For Medical, Mental Health and
Allied Health Professionals in Australia
The Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies (CPAT)™ by Mind Medicine Australia (MMA) is a part online and part face-to-face professional training that provides registered healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills to safely and effectively administer psychedelic-assisted therapies (PAT) in clinical settings. Over 500 Psychiatrists and other clinicians have been trained with us.
This program is both for prescribing psychiatrists, as well as other mental health professionals who will be delivering the treatment as part of a multidisciplinary team.
The training is delivered by a world-class faculty made up of global leaders in the field. It teaches best practice for the delivery of PAT, with a focus on psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine-assisted therapy. These are the three psychedelic medicines with regulatory approval in Australia.
Apply now to secure your spot for the February 2025 Intake. Don’t miss out on learning with the world’s best and becoming a leader in this rapidly emerging field.
Financial Assistance places are available for those who can display excellence, need and commitment.
Psychedelic-assisted therapies (PAT) are delivered by treatment teams with three main roles: prescriber, primary therapist and secondary therapist. This course has been developed to address the training needs for the three roles, recognising the desirability of members of PAT teams to understand the entire PAT treatment process and the roles each assumes. The Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy course provides appropriately qualified and experienced healthcare professionals with the necessary capabilities, knowledge and skills to safely and successfully facilitate PAT in a clinical environment, in accordance with their role as prescriber, or primary or secondary therapist.
Please note: Psychiatrists are responsible for prescribing psychedelic medicines. However, they work as part of a multidisciplinary team including other mental health professionals to deliver treatment. This world-class training program is suitable for both prescribers and therapists.
Prescribers: For those who have the necessary qualifications to prescribe psychedelic medicines, this course will equip them with the knowledge and skills to create and document a PAT treatment protocol, and safely prescribe specific psychedelic medicines for specific mental health conditions.
Therapists: The course will prepare appropriately qualified and experienced healthcare professionals with the skills and knowledge necessary to safely and effectively support patients undergoing PAT as primary or secondary therapists. Note that the ability to practice as a primary therapist in PAT is also dependent on prior relevant clinical experience in psychotherapy.
Training focuses on evidence-based, standardised approaches to PAT that may be integrated with clinicians’ existing psychotherapeutic experience and clinical practice. The course includes a combination of face-to-face and online learning and self-study. It is delivered over 13 weeks of online learning and a 6-day full-time, face-to-face residential workshop. The main psychedelic medicines this course focuses on are MDMA, psilocybin and ketamine.
Training of prescribers and therapists occurs together, reflective of the holistic team approach that characterises PAT. In previous iterations of the course, learners have given positive feedback specifically about the value of training together. However, whilst the curriculum is the same for all learners enrolled, in recognition of the unique roles and levels of responsibility of prescribers and therapists, assessment tasks differ for prescribers and therapists and serve to differentiate the CPAT award into two distinct awards: the CPAT-Prescriber and the CPAT-Therapist. Only psychiatrists and medical practitioners will be eligible to complete the assessment for Prescribers and be awarded the CPAT-Prescriber. The awards of CPAT-Prescriber and CPAT-Therapist are dependent on successful completion of all assessment items.
Dr Gita Vaid MD is CPAT’s International Course Director.
Dr Gita Vaid is a Board Certified Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst practicing in New York City. Dr Vaid completed her residency training at NYU Medical Center and her psychoanalytic training at the Institute for Psychoanalytic Education affiliated with NYU. Her early biological and research background includes a completed fellowship in clinical psychopharmacology and neurophysiology at New York Medical College and a research fellowship at NYU Medical Center.
Dr Vaid is currently on faculty and teaches at both IPE and the NYU department of Psychiatry. She has a special interest in teaching interview technique, psychoanalytic theory and British object relations.
Dr Vaid’s current focus and expertise are in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. She is a MAPS trained psychedelic therapist and was part of the NY site Phase 3 MDMA psychotherapy study for PTSD.
Dr Vaid is a leader in ketamine assisted psychotherapy which she practices and teaches in New York City. She serves as a lead instructor at The Ketamine Training Center with psychedelic psychotherapy pioneer, Dr. Phil Wolfson. She is a co-founder of the Center for Natural Intelligence, a multidisciplinary laboratory dedicated to psychedelic psychotherapy innovation and research. She serves as the Director of Psychedelic Awareness and Consciousness research at The Chopra Foundation and with Dr. Deepak Chopra is currently developing protocols integrating meditation with ketamine assisted psychotherapy.
