Highlights from our Training Programme Q&A Event
Clerkenwell Health is launching two brand new Psychedelic Practitioner Training Programmes. On April 19th, we held a live Q&A event featuring our Clinical Director Dr. Iain Jordan, during which we gave the opportunity for you to ask questions about our courses.
The following is a summary of the event, along with answers to all relevant questions asked throughout the session, covering topics such as gaps in existing training, admission criteria, course content, and future prospects of the learners.
Section 1: Background
Why did we decide to offer our Training Programmes?
We recognized a number of gaps in existing training programmes
A lack of foundational and transdiagnostic training
Tailoring to other healthcare professionals in addition to therapists. With our Foundations Programme, we aim to include all healthcare professionals, regardless of their role in therapy. Our upcoming Certificate program will cater specifically to healthcare professionals delivering therapy.
Not enough of emphasis on risks and ethical issues associated with psychedelics. As potential medical treatments, it's crucial to assess and mitigate these risks. We take a scientific approach, examining evidence, mechanisms of action, and psychotherapeutic processes to ensure a balanced understanding of both risks and benefits.
Our unique approach involves revisiting the basics of mental disorders and scientific thinking about their origins and treatment. We've assembled a team of leading scientists and clinicians from around the world who share our vision and are committed to advancing psychedelic-assisted therapies.
Section 2: Admission
Is the Foundations Programme a prerequisite of the Certificate Programme?
Yes. The Foundations Programme serves as the entry point into the Certificate Programme.
Is there a cut-off date for when someone can join this course and for when it must be completed?
There is no cut-off date for the course. We will launch on the 27th of May, and all content will be available online from that date. The course is bout 30 hours of self-directed teaching so some people might select to do that very quickly, while some may choose to complete it over a period of weeks and months.
Are newly qualified CBT therapists eligible for the Certificate Programme?
Yes, anybody delivering therapy, or anybody trained to deliver therapy is eligible. We are less concerned about years of experience or number of qualifications, and more concerned about the skill of the therapist, which will be assessed as part of the admission criteria.
Section 3: Content
Our Lecturers
Our lecturers are listed on the bottom of this page.
Do you go beyond the medical model of mental health or the medical model for psychedelic access?
Our curriculum is pluralistic and transdiagnostic. We take a view of mental health and mental ill-health which draws on evidence from psychology, sociology, public health, and medicine.
We will also have lectures on alternative access models for psychedelics. Psychedelic-assisted therapy is very expensive and the people who need it most may be least likely to access it once it is a legal medical treatment. Therefore, we are very interested in ways of getting the treatment to people, including medical settings, non-medical settings, and group settings.
What compounds will the Foundations Programme discuss?
We will have a focus on classic psychedelics and related compounds, in particular ‘empathogens’ such as MDMA and methylone. We will also mention ketamine-assisted therapy, but with less of a focus. We will focus on compounds which have been the most researched in the context of therapy.
How does online community learning get facilitated?
In the Foundations Programme, we are currently designing the community component to make sure that learners have a place for discuss what's happening on the course, can give us feedback directly, and exchange ideas. We will also facilitate the possibility for learners to stay in touch with people who have done the course.
In the Certificate Programme, we will offer in-person sessions, online one-to-ones, group sessions, etc.
Does the course include written assignments that are marked?
The Foundations Programme will not include written assignments. The ongoing assessment and final exam will be a multiple-choice test. Learners who do not wish to take the assignments can choose to receive a Certificate of Completion, while those who pass will additionally receive a Certificate of Passing.
Will the foundation course account for CPD hours?
While we are not a course accredited by CPD, you will be able to claim professional CPD credits after completing the course.
Is the Foundations Programme taught live?
The Foundations Course is taught fully online, asynchronously, using pre-recorded talks, lectures, and interviews. The Learning Journey also incorporates reflective questions and multiple-choice questions and exercises.
How focused will the course be on other countries?
The course draws on research from around the world. We do have some talks that refer to specific jurisdictions such as the emerging Australian model or the regulations in Switzerland and Canada and the work they're doing there. However, there is nothing about the academic scientific content that is location specific.
Section 4: Why take the programme?
Will this qualification be useful for working at a psychedelic-assisted therapist?
None of these medications are currently legal in the UK, other than ketamine, which we don’t have a big focus on. We cannot make a promise to people that they will be able to be psychedelic-assisted therapists at the end in the UK. In a research context such as the clinical trials we run at Clerkenwell Health; this training will set people up very comprehensively with the required knowledge.
We are working with a number of different bodies to think about what that accreditation pathway will look like. Hopefully, in a year’s time, we hope to have more clarity on this.
What are the benefits of completing the Foundations Programme for participants who are not delivering therapy and will not complete the Certificate Programme?
The Foundations Programme takes a cutting-edge approach to the science of mental ill-health and treatment, what the future of treatments generally looks like, and how do psychedelics fit into that. This broad-based in unusual as there is a lot of confident but unfounded assertion about how psychedelic work and how well they work, which are not backed up by the evidence. In short, it is one of the few places where you can get a really clear, sober, and realistic view of what the evidence is and what the issues are with the with the evidence base.
Section 5: Certificate Programme
Will the course be held outside of London at any point?
The Foundations Programme will be fully online. As for the Certificate Programme, although it will primarily be online as well, we may move the in-person session locations around.
