Allan Ajaya, PhD, is interested in exploring how the process of uncovering and accepting all that one is, is the source of all healing experiences. This uncovering is the common thread that links psychotherapy, the practice of Eastern spiritual traditions, and psychedelic experiences. Allan received his PhD from the University of California at Berkeley. His entheogenic experiences led him to an exploration of Eastern spirituality and to initiation as a Swami. He wrote the book, Psychotherapy East and West: A Unifying Paradigm. He is in private practice as an experiential psychotherapist. He also guides others in integrating their everyday lives with their psychedelic experiences. He especially enjoys working with those who are adventurous, playful, and want to dive deeply into discovering who we really are.
Mireya Alejo Marcet, MA, MFT, is an artist, licensed psychotherapist, expressive arts therapist, and ceremonial leader. She was certified from the Grof Transpersonal Training (GTT) in 1993 and has facilitated Holotropic Breathwork groups and individuals internationally for the past 28 years. She served as senior staff for this training since 2002. Her healing work is informed by her years working with traditional healers in her home country Mexico as a social anthropologist, a deep understanding of the healing power of non- ordinary states of consciousness, as well the use of the creative arts as a tool for self-discovery, insight and transformation. Mireya has a strong interest in inter-generational trauma, spiritual emergence, the power of ritual and creativity in individual and group process and has dedicated a large part of her professional life towards the empowerment of women. She is the creator of "Creative Integration" and "The art and practice of integration 6-day training", a process to help the integration of expanded states of consciousness through the use of altar creation, somatic awareness, Holotropic theory and the expressive arts. She is an adjunct professor at CIIS.
Anthony Back, MD is a co-founder of VitalTalk, a national nonprofit that provides innovative, interactive clinician and faculty development courses to improve communication skills on an individual and institutional level. Dr. Back is a professor of medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Dr. Back earned his MD at Harvard University. He is a triple-board certified in hospice and palliative medicine, medical oncology, and general internal medicine. In his role as a medical communication educator and a VitalTalk co-founder, Dr. Back was the principal investigator for Oncotalk, co-wrote Mastering Communication with Seriously Ill Patients, released the first iPhone app for clinician communication skills, and authored the online communication skills curriculum offered by the Center to Advance Palliative Care.
Mark Bates went to a military service academy for academic, athletic, teamwork, leadership, and flying opportunities. His military experiences include being an Air Force pilot, then a psychologist, overseeing a mental health clinic, a military internship program and a Department of Defense-level team focused on resilience and prevention. He completed the CIIS CPTR training as well as training with COMPASS, MAPS, and the Ketamine Research Foundation. He is now working with an amazing team at Sunstone Therapies in Potomac, Maryland in a cutting-edge psychedelic medicine clinic. He and his team have completed a novel psilocybin-assisted group therapy clinical trial with cancer patients and will be offering MDMA-assisted therapy as a MAPS Expanded Access site. He has also participated in ethnobotany studies in Ecuador and Brazil.
Leonard Bearne, Phd, is a supervising and teaching analyst at the Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis (ICP) in Los Angeles. He has provided clinical supervision to therapists at the Esalen Institute, where he originally trained and worked in the 1970’s, and at ICP for over 30 years. His conference presentations on psychedelic-assisted therapies have included scholarly research on the potential for the re-introduction of MDMA and psychedelics into psychoanalysis and the traditionally practiced psychotherapies. He recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of his first psychedelic experience.
Yvan Beaussant,MD, is a hematologist and palliative care physician certified in Besançon, France. His masters thesis was in medical ethics and his medical thesis focused on subjective and inter-subjective determinants of end-of-life decision-making in advanced cancer patients. He is currently a research fellow in the Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care Department at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, conducting pilot research exploring the potential role and research priorities for psychedelic-assisted therapy in seriously ill patients, as well as new interventions to integrate existential/spiritual care in the palliative care delivery model. He completed the Certificate in Psychedelic Therapy and Research at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in 2018.