Current publications include:
Vaid G, Walker B. “Psychedelic Psychotherapy: Building Wholeness Through Connection”. Glob Adv Health Med. 2022 Feb 23;11
Gita Vaid, MD, “Psychoanalysis and Psychedelic Psychotherapy : A New Modern Synthesis?” The Wounds of Our Mother Psychoanalysis – New Models for a Psychoanalysis in Crisis.
BA, MD, Doctor of Laws (honoris causa)
Gabor Maté (pronounced GAH-bor MAH-tay) is a retired physician who, after 20 years of family practice and palliative care experience, worked for over a decade in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side with patients challenged by drug addiction and mental illness. The bestselling author of five books published in nearly 40 languages, including the award-winning In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction, Gabor is an internationally renowned speaker highly sought after for his expertise on addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the relationship of stress and illness. For his ground-breaking medical work and writing he has been awarded the Order of Canada, his country’s highest civilian distinction, and the Civic Merit Award from his hometown, Vancouver. His most recent book, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture is a New York Times and international bestseller.
Eli is a consultant psychiatrist and psychodynamic psychotherapist. He is the Medical Director of Malvern Private Hospital, an addiction and trauma hospital in Melbourne. Eli completed the inaugural CPAT course, and has since been on its faculty. He was appointed as the course’s Australian Course Director in 2023.
As a psychiatric trainee, Eli was awarded the Royal College of Psychiatrists Trainee Prize for his Scholarly Project on Depression, as well as a Research Committee Trainee award for his work on Philosophy of Mind. As an adjunct lecturer at Monash University, he oversees medical students on their addiction medicine rotation, and sneaks in lectures on Philosophy of Mind, Psychodynamic Psychiatry and Psychedelic Assisted Therapies (PAT). He has been invited as a key-note speaker by the RANZCP and International Psychoanalytic Association to lecture on PAT. He has been invited by the Victorian Government to design new addiction programs and works with the AFL players association.
Eli is an Associate Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators, and is a member of the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs. He also has extensive research experience with novel therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. He sits on the Victorian Medical Panels, and is an expert witness in historical abuse cases.
Clinically, Eli works in a psychodynamic framework, and attempts to help his patients find freedom from their addictions and trauma through relational experiences, and experiential self-awareness. He is actively treating patients in Australia with MDMA-assisted therapy.
Dr Bessel van der Kolk MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine and President, Trauma Research Foundation, has spent his career studying how children and adults adapt to traumatic experiences, and have tried to translate emerging findings from pharmacology, neuroscience and attachment research to develop and study potentially effective treatments for traumatic stress in children and adults.
In 1984, Dr van der Kolk set up one of the first clinical/research centers in the US dedicated to study and treatment of traumatic stress in civilian populations, which has trained numerous researchers and clinicians specializing in the study and treatment of traumatic stress, and which has been continually funded to research the impact of traumatic stress and effective treatment interventions. He conducted the first studies on the effects of SSRIs on PTSD; he was a member of the first neuroimaging team to investigate how trauma changes brain processes, and he did the first research linking BPD and deliberate self-injury to trauma and neglect in early childhood.
Currently, Dr van der Kolk is Principal Investigator of the Boston arm of the MAPS 1 and 2 studies on the effects of MDMA on people with chronic PTSD. His seminal book The Body keeps the Score , has been on the New York Times best seller list for over 230 weeks, and has been translated into 42 different languages.
Dr Lauren Macdonald is one of CPAT’s Residential Facilitators.
She is a psychiatry doctor, psychedelic therapy guide and group facilitator. For the last few years she has been a clinical trial doctor at The Centre for Psychedelic Research (Imperial College London) investigating psilocybin-assisted therapy for anorexia-nervosa, chronic pain, and treatment-resistant depression.
Alongside her clinical roles Lauren regularly facilitates psilocybin retreats in The Netherlands, and is co-founder of Essence Medicine, an organisation providing psycho-spiritual group support to people facing life threatening illness. Lauren is also passionate about educating future psychedelic facilitators and delivers integrative, experiential and heart-centred training for Mind Medicine (Australia) and PsyEdu (UK).
