Overview
The mental health innovation gap
Traditional treatments for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and trauma often fall short—especially for clients with treatment-resistant conditions. While SSRIs and other antidepressants can take 6–8 weeks to show effects, ketamine can provide relief within hours.
Despite ketamine’s long clinical history and growing research base, most clinicians receive little or no formal ketamine therapy training and aren’t confident in how to integrate it into psychotherapy. Many clients are left navigating psychedelic states without preparation or integration, which limits outcomes and increases risks.
The Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) Professional Certificate closes that gap. In 8 weeks, you’ll gain the clinical knowledge, ethical framework, and business tools to confidently support clients through preparation, medicine, and integration sessions. Grounded in UVM’s R1 research credibility and taught by a practicing KAP clinician, the program balances academic rigor with real-world application.
“KAP allowed for breakthroughs…and allowed my clients to more quickly view their problems in a different, more helpful way.”
Rachel Moore, LCSW, NY
What you’ll learn
This 8-week certificate equips therapists, psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, physicians, and other licensed mental health professionals to:
- Differentiate treatment models: Medical ketamine therapy vs. ketamine-assisted psychotherapy
- Apply clinical frameworks: Prepare clients, support them during sessions, and guide integration
- Assess risks and benefits: Safety profile, contraindications, addiction potential, ethics
- Facilitate sessions: Structure preparation, medicine, and integration with tools for documentation, music, and client support
- Navigate business logistics: Informed consent, malpractice coverage, and state-level requirements
- Manage complex care: Recognize ethical dilemmas, set boundaries, and coordinate with colleagues
Practical resources you’ll take away:
- Templates for informed consent and care planning
- Risk management and safety checklists
- Client preparation and integration guides
- Case examples and peer discussions
What sets UVM apart
Most ketamine training options fall into two extremes:
- Overly brief: weekend workshops or retreats that lack clinical depth, ethical grounding, and business integration.
- Overly intensive: year-long programs that require cost and time commitments many busy professionals can’t manage.
The UVM Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Professional Certificate strikes the balance:
8 Weeks | ~80 Hours | $1,450
Faster and more affordable. Other programs can cost two to four times more. Structured for busy clinicians, providing the depth of an intensive with the flexibility of online learning.
Clinical Faculty Expertise
Led by Ginger Cloud, MS, LCMHC, LADC, PATP, who integrates over a decade of counseling practice with advanced training in psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Rooted in the Vermont Healthcare Ecosystem
UVM is part of the Burlington, Vermont medical and research community, with connections across New England’s healthcare landscape. UVM is also a Carnegie R1 research university (top 3%).
Evidence-Based Curriculum
Learn about mechanisms of action, preparation, medicine, and integration sessions, all based on evidence and research.
Designed for Busy Professionals
100% online and asynchronous with optional live touchpoints for instructor interaction and peer learning.
Built for Clinics & Teams
Enrollment and invoicing options available for health systems seeking to expand mental health services.
Admissions
This online Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy training is designed for licensed health professionals who want to expand their scope of practice, improve patient outcomes, and stay at the forefront of an emerging field.
Clinicians who enroll are typically:
- Therapists and counselors (LCSW, LMHC, LMFT, LPC)
- Psychiatrists and physicians (MD, DO)
- Nurse practitioners and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (NP, PMHNP)
- Psychologists, social workers, and other licensed behavioral health providers
How to become a ketamine therapist: eligibility and qualifications
This program is open to licensed clinicians and allied health professionals. You must already be licensed to practice psychotherapy or medicine. This program does not grant prescriptive authority.
- Ketamine is prescribed by a medical professional (MD, DO, or NP with prescribing rights) and typically self-administered by the client prior to therapy. This certificate trains you to provide psychotherapy in that context — not to prescribe or dispense ketamine.
- Complementary professionals such as naturopathic doctors, health coaches, and acupuncturists may be considered if their scope of practice aligns with therapeutic work.
Offered through the University of Vermont (UVM) Professional & Continuing Education (PACE) in Burlington, VT, the program provides accessible, evidence-based training with CE credit available.
- Create your UVM PACE student account (you will be prompted when registering)
- Confirm your spot in the next 8-week cohort
- Receive email instructions to begin learning online when the course opens
“I started doing KAP at a ketamine clinic during residency training with a patient who had been psychiatrically hospitalized for months. After six treatments, she was well enough to leave the hospital. Working with ketamine also made me a better therapist—it helped me to do less and be more present.”
Corinne Roberts, MD, Burlington, VT
Why Ketamine Therapy?
Research is exploring ketamine’s role in depression, PTSD, OCD, addictions, post-partum depression, and end-of-life anxiety.
- 55% response rate Patients with treatment-resistant depression respond to ketamine at a higher rate (55%) than electroconvulsive therapy (41%) in a clinical trial.
- Works in hours compared to up to 8 weeks for traditional antidepressants, reducing extended ER stays and patients in crisis.
- 75% reduction in postpartum depression at 42 days postpartum when mothers with prenatal depression received a single low dose of esketamine after childbirth in a clinical trial.
- Market growth of 3.1 → 6.9 billion The ketamine treatment market was $3.1B in 2022 and is projected to more than double to $6.9B by 2030.
