Programs
Gather Well is proud to introduce the next evolution of our apprenticeship program, built in direct response to the needs and aspirations of the moment.
We call to those who have walked hard paths, who have carried transformation in themselves, and who now recognize the possibility for it in others. This is a space for learning, practicing and co-creating a more equitable, thriving and loving future.
The Apprenticeship Pathway
Groundwork Theory→Groundwork Practice → The Art and Practice of Guiding
The apprenticeship pathways is structured in four key phases: Experiencing→ Learning→ Doing→ Being
Each phase is intentionally designed to support your development through a blend of theoretical understanding, personal growth, practical experience, and mentorship.
You move from personal exploration→ foundational understanding and alignment → taking stock of and cultivating core relational capacities required for guiding others → theory, protocols and substantial practice in the art of guiding with psychedelics
STEPS IN THE APPRENTICESHIP PATHWAY
Groundwork Theory
An individual learning experience for finding shared language and exploring strategies for locating ourselves in relationship to self, other the medicine and this moment in the collective experience.
Made up of 3 distinct topic-focused self-guided virtual courses, accompanied by a dynamic workbook and culminating in a live online teaching session.
Available Summer 2026. Groundwork operates on rolling admission. You may begin your Groundwork coursework at any time and move through the material at your own pace. There will be 1 or 2 live sessions held, determined by the volume of apprentices enrolled. Dates to come.
Intention for this part of the apprenticeship pathway: Here, we explore foundational ideas alongside personal inquiry.
Groundwork is an entry into the philosophy of Gather Well guiding. It is designed to help you inquire within yourself, explore resonance with how we think and what we value here at Gather Well and find alignment before committing more deeply. Groundwork offers a first taste of the Gather Well way. It plants questions, introduces shared language, and invites reflection on how psychedelics might support the work you are already doing or the work you envision offering.
More program details coming soon
Groundwork Practice
A relational and experiential practice ground for bringing theory into practice and building capacity with self, other, the medicine and this moment in the collective experience.
4 months of guided exercises, reflection, and facilitated peer engagement in small cohorts meeting online. The program begins and ends in a ceremonial retreat with the medicine (psilocybin containing mushroom).
Available in Fall 2026. Offered at a frequency based on enrollment and completion of Groundwork.
Intention for this part of the apprenticeship pathway: Here, you take stock of, and build, relational capacity required for guiding by practicing with yourself and others.
We focus on locating ourselves in relationship to culture, our own edges and in relationship to the requirements of being a guide. This phase includes two psilocybin retreats, where practice deepens through direct experience in a carefully held container. These retreats are integrated components of the apprenticeship arc, providing you the opportunity to deepen your relationship with the medicine and offer direct experience of the approach you will be learning how to provide in the rest of the apprenticeship pathway.
More program details coming soon
The Art and Practice of Guiding
A relational and experiential practice ground for building capacity with self, other, the medicine and this moment in the collective experience.
Approximately 500 virtual and in-person program hours over 18 months in a small cohort based learning environment. Additional expert mentorship, guest teachers, and a robust library of resources and tools for developing a practice after graduating.
Available in Spring 2027
Intention for this part of the apprenticeship pathway: Here you cultivate the skills and art of guiding.
Our intention is to support the development of guides who are knowledgeable, practiced, discerning, relationally and culturally attuned, and ethically grounded. Gather Well apprentices not only learn theoretical frameworks, safety protocols and explore ethical considerations, but apply these understandings through in-person, group ceremony practice with psilocybin-containing mushrooms. Apprentices gradually transition from the role of observer, to assistant, to co-lead guide throughout all client touchpoints, and receive robust mentorship, supervision and generative feedback. They are provided opportunities to engage with their own unique callings, skills, and emergent areas of interest within the boundaries of a safe and ethical framework for group facilitation. They are also supported to engage with their shadow, blind spots and areas that need further definition in order to successfully and skillfully step into guiding. Apprentices graduate not just with knowledge about guiding but with meaningful embodied experience and wisdom about the art and practice of guiding
More program details coming soon
Moving with Integrity on the Pathway:
At each threshold in the apprenticeship pathway there will be a pause and consideration of if you have all you need to be able to metabolize the information coming next and apply it responsibly to the relational aspects of the next phase and ultimately to the practice of guiding
For apprentices can ask themselves- from what I know and have experienced now, does it still align with my values and intention to continue this pathway with Gather Well? For Gather well we asl ourselves – from what we know and have experienced of the apprentice, does it still align with our values and intention to continue this pathway with this apprentice and are we, Gather Well, living our ethic of passing along knowledge in ways that are responsible to the apprentice, our values, the medicine, and the potential future clients of said apprentice.
