Length
2 hour
CE Credit
2.0 unit
Recorded
March 13, 2026
Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) is gaining national attention as a potential treatment for conditions such as treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, OCD, and PTSD. This presentation will introduce the history, proposed mechanisms, treatment phases, and clinical considerations of PAT, including developments in states where it is currently permitted.
Psilocybin remains federally illegal, and specialized training and state-specific licensure are required to provide this treatment. This presentation is for informational purposes only and does not train attendees to administer psychedelic-assisted therapy or encourage its use outside of legal frameworks.
There are several ways to learn from this training. You can either watch the recording for free or take the self-paced course for CE credit. We also have the slides available to download.
(Free) You can watch the full recording of this training for free on our YouTube Channel. This is perfect if you’re not seeking CE credit or would like to preview the training before taking the course.
($37) You can receive 2 hours of self-paced, asynchronous CE credit for this training.
UCEBT is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. UCEBT maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Additionally, this presentation is approved for 1 hours of home-study CE credit through NASW-UT, UAMFT, and UMHCA.
Follow along with the recording by downloading the presentation slides personal use.
However, please note that no part of the materials available through the Utah Center for Evidence Based Treatment may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated or reduced to any electronic medium or machine-readable form, in whole or in part, without prior written consent of the presenter and creator of the presentation. Contact info@ucebt.com for questions.
Psilocybin assisted therapy (PAT) is quickly gaining national attention as a major clinical tool to address a variety of mental health concerns, including treatment resistant major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, OCD, and PTSD. This treatment is now accessible in several states, including Colorado where our presenters are located. This presentation will provide an introduction to PAT, including historical contexts, proposed mechanisms of action, the phases of treatment, and unique considerations. There are no known risk to attendees of this presentation.
Treatment using this approach is still federally illegal and additional specialized training and licensure is required to complete this treatment with patients. Therefore, this presentation is informational and does not train attendees to use this approach with patients.
Learning Objectives:
Name the three stages of treatment in PAT
Identify at least three rule outs for treatment
Describe how therapists’ roles during PAT differ from traditional talk therapy
Describe at least one proposed mechanism of action of PAT
Alex Ertl, Psy.D., clinical psychology. Dr. Ertl is a licensed psychologist in both Colorado and Utah. Dr. Ertl is the Program Director for the Trauma, Stress, and Resilience program at UCEBT. He is currently completing a multi-hundred hour training in psilocybin-assisted therapy in order to become a licensed Natural Medicine Clinical Facilitator in Colorado.
Michelle Ertl, Psy.D., clinical psychology. Dr. Ertl works in private practice in Colorado, where she specializes in the treatment of trauma, sexual difficulties, and psilocybin-assisted therapy. She was one of the first clinicians in the state of Colorado to receive a Natural Medicine Clinical Facilitator license and works as a facilitator at multiple psilocybin healing centers.
Haikazian, S., Chen-Li, D. C. J., Johnson, D. E., Fancy, F., Levinta, A., Husain, M. I., Mansur, R. B., McIntyre, R. S., & Rosenblat, J. D. (2023). Psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychiatry Research, 329, 115531. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115531
Johnson, M. W. (2021). Consciousness, religion, and gurus: Pitfalls of psychedelic medicine. ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science, 4(2), 578–581. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsptsci.0c00198
Penn, A. D., Phelps, J., Rosa, W. E., & Watson, J. (2021). Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy practices and human caring science: Toward a care-informed model of treatment. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 64(4), 592–617. https://doi.org/10.1177/00221678211011013
Thomas, K. L., Malcolm, B., & Lastra, D. (2017). Psilocybin-assisted therapy: A review of a novel treatment for psychiatric disorders. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 49(5), 446–455. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2017.1320734
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