Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy
Level 1 Training
Three Core Elements
At the Living Medicine Institute, we are committed to offering you a direct pathway to practice, and our trainings are based on three core components:
1) We emphasize applied, clinically relevant learning, and our didactic training focuses on the core elements of doing this work effectively.
2) We believe guided and direct experience with the medicine is critical to do this effectively
3) LMI trainings are delivered by some of the most experienced KAP providers in the country, and you will have direct access to them.
Overview
The Level One Clinical Intensive is designed to give clinical and medical professionals the tools, skills, community and mentoring needed to effectively and confidently launch into a KAP practice.
Building on our core video series, online live teaching sessions meet biweekly. Sessions are focused on clinical elements and applications for doing KAP effectively and ethically.
We believe in the power of experiential learning and ketamine experiences are woven intentionally throughout the training, allowing an understanding of the client experience for each of the four main routes of administration. These further inform the didactic component, while also creating the potential for personal growth.
Cohorts are intentionally kept small, allowing for the development of the supportive professional relationships needed to do this powerful work well.
A full day, in person retreat using intranasal ketamine will be held mid-way through the course in Asheville, NC. This is optional but most choose to participate.
This training was developed to meet the needs of clinical and medical professionals wanting to learn concrete skills and further explore the medicine, of those wanting to deepen their KAP skills. You will leave with the skills and confidence you need to do this work well.
YES, I WANT IN!
Training Components
The curriculum combines seven experiential sessions with biweekly meetings further expanding on our video-based teaching model over three months. To participate, participants will need to have access to an appropriate ketamine clinic local to you who can safely provide your ketamine experiences.
Teaching, before and after each experiential, is done in a group format via videoconferencing, and you will be part of a closed learning container with your cohort. This will allow more in-depth learning, as well as more personal exploration of your experiences with the medicine.
How It Works
Virtual teaching sessions will be held on alternating Wednesdays 4-6:00 p.m. EST. Between each session, you will schedule an assigned ketamine experience on your own time. Learning points will be taught during sessions and processing opportunity provided, with skills and experiences building on those prior as the training progresses.
YES, I WANT IN!
Fall 2025-2026 Schedule
- 10/15/25: Virtual Teaching Meeting, 4-6 p.m.
- Self-schedule between 10/16/25-10/28/25:Individual IV session at assigned dose.
- 10/29/25: Virtual Teaching Meeting, 4-6 p.m.
- Self-schedule between 10/30/25-11/11/25:Individual IV session at assigned dose.
- 11/12/25: Virtual Teaching Meeting, 4-6 p.m.
- 11/22- FULL DAY INTRANASAL RETREAT, In-person in Asheville, NC.
- NOTE- no meeting 11/26 due to the holiday- Changes also in December.
- Self-schedule between 11/13/25-12/1/25:Individual IM session at assigned dose.
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12/3/25: Virtual Teaching Meeting, 4-6 p.m. (*Note, out of sequence due to holiday)
- Self-schedule between 12/4/25- 12/16/25: Individual IM session at assigned dose.
- 12/17/25: Virtual Teaching Meeting, 4-6 p.m. (*Note, out of sequence due to holiday)
- Self-schedule between 12/18/25-1/7/26: Individual SL session at assigned dose
- 1/7/25: Virtual Teaching Meeting, 4-6 p.m.
- Self-schedule between 1/8/-2/2/26: Individual SL session at assigned dose
- 1/21/26: Virtual Teaching Meeting, 4-6 p.m.
- 2/4/26: Virtual Teaching Meeting, 4-6 p.m.
NOTE: course includes one 1-1 session with the instructor on topics of your choosing. Please schedule those anytime throughout the course.
Curriculum
Each teaching session will be preceded by required pre-recorded video content, covering our entire Level One didactics series over the course of the training. The live teaching deepens the material presented in the videos and weaves the content into the preparation for experientials. The video topics covered are focused on teaching “nuts and bolts” clinical skills needed to begin practice as a KAP therapist.