Christin Bejerre Real is a board-certified psychiatrist as well as a psycho-oncologist who treats adults of all ages. His focus is on helping clients find and manifest meaning in their lives, transform potential into reality, and become the best version of their selves. His approach is to apply principles of neuroscience, psychology, meditation and mindfulness, stress management, nutrition, exercise, and pharmacology, to not only alleviate suffering but ultimately to promote thriving. Christian earned his medical degree at the Catholic University of Guayaquil. He then completed his psychiatry residency at Duke University Hospital in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, where he was the recipient of numerous accolades and commendations by both colleagues and clients. Later he completed a clinical and research fellowship in Psychosomatic Medicine and Psycho-Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Susana Bustos, PhD, is a transpersonal counselor, psychology instructor, and independent researcher on entheogenic shamanic traditions of the Americas. Her main body of research and clinical work has focused on Peruvian Amazonian Vegetalismo practices, particularly on the effects of song (icaros) and plant diets on healing processes, as well as on the integration of experiences with plant medicines in ordinary life. She teaches courses on entheogenic shamanism and research at the California Institute of Integral Studies, co-leads groups into the Amazon rainforest, and holds a private practice in Berkeley, CA. Susana is the director of the Spiritual Emergence Network (SEN) in the U.S.
Alex Cardenasm, MD, is a community and safety net psychiatrist practicing in northern California. He has worked in the public mental health and public education space since 1999 as a direct service provider, administrator, researcher, and advocate. His research has varied from psychotherapy for schizophrenia to the development and implementation of social-emotional curriculum programs in public schools. His involvement in the psychedelic policy space stems from his passion for the policies and infrastructure institutions that are necessary to legitimize and sustain psychedelic care, specifically as it is incorporated into the healthcare system. Alex is the son of immigrants and the grandson of a Curandera. He holds a BA is Psychology from Yale University; a Medical Doctorate from Stanford School of Medicine; a Master's Degree in Education Policy, Organizations, and Leadership Studies from Stanford School of Education; and is a graduate of the inaugural class of the Certificate in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy and Research Program from CIIS.
Shannon Carlin, MA, LMFT, is the Chief of Therapy Training and Supervision at the MAPS Public Benefit Corporation. Shannon leads the development and implementation of clinical training and supervision programs that prepare clinicians and counselors to deliver MDMA-assisted therapy in approved clinical settings around the world. Shannon has served as a co-therapist on MAPS-sponsored Phase 2 trials researching MDMA-assisted therapy for anxiety associated with life-threatening illness and MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD. She currently works with clients through the California Center for Psychedelic Therapy, delivering transpersonal approaches, psychedelic integration, and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. Her work has served adults with schizophrenia, bipolar, and substance use disorder, and families and youth in low-income residential settings. Shannon is passionate about addressing homelessness, she has volunteered with housing projects and shelters and completed a farm internship with the Homeless Garden Project. Shannon received her master’s degree in Integral Counseling Psychology from CIIS. An adventurer at heart, Shannon can be found in nature, backpacking, running, and dancing. She celebrates and cultivates relationship and community and is passionate about life, love, and thriving.
Cathy Coleman has a wide range of knowledge of the field of psychedelic therapy. She was married to Ralph Metzner for thirty years, and knows his methodologies from personal experience, conversation, and through his writings. While Cathy has a non-clinical doctorate in East-West Psychology from CIIS, she was first a student in the Counseling program, and has training and practical experience in clinical work. Cathy has read widely on various aspects of the field of psychedelic therapy and research and knows a large number of professionals in the field.
Karen Cooper is an RN in many settings with over 30 years of experience in her field. She contributed to the psychedelic research and therapy field since 2014 serving as Trainer and Lead Guide for the Usona Institute and University of Wisconsin, Madison’s Psilocybin Pharmacokinetic Study, 3 years as Clinical Sub-Investigator Therapy Pair with the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) MDMA for PTSD studies. As Instructional Supervisor for the program Karen is committed to advancing research, education, and training to help foster greater understanding and acceptance of psychedelics and generating ideas about ways for greater numbers of people to receive the benefits of their safe and ethical use for healing. Karen was delighted to mentor trainees over 5 years with the CPTR certificate program, and to serve on the Admissions and Screening Committee. Fun and personal interests include meditation (trained in MBSR), yoga (certified teacher), Transpersonal Psychology (MA Holistic Health Education), consciousness, outdoor activities in nature, healthy eating and lifestyle, and fiber arts.