Lauren has trained in medicine, psychology, MDMA-assisted therapy, and yoga, and continues to be a student of earth-based, indigenous wisdom traditions. She is driven to help people come home to themselves, unfold more of who they truly are, and deepen into the beauty and mystery of life.
Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, Ph.D., is an author, Jungian psychotherapist, a leader in the international Jewish Renewal Movement, and a renowned Jewish scholar and teacher. Widely known for her groundbreaking work on Kabbalah, depth psychology, and the re-integration of the feminine wisdom tradition within Judaism, Rabbi Tirzah lectures and teaches internationally about spiritual and ancient wisdom practices that are honed to assist us at this critical time in world history.
Her latest work, Wounds into Wisdom: Healing Intergenerational Jewish Trauma (Monkfish, 2019) is the recipient of the 2020 Nautilus Book Award Gold in Psychology and the Jewish Women’s Caucus of the Association for Women in Psychology 2020 book award.
BA, MB BChir, MRCP, MA, DM, MRC Psych, FRCPsych, FMedSci, FRCP, FSB
Professor David Nutt is a renowned researcher, policy advisor and author, who is currently Head of Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London.
Under the leadership of Professor Nutt, the Psychedelic Research Group at Imperial College is one of the world’s foremost psychedelic research laboratories, publishing landmark research on psychedelic therapies and neuroimaging studies of the psychedelic state.
Professor Nutt has also held many leadership positions in both UK and European academic, scientific and clinical organisations, including presidencies of: the European Brain Council, the British Neuroscience Association, the British Association of Psychopharmacology, the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology.
He was previously Chair of the UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.
Dr James Fadiman B.A. (Harvard) M.A., Ph.D. (Stanford) began his personal psychedelic research a few weeks before starting his graduate work at Stanford where he did his dissertation on the effectiveness of LSD-assisted therapy. During the research lull of 40 years, he has held a variety of teaching (San Francisco State, Brandeis, and Stanford) consulting, training, counseling and editorial positions. He has taught in psychology departments, design engineering, and for three decades, at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (now Sofia University) that he co-founded.
James has published textbooks, professional books, a self-help book, a novel, and a series of videos, Drugs: the children are choosing for National Public Television. His books have been published in 8 languages. He has been the subject of a one-hour documentary released by Page3 Films, featured in a National Geographic documentary and had three solo shows of his nature photography.
James had his own consulting firm and sat on two non-profit boards as well as having been the president of several small natural resource companies. He has been involved in researching psychedelic for spiritual, therapeutic and creative uses and is known for his pioneering work on microdosing . He has published The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys, and most recently, Your Symphony of Selves: Discover and Understand More of Who You Are. The book he is writing now has the working title All About Microdosing.
Rick Doblin, Ph.D., is the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). He received his doctorate in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where he wrote his dissertation on the regulation of the medical uses of psychedelics and marijuana and his Master’s thesis on a survey of oncologists about smoked marijuana vs. the oral THC pill in nausea control for cancer patients. His undergraduate thesis at New College of Florida was a 25-year follow-up to the classic Good Friday Experiment, which evaluated the potential of psychedelic drugs to catalyze religious experiences. He also conducted a thirty-four year follow-up study to Timothy Leary’s Concord Prison Experiment. Rick studied with Dr Stanislav Grof and was among the first to be certified as a Holotropic Breathwork practitioner. His professional goal is to help develop legal contexts for the beneficial uses of psychedelics and marijuana, primarily as prescription medicines but also for personal growth for otherwise healthy people, and eventually to become a legally licensed psychedelic therapist. He founded MAPS in 1986, and currently resides in Boston with his wife and empty rooms from three children who are all in college or recently graduated.
Dr William A. Richards (Bill), author of Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences, is Director of Therapy at Sunstone Therapies in Rockville, Maryland (USA), currently focused on the implementation of psychedelic-assisted therapy in palliative care.
Bill also is a psychologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research in Baltimore, where he and his colleagues have been pursuing research with psilocybin since 1999, and teaches at the California Institute of Integral Studies and for MMA’s Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies. Bill’s graduate degrees encompass the psychology of religion, theology, comparative religion and clinical psychology.
Bill’s involvement with psychedelic research originated in Germany at the University of Göttingen in 1963. From 1967 to 1977, he pursued research with LSD, DPT, MDA and psilocybin at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center.