Between sessions, you will schedule your own individual ketamine experiences at assigned doses and routes of administration. Experientials will allow you to become familiar with multiple ways of using ketamine as a psychedelic and to use your own experiences to track the learning points presented in didactics. We have found that this inter-weaving of both learning modalities anchors the trainees’ new knowledge by allowing a felt sense of the material, rather than a purely intellectual understanding.
You will participate in a total of seven ketamine experiences throughout the training, with different routes of administration. If you have attended the introductory training retreat, you will have completed some of these already.
Homework will be required between each session, with both personal reflection as well as assigned learning points to track during experientials. Homework will be turned in prior to each subsequent session.
Depending on your geographic location, opportunities for paired sitter experiences may be provided and encouraged, allowing for multiple opportunities to act as a sitter therapist for a fellow trainee and practice your emerging new skills. For those clinics permitting this, online can perhaps also be arraned
Upon completion, you will have received: 5+ hours of video lectures, 16 hours of live teaching with staff, 8 hours of in-person workshop time, 1 hour of individual mentoring, and 17+ hours of ketamine experientials. Estimated time needed to complete homework and the homework is 1-1.5 hours every two weeks- a total of 8-12 hours thoughout.
Instructor
Sandra Newes, Ph.D.
Dr. Sandra Newes (aka Sandy) is a Licensed Psychologist with over 25 years of clinical experience. She is the Co-Founder and Directors of the Living Medicine Institute (LMI), as well as the Lead Trainer. Licensed since 2003, Dr. Newes has been doing Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (aka KAP) since 2019, and is one of the most experienced KAP providers in the country; bringing a trauma-informed and resiliency-focused approach to the work. Dr. Newes draws heavily from psychodynamic, relational, and somatic approaches, while also emphasizing the experiential process and mystical elements inherent in this work.
Dr. Newes is mission-driven in the psychedelic field and deeply believes in the power of psychedelic assisted psychotherapy, while also remaining committed to practicing with the highest regard to evidence informed clinical practice and ethics. She has a certificate in MDMA Assisted Psychotherapy from MAPS, and has trained with the Polaris Institute, Chacruna Institute, Ketamine Training Center, the PRATI institute and others, and is a member of the Boston Psychedelic Research Group.
Dr. Newes also provides workshops and educational trainings on the intersection of nature connection, trauma, and mental health nationally and internationally and is past Chair of the Therapeutic Adventure Professional Group (TAPG) of the Association for Experiential Education (AEE), where she was recently granted an award for her creativity and skill in experiential modalities.
She is also trained in Rites of Passage models, and is a student of mindfulness based and earth medicine traditions. In addition, she is a long standing proponent of collective ecstatic experiences and her interests in non-ordinary states has led her deep into the jungles of Brazil and other remote areas. People appreciate her authenticity and find her warm and approachable.
Who Should Apply?
At Living Medicine Institute, we believe that the path to becoming an effective KAP clinician builds on a foundation of solid clinical skills. Given this, the Level One Clinical Intensive training is for licensed clinical and medical professionals with psychotherapy experience, or other experienced providers planning to work with a trained therapist.
No prior psychedelic experience is required. However, applicants should feel comfortable with the idea of altered state experiences in a training group setting.
Due to the nature of this work, group size will be capped at around 12, and an interview is required.
YES, I WANT IN!
Tuition for the Training (with experientials arranged through a clinic of your choice):
Full Training
$4500
If have attended an LMI Introductory Retreat
$3200
Auditing Only
$2200
NOTE- We want this to work for you, so please do not hesitate to ask if a payment plans would be helpful.
Please be aware that we work with small cohorts and therefore no refunds are available within 45 days of the start of the training, unless we are able to fill your space.
See further descriptions below
Things To Know
How do I apply?
To apply, fill out the form here with:
1. Your professional experience.
2. Your learning goals for the training.
3. Questions you would like answered.
A member of our team will then contact you to set up a 30-minute video interview with Dr. Newes.
YES, I WANT IN!
"This training was transformative and impactful experiential learning. Very well done." R. A.
Level One Participant
"It was exactly what I needed. It was super educational and personally transformative." P. S.
Level One Participant
"Every member of the staff was extremely qualified and just overall awesome. I highly recommend this program." M. M.
Level One Participant