Mary Cosimano, LMSW, has been working with the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research since 2000 when they began research with psilocybin. In her role as Director of Guide/Facilitator Services she is responsible for training and supervising Session Facilitators. She has served as Session Facilitator and research coordinator involved with all the psilocybin studies and has conducted over 450 study sessions. In addition to her work with the psilocybin studies, she has worked with the Club Drug Studies including Salvia Divinorum and Dextromethorphan. She taught individual and group meditation to breast cancer patients in a Johns Hopkins research study and teaches at the California Institute to Integral Studies (CIIS) in the Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research program. In 2003 she started and has maintained a meditation group for employees in her department. She also has 15 years of experience with direct patient care as a hospice volunteer. In addition to her interest in altered states of consciousness, Mary enjoys time with family, friends, nature, reading, walking, meditating, and playing games.
Dawn DeCunha is a clinical psychologist, PhD, with more than two decades of experience in trauma informed assessment and treatment with vulnerable populations. In the past, Dawn has used a variety of tools including CBT, DCBT, EMDR, Mindfulness and Hypnosis to name a few. More recently, she graduated from the California Institute of Integral Studies post graduate program in Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy and Research. She is also a fully trained Compass Pathways therapist in Psilocybin Assisted Therapy and is currently involved in Phase II clinical trials. She has a focus on Integration Therapy, Research and Education. Dawn works in a Trauma Informed way and has an interest in Intergenerational Trauma, Childhood Trauma, Post-Traumatic Growth and Spirituality.
Ric Escobedo, MSW, is a Clinical Social worker, educator, consultant and civil rights advocate. He specializes in working with adults and teens suffering from trauma and addictions. He has international clinical experience with interdisciplinary teams at Vancouver General Hospital, University of British Columbia and at Stanford University Hospital and Clinics. He currently coordinates with local, state, tribal governments, and health care service providers to identify and provide migrant and Native American communities health services.
Gisele Fernandes-Osterhold, MFT, is a licensed psychotherapist, clinical supervisor and graduate level psychology professor. Active in the mental health field for 20 years, she has extensive training and clinical experience in trauma-informed psychotherapy, using an integrative approach that is rooted in Somatic, Humanistic-Existential and Transpersonal psychologies. Being an immigrant to the United States, a woman of color and in a bicultural marriage, Gisele has developed a profound interest to multicultural issues, which has become one of the main topics of her clinical work, teaching and consulting. Gisele’s personal approach to healing is rooted in her commitment to embodied spirituality, informed by her practices of yoga, dance and indigenous traditions of her native Brazil.
Robert M. Grant, MD, is a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and a co-founder of Healing Realms Psychotherapy, which has offered ketamine-assisted psychotherapy in San Francisco since 2017. He is a certified internal family systems (IFS) therapist and has received training in EMDR and CBT. He completed the CIIS CPTR program in 2016 and the KRIYA Institute training in ketamine assisted psychotherapy in 2017. He joined the board of directors of the American Society of Ketamine Practitioners (ASKP) in 2019. He is a co-principal investigator of a MAPS sponsored trial of MDMA at UCSF. He has lectured on Ketamine Assisted IFS therapy at national conferences and has published on mystical experiences during use of 5-MeO-DMT. In his prior academic work, he led clinical research related to HIV, including HIV preexposure prophylaxis or PrEP.
George Greer, MD, is President and a co- founder of the Heffter Research Institute. From 1980 to 1985, he conducted over 100 therapeutic sessions with MDMA for 80 individuals with his psychiatric nurse wife, Requa Tolbert. He is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and Past President of the Psychiatric Medical Association of New Mexico. He is also a co-investigator for the MAPS MDMA-PTSD therapist training studies.
