Those who feel called to become psychedelic guides and are ready for a committed, multi-year path. The program moves through three phases of one continuous arc: Groundwork Theory, Groundwork Practice, and the Apprenticeship. You apply once, to the program as a whole. There are no degree or professional license requirements, and you don’t need to be certain of your destination to begin exploring; Gather Seeds and Gather More are open to everyone.

Psychedelic-assisted therapy, or PAT, is a widely used term to describe psychedelics used in a therapeutic framework. It is an approach to healing that combines traditional therapeutic modalities with the use of psychedelic substances. Psychedelics alter our brain chemistry in such a way that they help reveal, amplify, or deconstruct unconscious perceptions, patterns, and behaviors and reveal one’s inherent goodness or essential self, ultimately providing a sense of belonging and wholeness.

At GatherWell we prefer the terms “psychedelic healing modalities” or “psychedelic care,” as they are more inclusive of practices with psychedelics that do not ascribe to a psychotherapeutic framework or psychologized lens of self, other, and the collective. Here at GatherWell we synthesize trauma-informed counseling frameworks and ceremonial practices, approaching these practices with reverence and a goal toward healing, balance, and wholeness. For further explanation read HERE.

GatherWell provides education for those seeking to become psychedelic guides. For more details about training, visit our Programs page HERE.

Becoming a psychedelic guide takes more than a certificate. It asks for education, supervised practice, mentorship, and time. GatherWell’s psychedelic guide training is the GatherWell Psychedelic Guide Program, a 2.5 to 3 year apprenticeship pathway covering theory, embodied practice, and ceremony under the mentorship of senior guides. Unlike short psychedelic facilitator training or coach certification courses, the program is designed to form the whole practitioner. If you feel called to this work, Gather Seeds is a free place to begin, and applications to the program open through the waitlist.

The GatherWell Psychedelic Guide Program evaluates your learning and development throughout, and indicates where you may benefit from further support or skill development. At the completion of the program, graduates can engage in further evaluation to become a Certified Gather Well Guide.

Our aim is for our trained guides to meet the requirements of the developing field. The program is designed to satisfy state psychedelic practitioner training requirements, including the curriculum requirements laid out by the state of Oregon, and we will align our practices as closely as possible with the standards of future certification boards and professional associations.

• Collaborative leadership 
• Women-led
• Queer-led
• Group-work format
• Emphasis on systems awareness/systems change 
• Cultural sensitivity / identity awareness 
• Experiential learning
• Apprenticeship model
• Emphasis on Psilocybin mushrooms
• Backed by an Ethics Infrastructure
• Tiered tuition model
• Indigenous practice informed, non-clinical framework
• Not-for-profit organization

Program tuition uses contribution levels (Lower, Standard, and Increased) so that tuition is proportional to one’s means. This helps address inclusivity in relation to socioeconomic position. Some of our programming will offer affinity groups for periods of time for intentional growth work on identity.

• Less emphasis on individual healing, more emphasis on systemic forces that impact the individual
• Less emphasis on the clinical, illness-based perspective, more emphasis on Indigenous frameworks and belief on the individual as already whole
• A focus on community health and healing and a collective social/cultural lens
• A focus on group-format psychedelic sessions
• An Apprenticeship-based, experiential learning model
• Ethics Infrastructure supports students throughout the program and after 
• An inclusive tuition model – those who have more, pay more, those who have less, pay less
• The program is designed to be slower, comprehensive and personally transformative

Both! GatherWell is a hybrid model, offering students from all over an opportunity to engage in our programs, with group work experientials in location-based cohorts.

While no one can guarantee absolute safety with any modality of healing, psychedelic therapies, when used skillfully, are relatively safe. This, of course, depends on the self-awareness, training, and skill of the practitioner and a thorough mental and physical health assessment of the client. 

Safety in these practices is paramount to what we teach at Gather Well. We emphasize screening and enhanced informed-consent practices. We have also developed a comprehensive Ethics Infrastructure that offers support, mentorship and accountability throughout one’s journey as a practitioner.

The GatherWell Psychedelic Guide Program is becomes gradually more in depth. The first phase is Groundwork Theory, costing $1,000. From there cost is proportional to the depth and personalized learning offered. Tuition is on a sliding scale. 

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