Maybe You’ve Tried Other Approaches and Something Still Feels Stuck
Maybe you’re struggling with a depression that won’t fully lift, a grief that hasn’t moved, or a trauma that keeps pulling you back to the past. Or maybe you’re simply curious whether there’s a different kind of opening available to you. If so, psychedelic-assisted therapy may be worth exploring.
What Is Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy?
Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is different than simply taking psychedelics. PAT involves working with a licensed mental health professional specifically trained in PAT who can harness the unique properties of these substances to address mental health concerns, process past trauma, or help you translate profound experiences into lasting behavior change. Through structured, evidence-based psychotherapy sessions before, during, and after the psychedelic experience, your therapist provides the framework to make the most of the window these substances open.
Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy shows excellent promise for treating conditions like depression, anxiety, PTSD, and addiction.
A Three-Phase Treatment Process
PAT typically includes three phases:
- Preparation: The preparation phase helps you clarify intentions, learn skills, build a trusting relationship with your therapist, and understand what to expect during your session.
- Administration: The administration phase involves taking the psychedelic substance in a carefully controlled environment with trained clinicians who provide continuous support.
- Integration: The integration phase often extends over multiple sessions. This is really where lasting change happens. During integration, your therapist helps you make sense of the experience and translate insights into meaningful, sustained changes aligned with your personal goals and values.
Contact Us
How Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Works and Who It Can Help
At Portland Psychotherapy, our licensed therapists work with people who are considering psychedelics and want to explore whether they’re a good fit, those preparing for an upcoming experience, and those looking to integrate experiences they’ve already had. Many of our licensed therapists are also licensed psilocybin facilitators and practice within Oregon’s Psilocybin Services program. Our approach is grounded in evidence-based interventions and the latest scientific research on psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Understanding How the Treatment Works
This form of treatment works through several different pathways. Psychedelics may increase neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to form new neural connections both during and after the experience. This creates a window of opportunity where rigid thought patterns and behaviors become more flexible and open to change.
Our Process
Our approach at Portland Psychotherapy begins with a thorough evaluation of your situation, including biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors. We will discuss potential risks and benefits, provide information about other treatment options you could consider, and coordinate with your other medical or psychiatric providers to support safety and continuity of care.
If we agree that this treatment approach is appropriate, we can support you through every phase of the process. The psychedelic we work with is called psilocybin, the same substance that is in “magic mushroom.” We can recommend a psilocybin session facilitator who is a good fit for you or you might do the psilocybin session with your therapist, as many of our therapists are also licensed psilocybin facilitators.
After your psychedelic session, we provide structured integration sessions and, when helpful, ongoing psychotherapy. We help you process emotions, memories, and insights that emerge during and after the experience.
Services We Offer
People come to us interested in support around psychedelics for many reasons. Some are seeking relief from depression, anxiety, trauma, or addiction that hasn’t fully responded to other treatments. Others are navigating a major life transition, facing a serious illness, or searching for a deeper sense of meaning and connection.
We also offer psychedelic integration counseling and support to individuals who have already had psychedelic experiences and are looking for ways to make sense of those experiences or with help translating the insights they gained into lasting change.
Our Expertise in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
Portland Psychotherapy is uniquely positioned at the intersection of clinical practice and scientific research in psychedelic medicine. Our clinic’s innovative business model directs profits toward funding independent psychedelic research, which means our psychedelic therapists stay at the forefront of emerging science and best practices in this rapidly evolving field.
Portland Institute for Psychedelic Science
Portland Psychotherapy is home to PIPS, the Portland Institute for Psychedelic Science. PIPS is research center, clinic, and training institution centered around better understanding and refining the potential of psychedelic medicine. Our commitment to ongoing learning means we offer treatment informed by current understanding of how psychedelic psychotherapy works and how to maximize its benefits.
