Beckley Academy Publishes First Open-Source Learning Framework to Advance Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Training Standards

NEW YORK, Feb. 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Beckley Academy, the learning studio that prepares and trains practitioners to provide psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) with Ketamine, Psilocybin, and MDMA, announced today the open-source publication of its research: A Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Learning Framework. This industry-first learning framework will serve as a much-needed foundation to advance national training standards for clinicians to provide ethical and effective psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Currently, no national training standards or certifications exist for psychedelic practitioners, though many organizations have independently created training programs, practice guidelines, and codes of ethics. Beckley Academy co-founding team members Deborah Gardner and Shirelle Noble recognized the opportunity to analyze existing publications and create a unified framework.

“Our learning framework will help ensure future PAT clinicians are exposed to what matters most and will help usher in mainstream acceptance of psychedelic care,” said Deborah Gardner, Head of Education.

Beckley Academy’s PAT Learning Framework, the first of its kind, is currently under peer review by the steering committee of the American Psychedelic Practitioners Association (APPA), who intend to use the research as a foundation for developing clinical practice guidelines.

“This research provides a best-in-class methodology and a baseline set of learning objectives to debate and build upon. Clinicians, policymakers, and educators have been waiting for this type of expert analysis to move forward with the important task of setting clinical practice guidelines,” said Megan Bowers Patterson, Director of Operations and Business Development at APPA. “By making this research open-source, the team at Beckley Academy is empowering organizations and educators to rapidly advance the creation of training standards.”

One of the significant publications cited in the learning framework is the MAPS MDMA-Assisted Therapy Code of Ethics. “Therapy is key to patient outcomes,” said Rick Doblin, Founder and President of the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). “This important research contribution highlights that psychedelic-assisted therapy is essentially about the therapy rather than the psychedelic compound. The work Beckley Academy is doing to understand how therapeutic skills are conceived and taught is essential to enabling millions of people's healing and minimizing the risk of difficult outcomes that could have been mitigated with proper training.”

About Beckley Academy
Beckley Academy, co-founded by Beckley Waves and guided by Amanda Feilding, stems from the research and contributions of the Beckley Foundation, which is at the forefront of shaping global drug policy. Beckley Academy received its first investment from Beckley Waves, Amanda Feilding’s catalytic venture studio, to become the leading training organization with a focus on preparing mental health professionals to use ketamine, psilocybin, and MDMA to treat patients. With its trainers, contributors, and leadership team, Beckley Academy brings a wealth of expertise and experience in online education, behavioral health training, mental health, and psychedelic research from renowned organizations such as MAPS, Johns Hopkins, Imperial College, and others.

Media Contact:
Neil Davies
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