Curriculum
The Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Professional Certificate combines lectures, case studies, peer discussions, and practical tools to give you both clinical and business foundations for offering KAP in your practice.
Especially important, this program builds in optional live touchpoints and peer interaction so you can apply new skills in real time.
- Historical and cultural context of psychedelic-assisted therapy
- Mechanisms of action
- Ketamine-Assisted psychotherapy (KAP) and Ketamine Therapy (KT)
- Addiction potential and controversies
- KAP-specific informed consent
- Malpractice insurance
- Safety protocol
- Routes of administration
- Initial consultation
- Psychosocial assessment
- Medical evaluation
- Risk/benefits & documentation
- Topic 1: Preparation techniques
- Topic 2: Flight instructions
- Topic 3: Music, set, and setting
- Topic 1: Ethical considerations
- Topic 2: Prep/intentions
- Topic 3: Music, set, setting
- Topic 4: Client self-care/resourcing
Practical tools you’ll gain include:
- Informed consent and care planning templates
- Risk management and safety checklists
- Client preparation and integration guides
- Case documentation examples and clinician resources
“It has allowed us to offer an alternative to traditional talk therapy when perhaps that isn’t quite enough to allow for healing.”
Lindsay Conner, LMFT, CA
Instructors
Career Outlook
Completing the Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Professional Certificate can set you apart in a rapidly growing field of mental health care. Few clinicians are formally trained in this modality, giving you a clear advantage in both clinical practice and career opportunities.
- Therapists & Counselors: Integrate KAP when traditional talk therapy isn’t enough. Many clients seek breakthrough approaches for depression, trauma, and anxiety, and offering KAP can expand your scope and attract new populations.
- Psychiatrists & Physicians: Deepen your ability to collaborate with therapists and interdisciplinary teams. This program emphasizes clinical frameworks, risk management, and ethical integration to strengthen your role in emerging psychedelic care.
- Nurse Practitioners & PMHNPs: Develop confidence in supporting preparation, medicine, and integration sessions with ketamine. This training helps reinforce your credibility and expands how you serve patients within your licensed scope.
- Teams & Clinics: For practices and health systems, this certificate provides common language, ethical standards, and ready-to-use templates to safely scale services and meet rising demand.
Why it matters
- High demand: Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is one of the fastest-growing interventions for treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and trauma.
- Competitive edge: Specialized training allows you to market yourself or your practice as an early adopter in an emerging field.
- Career growth: Advanced services often command higher rates and increased client demand.
“Our career path is a lifelong development, and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is part of that emerging growth. Whether you’re simply educating yourself on what’s happening in the field or preparing to integrate this medicine into practice, it’s essential that we, as clinicians, build this knowledge base.
Some worry — rightly so — about access, misuse, and addiction potential. That makes it even more important for us to prepare ourselves, understand the risks, and educate our clients. KAP is now part of everyday conversations in therapy and in society, and we need to be equipped to talk about it responsibly.
This work is drastically shifting the landscape of what therapy looks like.”
Ginger Cloud, MS, LCMHC, LADC, PATP, UVM Instructor, Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy Training
Ketamine Therapy Training Resources
Explore research and discussions about ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.
FAQ
This certificate is designed for licensed clinicians and allied health professionals, including therapists, psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, physicians, psychologists, and social workers. Complementary practitioners such as naturopathic doctors, health coaches, or acupuncturists may be considered if their professional scope of practice aligns with therapeutic work.
The program is offered 100% online through UVM’s Professional & Continuing Education (PACE). Coursework is asynchronous, with optional live touchpoints for discussion and Q&A.
You do not need previous training in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. However, you must already be a licensed professional in a relevant health field. This certificate builds on your clinical background and equips you with the knowledge and tools to safely integrate KAP into practice.
The program takes 8 weeks to complete, requiring about 10 hours per week of study and applied learning.
Brightspace Learning Management System will be used.
You will receive a UVM digital badge from Credly for each completed course and if you successfully complete the certificate, you will also receive a digital UVM Professional Certificate of Completion that can be printed or shared digitally from Credly.
Participants earn a UVM Professional Certificate and digital badge, with continuing education units available for eligible professionals. This is a non-credit program and does not grant prescriptive authority.
Many professional organizations, licensing boards, or certifying bodies accept CEUs from accredited providers like the University of Vermont, but acceptance is not automatic and varies by organization. Professionals should always verify in advance with their specific regulating body or association whether the CEUs from the particular UVM course you are taking will count toward their requirements.
To request recognition of UVM CEUs with your professional organization:
- Download or request an official certificate or verification letter for the completed course/program.
- Submit the official UVM documentation directly to your professional organization, licensing board, or certifying body through their required process (often an online portal, application form, or mailed packet).
- Include any additional materials they may require, such as course descriptions, agendas, or learning objectives (available on the program webpage or by request to PACE).
If your organization requires specific formatting or additional verification, contact UVM PACE at learn@uvm.edu or (802) 656-2085, and we will be happy to assist with documentation. Early confirmation with your professional body is recommended to avoid any delays in CEU approval.
No. Prescriptive authority depends on your license, credentialing, and local regulations. This program equips you with knowledge and clinical tools, not new prescribing rights.
Advising and Student Support
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