), a within-degree training program for advanced clinical social work students that includes 120 hours of classroom instruction and a 600-hour practicum in PAT. Dr. Allen also serves on the Clinical Advisory Board at the Usona Institute, which is in Phase 3 clinical trials of psilocybin for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). 

Dr. Allen was a speaker at Horizons New York, and Psychedelic Science 2023. She studies access and affordability of health care in America, particularly for under-served populations. Her research has been published in prestigious journals such as Science, New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA and Health Affairs. Dr. Allen is a Commissioner on the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, a non-partisan government agency that advises Congress and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on issues related to Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.

Brooke Stott, LMSW is the Program Manager of the Psychedelic Therapy Training Program and an adjunct instructor at the Columbia School of Social Work, where she has worked to develop the first within-degree comprehensive psychedelic-assisted therapy training certificate program. She has also worked as a psychotherapist in MA and NY, with a focus on trauma, attachment, and shame, offering individual and group ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) for gender and sexuality expansive adults, and as a study therapist and co-investigator with the Flourish Research Collaborative, focusing on group KAP with trans and gender-expansive adults. 

Prior to coming to NY, she was the Project Manager, Community Partnerships Lead, and a Psychotherapist at Transhealth, an integrated healthcare center serving transgender, gender-expansive community members. Brooke has comprehensive certificates in Trauma Therapy and Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy, as well as specialized training in EMDR, MDMA-Assisted Therapy, and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy.

Dr. Keith Heinzerling practices internal medicine and is an addiction medicine specialist at the Pacific Brain Health Center, Pacific Neuroscience Institute. His clinical and research focuses are on the treatment of alcohol, drug and substance use problems, with anti-addiction medications. As director of the Pacific Treatment & Research In Psychedelics (TRIP) Center, he is involved in the development of psychedelic-assisted therapies for those suffering with addiction, depression, anxiety, and PTSD. He is the principal investigator of clinical trials using psychedelic-assisted therapy tackling conditions including alcohol use disorder and major depression. 

Dr. Heinzerling is a trained psychedelic guide and holds a Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research (CPTR) from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). Dr. Heinzerling is a nationally recognized expert in Addiction Medicine with numerous research papers, presentations, and trainees to his credit. Working on new treatments and innovations that give patients hope that they can get better is what he loves most about practicing medicine. Prior to joining PNI, Dr. Heinzerling was is an Associate Professor in the UCLA Department of Family Medicine. He was a founding member of the UCLA Comprehensive Chronic Pain Integrated Practice Unit and is founder of BDH Pharmaceuticals, LLC.

Karina is a licensed psychotherapist, educator, and researcher. For over 18 years she has provided psychotherapy to individuals, couples, and families in a variety of settings including hospital, university, non-profit, private practice, and clinical research. She has completed extensive training in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies including the CIIS Certificate in Psychedelic Assisted Therapies and Research, as well as training from MAPS (MDMA), Ketamine Training Center and Polaris Insight Center (ketamine), Usona Institute (psilocybin), MindMed (LSD), and Fluence (5-MEO-DMT). Karina was chosen to participate in the first of their kind clinical trainings combining Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy and Psychedelic Psychotherapy. 

Karina is Senior Clinical Program Psychotherapist and Advisor at Pacific Neuroscience Institute where she facilitates psychedelic medicine sessions using Psilocybin, LSD, Ketamine and 5-MEO-DMT. Karina trains and supervises therapists delivering Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy in clinic settings. Karina works with the California Institute of Integral Studies and Beckley Academy to instruct the next generation of psychedelic-assisted facilitators in the foundations of safe, effective, and ethical care. She has a dedicated interest in Afro-Syncretic and Latin American indigenous and ceremonial healing practices involving ayahuasca and psilocybin as spiritual sacraments. Karina maintains a private practice in Los Angeles focused on treating depression, anxiety, codependency, intergenerational and religious trauma.

Joseph McCowan PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, working in Los Angeles as a Therapist and Supervisor in the MAPS sponsored Phase 3 clinical trials of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD. Joseph supports the MAPS MDMA Therapy Training Program as a training assistant, and supported efforts toward increasing the diversity of therapists and participants in the MAPS clinical trials as part of the MAPS Diversity Working Group. Additionally, Joseph practices at the California Center for Psychedelic Therapy where he provides Ketamine-Assisted Therapy and Psychedelic Integration Therapy. 

Along with his training in MDMA-Assisted Therapy and Ketamine-Assisted Therapy, Joseph is trained in multiple psychedelic assisted therapy approaches including Psilocybin- Assisted Therapy for Depression (COMPASS Pathways) and 5-MEO-DMT-Assisted Therapy for Depression (Beckley PsyTech). Joseph is deeply passionate about furthering education and awareness of the healing benefits of psychedelics for communities of color and in working to improve mental health outcomes for historically underserved communities. Joseph received his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his doctorate in clinical psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

Mia Sarno, who also goes by Dr. Mimi, is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist working in Los Angeles and San Diego. They are a queer, pansexual, and gender fluid and use she/they pronouns. Live music, dance, cooking, art, and self-expression through fashion are things that bring them joy. As a therapist, they are warm, compassionate and authentic. They appreciate the multiple layers of existence we all experience, including our minds, physical bodies, energy bodies, cultural contexts, and systemic contexts. 

They honor their client's unique identities and potential to achieve personal fulfillment, however that may look. They specialize in psychedelic therapy & research; however, they also offer traditional therapy services. They work most often with clients navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, chronic illness, relationship difficulties, and life transitions. As a queer person themself, they happily provide services to others with queer and gender expansive identities.