Ketamine is a safe, legal medication commonly used as an anesthetic in emergency rooms and on the battlefield. At lower doses, ketamine induces a dissociative psychedelic experience, allowing individuals to access deep parts of their psyche that may be difficult to reach through traditional therapy. Known to sometimes trigger mystical experiences, ketamine has shown promise in treating treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and trauma when administered therapeutically in the right setting. Once associated with recreational use, ketamine is now recognized for its transformative healing potential when used with the proper mindset and professional guidance.

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is an innovative treatment that combines the science of psychedelic medicine with personalized psychotherapy. During KAP sessions, clients are guided into an altered state of consciousness with the supervision of a trained therapist, allowing them to access deep emotions and thoughts that may be difficult to explore in traditional therapy. These insights are then integrated into your daily life through a customized therapeutic plan, aimed at improving well-being, fostering a deeper connection to yourself, and promoting long-term mental health outcomes. The process ensures that clients maintain enough lucidity to engage with the therapist, optimizing the therapeutic benefits of ketamine.

Typically Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy consists of three phases: Preparation, Journeying, and Integration. More information on each of these phases coming soon to the blog.

There’s growing awareness that conventional treatments to mental health – like SSRI medication and talk therapy – only work for a segment of the population. In fact, 75% of people don’t adhere to anti-depressants and 40-71% of individuals experience relapse. For those who feel like they’ve been left behind or lost in the system, ketamine-assisted therapy is a treatment showing great promise for treating anxiety, treatment-resistant depression, and trauma. It serves to help people embrace a deeper connection to others and themselves and feel greater self-fulfillment and empowerment in their life. Over the last decade, there’s been a growing body of research and evidence demonstrating the benefits and promise of ketamine medicine and mental health outcomes when paired with psychotherapy. Instead of treating symptoms, this model – a bio-medical-psycho-social-spiritual approach – recognizes the best source of healing comes from your inner self.

Pigott HE. The STAR*D Trial: It Is Time to Reexamine the Clinical Beliefs That Guide the Treatment of Major Depression. Can J Psychiatry. 2015;60(1):9-13. doi:10.1177/070674371506000104

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is ideal for individuals struggling with feelings of isolation, anxiety, depression, trauma, or overthinking. If you’ve found limited success with traditional treatments like talk therapy or medication, KAP may offer a safe and effective alternative, especially for treatment-resistant conditions. This personalized approach helps clients access their innate healing abilities with the guidance of certified psychedelic practitioners. KAP has also shown effectiveness in supporting addiction recovery, treating eating disorders, and reducing end-of-life anxiety. Certain medical and psychiatric contraindications apply, so contact Willow & Leaf Counseling to discuss your eligibility.

As a primarily telehealth provider, Willow & Leaf counselors do what we can to make all of our services as accessible to our clients as possible. For therapeutically guided ketamine sessions, clients can join us at our partner's office in Oak Park or request that our therapists come to meet them for an in-home session (restricted to generally a one-hour radius from Chicago). For clients out of range, we have experience providing ketamine-assisted psychotherapy virtually as well.

Scientific research has shown the greatest effects from a "loading" series of 6 ketamine journeys. Some people need less. Few need more than that. You and your treatment team will decide how many sessions and what kind of support is needed during your initial intake. Intake, Preparation and Integration is billed according to your Willow & Leaf fee agreement; insurance and sliding scale plans accepted. Psychotherapeutically guided sessions (the journey sessions) are not covered by insurance and cost $200 per session. Medical appointments with your prescriber and the prescription cost are separate. All in all, most clients end-up paying between $2400 and $3700 for a six-session course depending on insurance benefits. For additional questions, please reach out to info@willowandleafcounseling.com.

Unfortunately most insurance companies do not yet cover Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy for psychiatric diagnoses, however Willow & Leaf can bill insurance for all intake, preparation and integration sessions.