KAP

What is Ketamine?
● Ketamine is a legal, safe, and effective medicine used to treat a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety and PTSD. Ketamine has rapidly-acting antidepressant and mood-enhancing effects, which can begin to take effect within 1-2 hrs. after treatment and last for up to 2 weeks. It works by blocking the brain’s NMDA receptors as well as by stimulating AMPA receptors, which are thought to help form new synaptic connections and boost neural circuits that regulate stress and mood. Ketamine has also been shown to enhance overall neuroplasticity for lasting symptom improvement.

● Ketamine can be administered in a variety of ways, including IV infusion, intramuscular injection, via nasal spray and using sublingual lozenges. In our work with Journey Clinical we only use the sublingual lozenge form.

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How Does Ketamine Feel?
● The effects of ketamine, which most patients find pleasant, last for approximately 45 minutes. These effects can make you feel “far from” your body, and facilitate shifts in perception that can often feel expansive in nature. Your motor and verbal abilities will be reduced, so you’ll be lying down in a comfortable position during the experience. Once these effects subsided, you’ll spend the remainder of your appointment processing and discussing your experience. While it may feel hard to articulate what happened during the experience, patients feel like the insights gained are nonetheless clear. Studies have shown that the benefits to mood and neurological growth can last up to two weeks after the Ketamine experience.

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How Does Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Work?
1. Initial consultation with Journey Clinical

● You schedule an initial evaluation with a clinician from the Journey Clinical medical team via zoom. They will go over your medical and psychiatric history with you, provide education on the treatment and determine if you are eligible for KAP.

● If Journey Clinical’s medical team determines that you are eligible for KAP, they will develop a personalized Ketamine prescription and outcome monitoring plan for you.

● Journey Clinical’s medical staff will write a ketamine prescription for you, and a small amount of oral ketamine will be sent to your home, enough for the first 2 KAP sessions. You will be taught to take your vitals and self-administer the ketamine lozenges by Journey Clinical’s medical team in advance of your KAP sessions.

2. Preparation sessions:

● Once you receive your ketamine lozenges, we will schedule your KAP preparation, dosing, and integration sessions. The preparation session will be scheduled just like a regular therapy session prior to the KAP dosing session. The goal of a preparation session is to align on the process and set intentions for your KAP sessions together with your therapist.

3. KAP Dosing Session:

● A typical ketamine dosing session lasts between 2-3 hours and takes place in-person in your therapist's office.

● During a dosing session, you will self-administer your ketamine lozenge. You will be in a comfortable, reclining position wearing an eye mask and listening to calming music. Although a KAP dosing session may be largely an internal experience, your therapist will be present with you the entire time to hold space and provide support as needed.

4. Integration Sessions:

● After your KAP dosing session, you will meet with your therapist for an integration therapy session to review the memories, thoughts & insights that arose during your dosing session, and to prepare for the next dosing session.

5. Follow-up consultations with Journey Clinical:

● After your first KAP session, Journey Clinical’s medical team schedules regular follow ups with you to monitor outcomes and prescribe ketamine lozenge refills, as appropriate. The frequency of follow ups depends on your unique treatment plan, at a minimum of once per quarter.



What is the Cost of Treatment?
● Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy is an affordable, accessible modality. Although the medical intake and follow ups are not covered by insurance, they are eligible for out-of-network reimbursement.

○ Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy

■ Our typical hourly rate is $150-200/hr, depending on the provider.

○ Journey Clinical Medical Costs

■ First-time patients

● Initial medical consultation with Journey Clinical: $250

● Cost of medication: $88 (enough for 2 sessions)

■ Ongoing treatment

● Follow-up medical consultation with Journey Clinical $150 (at least 1x per quarter)

● Cost of medication: $148 (enough for up to 6 sessions)



How Do I Sign Up?
● If you would like to explore the possibility of working with us on KAP, please contact us to discuss eligibility and next steps.



What is Journey Clinical?
● Journey Clinical is a platform for licensed psychotherapists to incorporate science-based psychedelic therapies in their practice safely and effectively, starting with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). Journey Clinical’s in-house medical team takes on patient eligibility, prescriptions and outcome monitoring, while we take on the therapy. Their collaborative care model is designed to deliver personalized treatment plans to meet your individual needs and improve long-term outcomes.



Helpful Resources:

1. Paradigms of Ketamine Treatment by Raquel Bennett, Psy.D. for MAPS

2. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP): Patient Demographics, Clinical Data and Outcomes in Three Large Practices Administering Ketamine with Psychotherapy - research study by Jennifer Dore et al, 2018

3. Ketamine for Depression and Mood Disorders by Erica Zelfand, ND for Townsend Letter

4. Ketamine-Facilitated Psychotherapy for Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression by goop

5. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy with Jonathan Sabbagh of Journey Clinical - Psychology Talk Podcast