Seed Programs
An eco-system of individual explorations into foundational concepts at the core of the Gather Well approach to guiding.
Self paced, self-guided virtual courses, with experiential exercises and accompanied by a dynamic worksheet. Each seed program will invite you into an approximately 90 mins engagement with the material presented with additional integration activities and materials provided for more in depth exploration.
Available for purchase in April 2026
Intention for these short programs is to support you in inquiring deeply in yourself about key frameworks and topics associated with psychedelic care whether you are new to psychedelics, interested in becoming a guide, or a guide already.
These offerings are a way to get to know Gather Wells lens and get a feel for our approach.
Some titles coming soon include:
- Principle of the Mushroom: Allies for Personal Liberation.
- Exploring Indigenous-Informed Approaches Within the Western Frame
- Psychedelics as Ally to Collective Change
- Healing Myths: Investigation of Neocortical Supremacy, Normalcy and Health.
- Locating Ones Lineage in Culture and Time
- Ritual: Relational Practice with Land and Spirit
- Orienting Your Skillset of Guiding in the Cultural State of Collapse
Features of the Gather Well Approach
A Group Approach
We forefront a group model of care, based on the potential of healing in relationship and interconnectedness.
Indigenous-Informed with Integrity
When drawing from Indigenous-informed practices, we do so with care, permission, and respect for lineage and context, committed to ethical engagement rather than appropriation.
Trauma-Informed Care
We recognize how trauma shapes experience, identity, and relationships. Our approach emphasizes choice, and discernment, honoring clients autonomy and capacity.
Body-Based Awareness
We center the body as sites of wisdom. Somatic awareness is cultivated to invite curiosity, and to support insight, and integration.
Spiritually Open, Non-Dogmatic
We welcome the spiritual dimensions of this transformative work without prescribing belief, grounded in respect for diverse worldviews.
Clear Roles and Consent
We prioritize transparency, explicit consent, and well-defined boundaries. Preparation and integration are essential. Ethical care and shared agreement are foundational.
Cultural and Systemic Context
Wellbeing is shaped by culture and systems. We hold awareness of collective and structural realities, not asking individuals to carry burdens that are systemic.
Are These Programs For You?
If you see yourself in any of these, we welcome you to explore joining us:
You may have had personal experiences and feel called toward guiding.
However, you are seeking the language, frameworks or orientation to what it might take to become a guide.
If this is you- you may appreciate exploring our Seed programs/offerings as a start, or if you are already sure you would like to apprentice with Gather Well, begin with Groundwork.
You already work in collective healing, organizing, community care or private practice of some kind.
You see psychedelics as a possible amplifier of your purpose and impact, but only if approached responsibly, and you want to learn in a place that shares your collective and culturally attuned lens. Perhaps you have explored options of where to study but don’t see many spaces that take power and responsibility seriously.
If this is you- you may appreciate exploring our Gathering Seed offerings as a start where you may be able to more deeply explore resonance with Gather Wells lens. If you are already sure you would like to apprentice with Gather Well, begin with Groundwork.
You’re already guiding, or have completed another training.
However, you feel there are gaps in your learning or guiding capacity that Gather Well may be able to help you address.
If this is you- you may appreciate exploring our Gathering Seed offerings to stimulate consideration in various areas. Taking only Groundwork may address what you need, or perhaps Embodied Relationship as well. Should you feel you have substantial gaps the entire pathway may be supportive to deepen your guiding capabilities. We would be happy to explore with you what would support you.
Explore Available Gather Well Retreats
We invite you to join us!
Join the Waitlist for Groundwork
Sign up to know first when applications open for the Apprenticeship Pathway!