Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cost of the course?

The Foundations Programme costs £500, and the Certificate Programme costs £2,000. Both can be payed for in instalments.

A limited number of places will be available at a reduced cost for participants from lower-income households.

Will this course be available to non-therapists?

The Foundations Course is available to all healthcare professionals.
The Certificate course which follows it is available to qualified therapists, counsellors, psychologists, and medical doctors with training in psychological therapies. Prospective participants for The Certificate Course must also show a minimum standard of competency in mock interview assessed using the Facilitative Interpersonal Skills (FIS) framework prior to admission.

Is this course suitable for therapists from different orientations?

Yes. The Clerkenwell approach is a pluralistic, transdiagnostic, transtheoretical, trans-drug approach which will apply to all professional orientations.

What is the structure of the training?

The Psychedelic Practitioner Foundations Programme is available as a standalone course for all healthcare professionals and involves approximately 30 hours of self-directed learning which can be completed online. Participants can expect to complete this course over an average of 2 months.

The Certificate Course (a continuation of our Foundations Programme) includes a combination of self-directed learning and live lectures and group workshops (total of approximately 100 hours), as well as in-person intensives and group mentoring. This course will run over the course of a year.

Can the training be completed part time?

Yes. We expect that most participants will complete this training alongside their regular work.

What are the entry requirements?

The only entry criterion for the Foundations Programme is that the applicant is a healthcare professional.

Entry criteria for the Certificate Programme are as follows:

The applicant is a qualified therapist, counsellor, psychologist, or medical doctor with training in psychological therapies.
The applicant shows a minimum standard of competency in mock interview assessed using the Facilitative Interpersonal Skills (FIS) framework.

Do I have to do the whole course?

Applicants may choose to complete only the Foundations Programme, or complete both the Foundations and Certificate.

You can choose to stop the course anytime. However, a completion certificate is rewarded only at the end.

Do participants receive CPD credits?

Yes. Clerkenwell Health is an accredited CPD provider.

When will psychedelic-assisted therapy become legal in the UK?

Some clinics with the appropriate professional accreditation and governance are already delivering ketamine-assisted therapy. MDMA is likely to be approved as a treatment for PTSD by the FDA and MHRA in 2024, though what provisions this approval will make for the psychotherapeutic aspect of treatment is still unknown. Classical psychedelics such as psilocybin may receive their first approvals for use as medicines as early as 2025.

Will the course allow me to legally practice as a psychedelic therapist?

Treatments with MDMA (and related compounds), and classical psychedelics are currently only available in the UK in the context of clinical trials. Participants who successfully complete this course are well placed to apply to be a therapist on a psychedelic research trial. Our goal is to become one of the first accrediting bodies for psychedelic-assisted therapy as soon as these therapies are approved for clinical use.

We do not support therapists working underground, and we do not condone the use of illegal substances in any context. However, this course is appropriate for therapists who wish to be able to work under a harm-reduction paradigm, with people who are seeking support after taking a psychedelic compound.