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.

There are no specific professional licenses required to join. We’re looking for people drawn to experiential learning, ready for a slower and more comprehensive path, and genuinely committed to their own growth as a practitioner and a person. Applicants must be at least 21years old. Applicants need to have some experience with psychedelics themselves to be accepted into this experiential program. Detailed questions for establishing compatibility and to prompt safety are asked during the application process. 

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.

• 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.

All facilitators operate within our Ethics Infrastructure, which includes a detailed code of conduct and is overseen by an independent ethics committee. You can learn more here. 

• 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.

GatherWell is a hybrid program- coursework happens online, while experiential group work takes place in person. Retreat locations are not yet fixed. We try to conduct retreats in locations that are convenient and also comply with legal requirements. There will be travel required 7 times through the full program. Students pay for their own travel. All retreat activity, accommodations and food onsite at retreats are included in the tuition payments. 

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.

All application materials are confidential to the few GatherWell staff conducting enrollment review. Applicants and students should assess their own risk tolerance for having their names in Gather Well files. GatherWell is legally compliant in its activities. 

We use a tiered, means-based tuition model in which those with more financial capacity pay more, and those with less pay less. Payment plans are available. You have explore what tier fits your situation.
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The Psychedelic Guide Program runs 2.5 to 3 years across three phases – Groundwork Theory, Groundwork Practice, and the Apprenticeship phase. There are 7 in person weekend long retreats, and the rest are online – 2 full days per month and 2 half days per month on average. There are also at home reading, viewing and activities that may take an additional few hours per month. While it does require dedicated time, many of our students balance the program alongside work and family life; it’s designed as a sustainable long-term path, not an intensive one.

GatherWell is not a professional licensing body, and psychedelic guiding is not currently a professional board regulated service. Our program prepares you through comprehensive training, supervised practice, and mentorship that sets you up well for anticipated requirements of a future board once established. Upon completion of the program graduates can gain certification issued by GatherWell that certifies our evaluation of your skills and competency, after which you can work for GatherWell, be represented on our certified guide database, and be supported by our Ethics Committee and Infrastructure.

Our training does not provide substances or facilitate illegal activity. We require our students and graduates to practice legally. We prepare guides to work within legal jurisdictions, within legal regulatory frameworks and within institutional partnerships. It’s your responsibility to understand and follow the laws where you intend to practice.