Rajan Grewal, DO, is a board-certified psychiatrist and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Grewal grew up in northern California and went to college at UC Berkeley and medical school at Touro University California. She did her residency training in psychiatry at the University of Arizona, with specialized certification in integrative psychiatry through the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. She has additional education in women’s mental health and functional medicine.
Diane Haug, MA, LPCC, is a licensed therapist living in northern New Mexico. She has been a senior member of the Grof Transpersonal Training staff over the past three decades. Diane is currently a founding director of the nascent Grof Legacy Project USA; adjunct faculty with the CIIS CPTR certificate program; and Director of the CIIS/CPTR 2021 Mentoring Program. In March/April 2017 she served on the staff for the MAPS PTSD MDMA-assisted therapy training program. Having completed the Grof’s first three-year training program, Diane has been involved in the field of transpersonal psychology and the international holotropic breathwork community since 1989. In that capacity she has taught and staffed training modules internationally including in China, Russia, Ukraine, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Scandinavia, UK, South America, Mexico, and the United States.
Peter Hendricks, MD, clinical psychologist, is currently researching the use of psilocybin to see if it will help individuals addicted to cocaine stop using the harmful drug. He theorizes that psilocybin, which is the active compound found in Psilocybe mushrooms, also known as "magic mushrooms," will work from three angles: biochemical, psychological and transcendental/ spiritual. Dr. Hendricks is a professor who teaches about his research, as well as novel and more effective treatments for substance abuse dependence. His specific areas of focus are tobacco, cocaine and polysubstance abuse in vulnerable populations.
Patricia James, BA, is a Medicine Woman and cross-cultural expert. She is of Seminole heritage, and a traditionally trained Cheyenne Pipe Carrier and Priest. Her focus is on bridging ancient wisdom with our contemporary times, bringing practical application to the mystical, and to weaving a new “Braided Way” to live life well. Initiated in multiple indigenous spiritual traditions, Patricia has studied wisdom practices and is trained in modern healing modalities including breathwork and hypnotherapy. She compliments this knowledge with over two decades in public administration. Patricia maintains a private practice in the Bay Area that focuses on psycho-spiritual mentoring, integration, teaching, and workshops. She provides teachings and ritual-based ceremonies throughout the country. Patricia maintains a private practice in the Bay Area that focuses on psychospiritual mentoring, integration, and ceremony. Her work is informed by her teachers, including Angeles Arrien, as well as decades of public administration experience. Patricia aims to bridge ancient wisdom with our contemporary times, bring practical application to the mystical, and to weave a new Braided Way.
Fahad Khan, MD, is an assistant professor at the NYU School of Medicine. He is double board certified in Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine. Fahad earned a Master’s in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins University, and a Master’s in Comparative Effectiveness Research from NYU. He is licensed to perform Medical Acupuncture after training at Harvard Medical School. Completing studies at the Kripalu School of Yoga, allowed Fahad to earn the RYT 500 designation. In 2018, he gave a TEDx talk about the science of Yoga, Meditation, & Psychedelics. You can find Fahad diving deep into the realm of Sound. Off the dance floor, he is focused on combining breathwork facilitation with live playing of overtone-emitting instruments to create a container for Sound Meditation.
Anja Loizaga-Velder, PhD, is a German-Mexican clinical psychologist and psychotherapist with humanistic orientation. Parallel to her psychotherapeutic practice Anja has been learning from and collaborating with indigenous healers specialized in the therapeutic use of sacred plants. She also has dedicated part of her professional life to the scientific research of therapeutic potentials of psychedelic plant medicines. She earned a doctoral degree in Medical Psychology from Heidelberg University through research dedicated to identifying therapeutic mechanisms of ayahuasca assisted treatment for mental health challenges and is coordinating the mental health section of a Mexican transdisciplinary research group on the therapeutic potentials of psilocybin mushrooms. She is founding member and director of research and clinical services at the Nierika Institute for Intercultural Medicine in Mexico, an NGO dedicated to the preservation of indigenous traditions with sacred plant medicines and research around their therapeutic applications in the treatment of mental health challenges.
