Webinar Dec 9th, 2024 Max Wolff: What competencies should psychedelic therapists have and develop?

To practice psychedelic therapy safely and effectively, practitioners need a broad range of competences. Many of these overlap with what is needed from regular psychotherapy practices, but there are also psychedelic-specific areas. Psychologist and psychotherapist Max Wolff, who leads MIND Foundation’s Augmented Psychotherapy Training (APT) program, will present on the topic on Monday Dec 9th 2024 at 6PM (UTC+2) in a free webinar lecture organized by the Finnish Association for Psychedelic Research. 

The presentation introduces 12 essential competencies of psychedelic therapists that form the basis of the MIND Foundation’s Augmented Psychotherapy Training (APT). 

The basic competences include:

1. the application of psychotherapeutic concepts, methods and attitudes, 
2. understanding the scientific and medical foundations as well as 
3. the cultural and medical history of psychedelic therapy, 
4. complying with legal requirements and addressing ethical challenges as well as 
5. existential aspects of psychedelic therapy, and not least 
6. a learning-oriented attitude toward psychedelic self-experience. 

Practical competences include:

7. professional communication and cooperation in multi-professional teams and 
8. the prevention and treatment of harmful effects of psychedelics
9. screening and treatment planning, 
10. psychotherapeutic preparation for psychedelic experiences, 
11. inducing and accompanying psychedelic experiences in appropriate settings, and 
12. supporting patients in the integration process and transition to the post-treatment phase. 

The importance of these competences will be illustrated with case examples from treatment practice.

The event contains a Q&A section and the total length is 2 hours. The event is free of charge – you can register here. You can support us in organizing such free events by paying our membership fee for 2024. You’ll find our membership products on the main page of our web store. We also accept donations. 

About the speaker:

Dr. rer. nat. Max Wolff is a psychologist and psychotherapist. As Director of Research and Training and a board member of the MIND Foundation, he directs its Augmented Psychotherapy Training (APT) program. As a psychotherapist at the OVID Clinic, the MIND Foundation’s clinical partner, he uses an integrative approach with cognitive-behavioral, acceptance-based and emotion-focused elements. As a therapist and researcher, he is involved in clinical studies such as the EPIsoDE study testing the safety and efficacy of psilocybin in treatment-resistant depression at the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) Mannheim and Charité Berlin. His research focuses on the psychological mechanisms and contextual conditions of psychological changes associated with psychedelic experiences, and aims to make knowledge established by psychotherapy research applicable to the practice of psychedelic therapy.