When will the Certificate Programme be released?
We do not have an exact date yet but it will be around the end of 2024.
What will be the price of the Certificate Programme?
Between 2 000 and 3 000 GBP, including 100 hours of teaching and in-person supervision.
How do Clerkenwell Health’s Certificate Programme compare to the Psychedelic’s course at Exeter University?
Exeter’s course is more philosophical than practical and clinical/evidence based. The decision depends on what a learner’s needs are.
Does the Certificate Programme include case studies?
The course will include simulated cases, but the vast majority of people won't have access to people undergoing psychedelic assisted therapy, so they won't need to have practical cases from that point of view.
During the Certificate Programme, where will the in-person intensives take place? How long are they?
We aim to make the Certificate Programme possible to do online, while still including in-person intensives for those who are willing and able to travel to the location. Unfortunately, we do not have a set location yet. We are going to announce more details after the Foundations Programme launches.
In the Certificate Programme, what will the in-person sessions consist of?
The Certificate Programme will include group disucssion, simulated cases, and some supervision of cases.
Will there be options to participate in research via the course?
Learners who complete the Certificate Programme will be very well placed to deliver therapy on our trials, especially since we would know them well by then. However, we are unable to guarantee a position on our trials.
We do aim to scale our operations and open more sites, for which we will require more therapists.
Will there be an installment option for payment in the Certificate Programme?
Yes.
Section 6: General PAT & Clinical Trials Questions
What are the practicalities of working as a therapist on a clinical trial?
It very much varies. We have therapists working full-time on several trials, and some just one day a week. They typically tell us when they’re available, and we call them when we have someone suitable for them.
Each trial has different requirements for how much therapist time there is. So, we have 6 trials at the moment using various compounds, and all the therapy components of those studies all look very different.
Typically, a therapist is assigned to a participant and meets them for an hour somewhere between one and three weeks prior to dosing sessions, and the dosing sessions themselves can range anywhere from four to six hours.
When might it become legal to offer these treatments outside of research settings?
We really are in the very early days of knowing what this is going to look like in 5-10 years, and it is likely to continually evolve as we go.
At the end of this year, the FDA is likely to come back with an initial view on licensing of MDMA for PTSD based on the phase III trials that were run by MAPS. Depending on the outcome of that, there may then be a fast track for that to happen in the UK as well. If everything's very straightforward, it could happen as early as early 2025. The complicating factor is that the FDA has never regulated therapy before, so it depends on how prescriptive they will be about what the therapy component is.
For psilocybin, it may take longer before there is sufficient evidence from Phase III trials for licensing bodies to approve this substance.
Currently, the only place where these medications can be delivered in the UK is in research studies.
In what locations are psychedelic trials currently taking place?
The there are a few places around Ireland and the UK at the moment conducting psychedelic trials and psychedelic assisted therapy trials, such as Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, Manchester and a few places in London.
Do you have any trials expected to take place within the NHS or in Scotland?
We personally do not because our site is based in London, but there are psychedelic trials going on within both within the NHS and Glasgow.
Will there be opportunities in the future for psychedelic-assisted therapy and end of life support?
Yes. End-of-life care is a great setting for these types of treatments, where one needs dramatic and fast responses, and there is some evidence for effectiveness.
Do Clerkenwell Health’s trials back up the notion of the positive impacts of utilizing training therapists?
To be able to answer this question, we must conduct a study comparing psychedelic-assisted therapy with just psychedelics and compare trained therapists with less trained people. Until then, we can make assumptions but cannot say anything for certain.
There are plenty of anecdotes of people having extended difficulties and other harmful or challenging experiences so until we have better evidence the safest option is to have comprehensive care from trained professionals.
What types of therapists are most sought after for current trials?
It depends on the study. For some, there is no preference at all, while others have specific requirements. For example, we are running a trial on Alcohol Use Disorder and 5-MeO-DMT, which uses motivational interviewing and CBT. We also have an ACT study coming up in the future, for which we would prefer therapists who have trained in ACT.
How is data in clinical trials collected?
Every time we speak to a participant, which is dozens of times over the course of the trial, we collect data, including structured interviews, adverse events, and safety checklists. We also document all their concerns, and participants can phone us at any time to provide us with information, which again gets documented.
Do you have to complete the course to apply for a role at Clerkenwell Health?
No, you will not need to have completed the course, but people who have done the course will be people we already know which may be advantageous.
What are the recruitment targets for Clerkenwell Health’s trials?
Recruitment goals depend on the study in question and for our site range between 2 to 40.
Does one need a work permit for the UK to participate in the trials after the training?
Yes, anybody working in the UK would need to have a work permit to work. We sponsor visas for permanent members of staff; however, most of our therapists are contractors, meaning they would need a work permit.
Where does Clerkenwell advertise job postings for therapists?
You can find the job listings in our newsletter, website, Linkedin, Instagram, and several job boards.
What is the current view within the NHS about psychedelic assisted therapy?
The views largely vary, with some people seeing potential and some exhibiting great skepticism.
How much therapy does Clerkenwell Health offer in its trials?
This can range from a few short sessions weekly, or long six-hour therapy sessions once a week. It can amount to over 40 hours; however, some are briefer interventions.
Got further questions?
Contact us via our Contact Form or on training@clerkenwellhealth.com.