Maria Mangini, PhD, FNP, completed her doctorate in Community Health Nursing at University of California, San Francisco, where her research on drugs and drug policy explored the impact of historic LSD use in the lives of middle-aged adults. She was the director of the MSN/FNP program at Holy Names University in Oakland for 20 years. For 25 years, she was in family practice with Frank Lucido MD, and theirs was one of the first to add medical cannabis to the family practice armamentarium. She is co-founder of the Women's Visionary Council, which supports the work of women scholars, artists, healers and visionaries through a series of conferences, workshops and grants. Her interests currently center on the study of death and dying.
Natalie Metz is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor, Herbalist, and Core Faculty Member of the Integrative Health Studies department at CIIS, where she completed a Master's degree in Philosophy, Cosmology and Consciousness, and is among the first graduating class of the Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research. She received her Bachelor’s degree in chemistry and has a background as a medicinal chemist, designing novel pharmaceutical agents. Dr. Natalie has a private practice in Oakland with a focus on Women’s Health, Botanical Medicine, and Digestive Wellness. She is featured in the documentary The Future of Medicine and is a contributing author for the Foundations of Naturopathic Medicine textbook. Dr. Natalie teaches about the holistic aspects of supporting psychedelic-assisted therapy in the CPTR program and has a passion for educating people about the healing potential of psychedelic medicines. She is a lover of dance, travel, and all things purple. Please visit www.drnataliemetz.com.
“KD” Jeff Meyers, M.D., L.Ac., is a physician, acupuncturist, and educator with an extensive background in rehabilitation medicine and holistic approaches to medicine, the arts, and spirituality. He received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He completed his post-doctoral residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Pennsylvania and has practiced Western and integrative medicine for over 25 years. Dr. Meyers’s medical practice specializes in musculoskeletal medicine and pain management, and he has led a multi-disciplinary team focused on integrative approaches to pain management. He teaches internationally on topics related to rehabilitation medicine, yoga/Ayurveda, acupuncture, somato-typology/constitutional diagnosis/body reading, meditation, and somatic practices, and has expertise in the relationship of archetypes and music to expanded consciousness. He received a Certificate in Psychedelic Therapies and Research from the CIIS and completed ketamine-assisted psychotherapy training. For the past 25 years he has led seminars and classes that explore the interrelationship of biology and consciousness to the arts, sciences, and spirituality.
Silvia Nakkach, MA, MMT, is a Grammy- nominated musician and composer. She is an author, a former clinical psychotherapist, and an internationally accredited specialist in cross-cultural applications of the voice, sound, and music in therapeutic processes and shamanic practices. She holds degrees in Education, Clinical Psychology, Music Therapy, and Music Composition from Mills College, Oakland, CA. She is the founding director of the International Vox Mundi School of Sound and the Voice, devoted to the preservation of sacred vocal cultures through performance, education, and spiritual service with ongoing training programs and centers across the world. Silvia was on the adjunct faculty of CIIS where she created the first Certificate program in Sound, Voice and Music in the Healing Arts offered by a major academic institution. She is the academic consultant and core instructor of the New York Open Center Sound Institute Certificate, and she is a regular guest faculty at NYU and other prestigious universities across the world. Silvia interest in the integration of music healing, science, and spiritual traditions has led her to collaborate with renowned masters such as Dr. Claudio Naranjo and Dr. Ralph Metzner. She has released 16 albums, and her latest books are Free Your Voice, published by Sounds True, and the Proceedings of the Yoga & Psyche Conference, published by Cambridge Scholars. Silvia holds a vision of music as a universal language and a vehicle for healing and social change.
