Ethics and Psychedelics: Ethical Issues in the Use of Psychedelic Medicines

Psychedelic-assisted therapy may represent an upcoming paradigm shift in the treatment of mental health problems as recent clinical trials have demonstrated strong evidence of their therapeutic benefits. This workshop will provide health care professionals an overview of the ethical issues involved in this new clinical area. While psychedelics are currently prohibited substances in most countries, the growing popularity of their therapeutic potential is leading many people to use psychedelics on their own rather than waiting for legal medical access. Therapists therefore have an ethical duty to meet this need by providing support for clients using psychedelics. However, incorporating psychedelics into traditional psychotherapy poses some risk given their prohibited status, and many therapists are unsure of how they might practice in this area. This workshop explicates such risks and describes ways in which therapists can mitigate them and strive to practice within legal and ethical boundaries. A harm reduction approach will be emphasized as a useful framework for conducting therapy around clients' use of psychedelics.

In this workshop, we will review the history of the use of psychedelics with an appreciation for their long-standing use by many indigenous cultures. Differences between the most common psychedelics will be explored as will their psychological and physical effects. The two major waves of psychedelic research will be summarized, with emphasis on more recent and rigorous clinical trials, particularly those using contextual behavioral approaches. In addition, The current legal status of psychedelics will be reviewed, including Oregon’s recent passing of an initiative to legalize psilocybin-assisted therapy. Finally, diversity issues around lack of access for under-served and non-majority populations will be explored. This workshop will emphasize the need to prioritize diversity and accessibility as psychedelic assisted psychotherapy becomes more widely available.

Though primarily didactic, this workshop will include experiential exercises and small group work to deepen their understanding of the issues related to psychedelics as a treatment tool.

• This activity is pending approval for social worker, psychologists and counselors. You must attend the course in its entirety in order to receive continuing education credits.

• CE credits are not given for the 15 min break.

After attending this training you will be able to:

• Identify and describe at least 3 harm reduction strategies related to the use of psychedelic medicines
• Describe at least 2 obstacles related to lack of access for underserved and non-majority populations
• Describe the safety and addiction potential of at least one psychedelic medicine (e.g., ketamine, psilocybin, MDMA) when administered by trained professionals

Instructor Bios

Temple Morris, LCSW-C, is a clinical social worker based in Bethesda, MD, specializing in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration therapy (HRIT). She is co-founder and trainer at Perspective Retreats, which offers professional training retreats integrating ACT with psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, and co-founder and therapist at True North Therapy & Training. Temple is MAPS-trained in psychedelic-assisted therapy and serves as a consultant therapist and clinical investigator at Sunstone Therapies in Rockville, MD, where she works on multiple psychedelic-assisted therapy trials.

Temple is engaged in the psychedelic therapy community through her work with the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS), where she serves on the board of the Psychedelic Special Interest Group (Psychedelic SIG) and co-facilitates both a monthly psychedelic HRIT peer consultation group and the monthly Psychedelic SIG member meeting. She is also a founding member of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy & Healing (PATH), a collective of local clinicians dedicated to providing training and education around legal psychedelic medicines and ensuring equitable access to ketamine-assisted therapy.

Miranda Morris, PhD, is a psychologist based in Bethesda, MD, and a Peer Reviewed ACT Trainer who conducts regular workshops in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and related therapies including Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) and Relational Frame Theory (RFT). She is co-founder and trainer at Perspective Retreats, which offers professional training retreats integrating ACT with psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, and co-founder of True North Therapy & Training, a group dedicated to sharing contextual behavioral therapies with clients, practitioners, and the broader community.  Additionally, Miranda is a founding member of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy & Healing (PATH), a collective of local clinicians dedicated to providing training and education around legal psychedelic medicines and ensuring equitable access to ketamine-assisted therapy.  She is active in the contextual behavioral science community and is a Past President of the Board of the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS). She is also a member of the Mid Atlantic Chapter of ACBS and their ACT Carolinas affiliate. 

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