An ACT-Based Approach to Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
Our psychedelic clinical services and our psychedelic integration services are grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), an evidence-based approach that emphasizes mindfulness, acceptance, values clarification, and committed action. ACT aligns naturally with psychedelic therapy because both work to increase psychological flexibility—the ability to be present with difficult experiences while taking action aligned with what matters most to you.
During preparation sessions, we use ACT principles to help you clarify your values and intentions, develop mindfulness skills that will serve you during the psychedelic experience, and explore how you relate to difficult thoughts and emotions. In integration sessions, we help you translate psychedelic insights into concrete behavioral changes, work through any challenging material that emerged, and maintain the openness and flexibility that the psychedelic experience may have catalyzed.
Questions About Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy.
Isn't psychedelic therapy still illegal?
The legal landscape around psychedelic medicine is rapidly changing. While most psychedelics remain federally illegal, Oregon has legalized psilocybin services for adults over 21, making it one of the first states to offer legal access to psychedelic treatment outside of research settings.
We provide psychedelic support regardless of where you have your psychedelic experience, whether through legal Oregon psilocybin services, ketamine clinics, clinical trials, international retreats, or experiences in places where psychedelic substances are decriminalized. We also work with clients who are using psychedelics in underground contexts using a harm reduction approach.
We do NOT provide psychedelic substances, refer to unlicensed guides/facilitators, nor do we help clients access psychedelic substances except through the legal Oregon Psilocybin Services program.
How is this different from regular therapy?
This approach shares many elements with regular psychotherapy including the importance of building a trusting relationship, exploring your history and current challenges, developing coping strategies, and working toward meaningful change. The key difference is that this form of treatment is specifically designed to support the unique aspects of the psychedelic experience and help you maximize its therapeutic potential, all while promoting safe and responsible use.
Psychedelic experiences can produce rapid shifts in perspective, powerful emotional releases, and insights that might take months or years to access through traditional talk therapy alone. Our psychedelic therapists help you prepare for these potentially intense experiences, provide a framework for understanding what emerges, and support you in translating temporary shifts in consciousness into lasting changes in how you think, feel, and behave in daily life.
What if I'm just curious about psychedelic-assisted therapy but haven't decided if it's right for me?
That’s exactly where many people start, and we welcome those exploratory conversations. Psychedelic treatment isn’t appropriate for everyone, and part of our role is helping you make an informed decision about whether this approach aligns with your needs, values, and circumstances. Our licensed therapists will conduct a thorough psychological screening and will refer you to outside medical providers for potential additional screening if appropriate. We work as a team to consult when helpful so that you can get the best possible care. We can discuss your goals, review the latest research about potential benefits and risks, explore any contraindications based on your mental health history or medications, and consider alternative approaches that might also be helpful.
Will my insurance cover this?
This is a significant benefit of engaging in this treatment with a licensed mental health professional. In most cases, insurance will cover the psychotherapy we provide (assessment, preparation, integration, and ongoing therapy) when it is focused on a diagnosed mental health condition, for example depression, anxiety, or PTSD. Insurance does not currently cover psilocybin session itself. The cost for that administration session is typically paid directly to the facilitator and service center where the psilocybin session takes place. We can help you understand what parts of your care may be reimbursable.
Portland Psychotherapy
Begin Your Psychedelic Therapy Journey
If you’re considering psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy or have questions about whether psychedelic integration therapy might be helpful for you, we invite you to reach out. We offer free phone consultations where you can speak directly with one of our psychedelic therapists, ask questions about our approach, and learn more about how we might support you.
Contact Portland Psychotherapy at 503-281-4852 or use our confidential online contact form. We typically respond to all inquiries within 24 hours and serve clients both in-person in Portland and via telehealth throughout Oregon and Washington. We do NOT provide psychedelic substances except through the legal Oregon Psilocybin Services program.
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Our two locations are across the street from each other, please double-check your appointment location.
3700 N Williams Ave,
Portland, OR 97227
3719 N Williams Ave,
Portland, OR 97227