Andrew Penn, NP, is a board-certified adult nurse practitioner and psychiatric clinical nurse specialist who trained at the University of California, San Francisco. He is also a CIIS-CPTR graduate. He recently published a book chapter on a patient he treated who was a subject in the phase 2 MDMA/PTSD study. He is a study therapist on the MAPS-sponsored Phase 3 study of MDMA assisted psychotherapy for PTSD and has published on the risks and benefits of cannabinoids in psychiatric treatment. Currently, he serves as an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California-San Francisco School of Nursing where he teaches psychopharmacology and is an Attending Nurse Practitioner at the San Francisco Veterans Administration with the joint UCSF/SFVA NP residency program. He has expertise in psychopharmacological treatment for adult patients and specializes in the treatment of affective disorders and PTSD. Andrew and several colleagues from the 2017 cohort recently founded the Organization of Psychedelic and Entheogenic Nurses (OPENurses.org). He is interested in understanding the psychedelic therapy process through a nursing-informed model of care.
Jennifer Phelps, MD, has spent her 25-year career combining western based medicine with integrative and functional medicine to treat patients in a truly comprehensive manner. This approach allows for healing of emotional and traumatic events that underlie and affect our biologic and physical wellbeing. Jennifer Phelps, M.D., is Board Certified in both Family Practice and Integrative Medicine. Throughout her medical career she has always utilized evidence-based interventions. With her undergraduate degree in biochemistry and having obtained a Master’s degree in pharmacology/toxicology prior to her medical degree, Dr. Phelps always understood that our biochemistry requires constant fine tuning that can be obtained through nutrition, mind body skills, exercise, botanicals, judicious use of supplements, and a minimization of pharmaceuticals to attain and maintain homeostasis.
Pete Reddy, MD, has an active ketamine clinic for the past 5 years with over 250 administrations. He is familiar with the various modalities: IV, IM, and sublingual. Having trained with Helios (Jennifer Dore MD) and Phil Wolfson, MD, he follows their protocols. He's had exceptionally good results in patients with SI (suicidal ideation). He's also facilitated over 50 psychedelic sessions in the harm reduction capacity in Peru. As a qualified MBSR facilitator, Pete brings this unique certification as an adjunct to Psychedelic Therapy.
Denise Renye is a clinical psychologist and has a private practice in San Francisco, where she specializes in sex therapy, psychedelic integration, and somatic yoga therapy. She is interested in working with students who are exploring these areas. She is interested in inclusivity of women, understanding of class and sexuality and how they all interplay in the field of clinical psychedelic therapy and research. Denise values open and direct communication as a mentor as well as assisting her mentee(s) to deepen and enrich their own topics and areas of interest. She also considers it important to guide the development of writing and publishing that can contribute to the field.
William A. Richards, MDiv, PhD, is a psychologist in the Psychiatry Department of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and a clinician in private practice. Dr. Richards is currently pursuing research with entheogens. From 1967 to 1977, he pursued psychotherapy research with LSD, DPT, MDA, and psilocybin at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, including protocols designed to investigate the promise of entheogens in the treatment of alcoholism, severe neuroses, narcotic addiction, and the psychological distress associated with terminal cancer, as well as their use in the training of religious and mental health professionals.
Brian D. Richards, PsyD, completed a Master’s degree in Existential- Phenomenological Psychology at Duquesne University, a Psy.D. at the University of Denver, and a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit, where he contributed to some of the original research administering psilocybin with cancer patients and healthy adults. Dr. Richards was formerly a Clinical Director with MedOptions, the largest behavioral health provider in the United States. He also provides diagnostic psychological testing at Oasis, an acute outpatient center in Maryland and is a Lead Trainer and Mentor for Compass Pathways. Dr. Richards is now working on clinical research protocols administering psilocybin for Treatment Resistant Depression at Sheppard Pratt Hospital. He is Lead Psychologist on an innovative group administration psilocybin trial with Cancer patients at the Aquilino Cancer Center in Rockville, Maryland. This cutting-edge, purpose-built psychedelic medicine clinic—located in a busy outpatient oncology center, is the first of its kind in the world, and may serve as a prototype for future clinics nationwide.
