Inaugural Graduates of the Psychedelic Therapy Training Program (PTTP)

The Columbia School of Social Work (CSSW) is proud to announce the inaugural cohort of 19 graduates from the first ever in-degree, psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) program in the world. 

The Psychedelic Therapy Training Program (PTTP), led by Dr. Heidi Allen and Brooke Stott, LMSW, consists of four classes that are taken during the advanced clinical practice year of the MSSW program. Students are exposed to the history, regulatory contexts, social issues, and clinical skills during their coursework – they also log 600 hours of practicum learning at various PAT sites in New York City.

“It has been such a joy to teach students who are passionate about the subject area,” said Dr. Heidi Allen, associate professor of social work and provost’s senior faculty teaching scholar. “They have thrown themselves into the course work with such enthusiasm, and every class has been rich with discussion.” 

Dr. Allen is a health services researcher who studies access to healthcare in the United States. Her research shows that mental health conditions are not randomly distributed in the population – in fact, marginalized groups of people have overall higher burdens of mental health disease. 

“I became interested in psychedelics because when innovation enters the U.S. healthcare system, it isn't spread out evenly among everybody,” Dr. Allen said. “People with the best insurance or people who can pay out of pocket are first in line to receive the care – that’s often the inverse of who needs it the most.”

Brooke Stott, adjunct lecturer at CSSW and program manager of the PTTP, defines psychedelic therapy as “a mental health intervention that leverages altered consciousness to help people access memories, emotions, and shifts in ways of thinking that might not otherwise be accessible.” She and Dr. Allen look forward to sharing their curriculum and working with other colleges and universities across the country to ensure PAT accessibility goes up, while its price and exclusivity go down. 

“There are plenty of examples of other [mental health] interventions that are more costly than average but get coverage due to their efficacy and cost savings in the long run,” Brooke said. “Our model stands to promote access and equity.” 

PTTP students speak highly of the program, emphasizing the fact that they have received hands-on skills to work directly with the medicine while also being provided a 360 view of developments in policy, research, and practicum. As new research surrounding PAT emerges, they have learned to adapt to the constantly evolving landscape. 

“This program really empowers us to be our own leaders in the field,” said Claire Bostrom, graduate of the PTTP inaugural cohort. “My colleagues and I have discussed how this curriculum should be embedded in all social work programs – the things we are learning are so universal.” 

According to Dr. Allen and Brooke Stott, postgraduate PAT programs can cost upwards of ten thousand dollars. They strive to provide this training to as many students as possible at no additional cost to their MSSW tuition – their hope is that once students graduate, they can bring these services to individuals and communities that wouldn’t normally have access.  

“The goal is that other schools of social work follow so we can meet the need,” Dr. Allen said. “I want the values and ethics of our profession to permeate the psychedelic ecosystem and shape future practices.”