Shawn Rubin, PhD, is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with nearly two decades of experience in clinical practice. His approach has been informed by extensive training in the depth psychologies of humanistic-existentialism and contemporary psychoanalysis. Dr. Rubin earned his doctorate from the Center for Humanistic Studies Graduate School in Detroit, Michigan (now the Michigan School of Professional Psychology in Farmington Hills, Michigan) where he was mentored by Clark Moustakas, Ph.D., one of the original founders of the Humanistic movement in psychology. Dr. Rubin had the privilege of co-teaching with Dr. Moustakas and teaches graduate courses based on his pioneering theories of relationship play therapy with children, the existential-phenomenological model of dream interpretation, and the heuristic model of qualitative research.
Arlene Samen, RN, APRN, has over 37 years’ experience working in women’s health as a Nurse Practitioner. She has traveled the world to make sure women do not die in childbirth. Along this journey she has worked with many women who suffer from PTSD. She graduated from the inaugural CIIS Psychedelic Assisted Therapy training program in 2016. Her primary interest is working with women with trauma in particular sexual or physical abuse. Attending the course she realized the great benefits of psychedelic assisted therapy in reducing the suffering that has destroyed so many women’s lives.
Adrian Scharfetter, PhD, is an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist and LMFT working in private practice in Sacramento and Berkeley, CA. Adrian is a graduate of the CIIS certificate program 1st year cohort in 2016. He has worked in the field as an Adherence Rater with MAPS between 2014-2019 during Phase II and III research, and his current studies is focused around couples therapy, intimacy issues, and theoretical ways of entheogenic exploration to help. Adrian has a PhD in human consciousness research, and his dissertation explored catharsis and how it shows up in peak experiences and psychedelic-assisted therapies. His focus in research is in human sexuality, surrender and love, cathartic integration, psychedelics and communication, psychedelics and spirituality, and human consciousness studies. Any student called to work within these realms of human expression, sexuality, and connection/ communication would be a great fit with him.
SungLim Shin, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist in MA. She is a 2020 graduate of the CPTR program and a CPTR mentor for the 2021 class. Sung is currently in private practice of Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy in Cambridge, MA and also is a study therapist for the MAPS Clinical Study of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD in Boston. She is especially interested in working with communities of color and disadvantaged or underserved communities.
Ronald D. Siegel, PhD, is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School/Cambridge Health Alliance, where he has taught for more than 30 years, and an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He received his Doctor of Psychology degree from Rutgers University and completed his clinical internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Siegel is a longtime student of mindfulness practices and serves on the board of directors and faculty of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy. He teaches internationally about mindfulness and its application to psychotherapy and other fields, has worked for many years in community mental health, and maintains a private clinical practice in Lincoln, Massachusetts. Dr. Siegel is also a contributor to other professional books and publications, including Psychotherapy Networker and Contemporary Psychology, and is a co-director of the annual Harvard Medical School conference on Meditation and Psychotherapy. Dr. Siegel has taught workshops for diverse organizations, and his work has been featured on National Public Radio and on local radio and television programs.
Anne St Goar, MD, was a primary care doctor at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates in Watertown, MA for 30 years until August 2013. During her last 5 or so years of practice she became increasingly aware of how significant and widespread PTSD was and how many somatic complaints that physicians could not figure out how to diagnosis or treat might be related to trauma. In exploring how to treat PTSD, she came across the work that MAPS was doing in phase 2 trials and reached out to Rick Doblin to learn more. She spent a week with Annie and Michael Mithoefer of MAPS in 2012 as they were training the therapists for the Boulder Phase 2 team and that convinced her that she wanted to get more involved in this work. Dr. St. Goar was part of the first CPTR cohort at CIIS in 2016 and then completed the MAPS training to become a Phase 3 therapist in 2017 and was a therapist on the Boston MAPS team for the first half of the phase 3 trial using MDMA assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. In July 2018, she started the Boston Psychedelic Research Group (BPRG) for anyone interested in learning more about this field. The BPRG has been meeting every other month since then and because they have been virtual since March 2020 they have members from all over the world and are committed to helping form other similar groups in other communities. She helped bring the 2021 CPTR cohort to Boston and is the lead facilitator for that cohort. She is also on the advisory council for the Center for the Neuroscience of Psychedelics at the Mass General Hospital.
Michael Stanger, MD, is psychiatrist formerly based in Oakland, CA. Michael is currently working in the Psychiatric Emergency Service in Denver, Colorado. He has had a general clinical practice and specialization in ketamine assisted psychotherapy for depression and anxiety spectrum disorder, including PTSD and, OCD. In that capacity, Michael worked primarily with intramuscular and oral lozenges dosing to alleviate acute distress and explore psychological dimensions that underpin mental health.
Chris Stauffer, MD, is a psychiatrist and addiction medicine physician. He completed residency at UCSF in 2014. His research centers around using psychopharmacology (e.g., MDMA, psilocybin, oxytocin) to enhance the effects of psychotherapy. He has been Study Physician and Therapist for MAPS-sponsored Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD and a trial of psilocybin-assisted group therapy for long-term AIDS survivors at UCSF. He has also led many studies of intranasal oxytocin, including an RCT of oxytocin-enhanced MI group therapy for methamphetamine use in MSM. Clinically, he focuses on PTSD and substance use disorders, primarily in Veterans and LGBTQ populations. He has formally taught attachment theory, and its relation to complex PTSD and addiction, to psychiatry residents and fellows since 2012. He recently migrated back to Portland, Oregon, where he looks forward to continuing his research and clinical work at his medical school alma mater, OHSU, and the Portland VA.
Jan Edl Stein, MFT, is a licensed psychotherapist in practice 30+ years and the director of Holos Institute. She has been on adjunct faculty at CIIS, has been on the Admissions Commitee of the CIIS Certificate Program in Psychedelic Therapies and Research, and now curates the Holos Ecopsychology Certificate Program along with an annual ecopsychology conference. Her practice is informed by many years of study in self-psychology, ecopsychology, depth psychology and shamanism. Jan is trained in Ericksonian hypnotherapy, EMDR, and Brainspotting. Her passions include the integration of shamanic techniques into psychotherapy and ecopsychology. Jan has spent 25 years immersed in studying shamanic traditions from around the world, seeking indigenous wisdom to inform her work and right relationship to the natural world. She also has many years of practice and involvement in the Integral yoga of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, vipassana meditation, and earth-based wisdom traditions. Jan is interested in how we integrate expansive experiences into deep personal transformations that offer reciprocal healing in the world.
Robert C. Strayhan, MD, graduated from Meharry Medical College in 1983. He completed residency training at Wilford Hall Medical Center USAF in 1987. Robert is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Robert is a graduate of the 2020 CIIS center for Psychedelic Assisted Therapies and Research certificate program. He has had career long interests in cross-cultural psychiatry, end of life care and transpersonal psychiatry.
Raymond Turpin, MD, has been studying the therapeutic uses of psychedelics and the relevant literature since the mid-1980s, hoping to eventually legally use these medicines in his psychology practice. Specializing in the treatment of trauma, Dr. Turpin has extensive experience with children, adolescents, and families in a multitude of settings but has recently focused his practice on older adolescents and adults. Dr. Turpin earned his master's degree in psychology from West Georgia College and his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the CIIS. He graduated from the CPTR Program in 2017. In addition to his private psychotherapy practice in Waynesville, NC, Dr. Turpin is a Co-Lead Clinical Investigator in a MAPS-sponsored Expanded Access program for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment-resistant PTSD.
Jessica Yu, NP, has been a family and psychiatric nurse practitioner with 23 years of clinical experience. She has six years of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy experience. Jessica is a mindful self-compassion trained teacher. She also has a medical anthropology background. Jessica has teaching and precepting experience with the University of California San Francisco School of Nursing. She is a current Doctor of Nursing practice student at the University of California San Francisco, exploring mindfulness and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.
Contact Us
CIIS Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research
1453 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Email: admincptr@ciis.edu
Phone: (415) 575-6243
We are an academic program, and we are not able to provide therapist referrals at this time.