Dr. David Erritzoe is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist. He holds a Clinical Senior Lectureship (i.e. Assistant Professorship) in General Psychiatry in the Centres for Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London and CNWL Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. Following training in neuroreceptor PET imaging at Columbia University in New York in 2002/03, he undertook a PhD at University Hospital Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen. Since moving to Imperial College in 2009 he has been conductingand overseeing clinical and neuroimaging trials (using PET, MRI, and EEG) into affective disorders and addiction. David is the Clinical Director of Imperial’s Centre for Psychedelic Research. Since early 2021 he has also headed up a new NHS-based research clinic at St Charles Hospital, the CIPPRes Clinic. He is topic lead in Psychiatry at Imperial College London’s Medical School, whilst also lecturing in MSc and BSc neuroscience programs. He has authored more than 110 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 4 book chapters.
Dr Philip Wolfson MD is Principal Investigator for the MAPS sponsored Phase 2, FDA approved 18-person study of MDMA Assisted Psychotherapy for individuals with significant anxiety due to life threatening illnesses. His clinical practice with ketamine has informed his leadership role in the development of Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy. Phil’s book The Ketamine Papers has been published by MAPS and is the seminal work in the burgeoning ketamine arena. Phil is a sixties activist, psychiatrist/psychotherapist, writer, practicing Buddhist and psychonaut who has lived in the Bay Area for 38 years. He is the author of Noe – A Father/Son Song of Love, Life, Illness and Death (2011, North Atlantic Books).
In the 1980s, he participated in clinical research with MDMA (Ecstasy). He has been awarded five patents for unique herbal medicines. He is a journalist and author of numerous articles on politics, transformation, psychedelics, consciousness and spirit, and was a founding member of the Heffter Research Institute. Phil has taught in the graduate psychology programs at JFK University, CIIS and the UCSF School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry.
Licia Sky is co-founder of the Trauma Research Foundation.
She is a somatic educator, artist, singer-songwriter, and bodyworker who works with traumatized individuals and trains mental health professionals to use mindful meditation in movement, theater exercises, writing, and voice as tools for attunement, healing, and connection. She is a regular instructor in trauma healing workshops at Cape Cod Institute, Kripalu, and Esalen. For the past decade, she has been teaching expanded awareness in workshops to clinicians and laypeople around the world.
Bianca King M.A. is a qualified and experienced Psychological Counsellor and Meditation Teacher, practicing in Geneva, Switzerland. She is co-founder with psychiatrist Dr. Julia King Olivier of the Compassionate Care Center where they carry out Psychedelic Assisted Therapy (PAT) sessions. Bianca is a qualified MAPS MDMA therapist and graduate of the CIIS CPTR training. She has been prominent in the Geneva community for running mindfulness courses for the public, the UN, and International organizations.
Throughout her life, Bianca connected with the practice of vipassana meditation and travelled to Asia to participate in teachings and retreats. She found she was learning about a dimension of the human experience that complimented her education and training in psychotherapy and psychology. For her Masters in Psychotherapy and Counselling through the University of Wales, Bianca concentrated on existential issues as she found her heart was in the work of hospice and palliative care that she had originally experienced at the Petrea King Quest for Life Foundation.
Arthur Christopoulos is Professor of Analytical Pharmacology, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Director of the Neuromedicines Discovery Centre, Monash University, Parkville, Australia. Prior to his appointment as Dean, he was a Senior Principal Research Fellow of the NHMRC. His work focuses on novel paradigms of drug action at G protein-coupled receptors, the largest drug-target class for current medicines, and has been applied to fundamental and translational studies encompassing neurological and psychiatric disorders, cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and chronic pain.
Professor Christopoulos has over 340 publications, including in leading journals such as Nature, Science and Cell. He has also been the recipient of multiple major national and international awards. Since 2014-present, Clarivate Analytics have named him a Highly Cited Researcher in Pharmacology and Toxicology, and in 2021 also named him a Highly Cited Researcher in Biology & Biochemistry. In 2017, he was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and in 2021 was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.
MD
After obtaining her MD degree in 2000 at the University of Geneva medical school, Julia completed four years of residency training in Internal Medicine at the University Hospital of Geneva, before opting to specialize in Psychiatry. In 2010 and 2015 she earned her Swiss FMH certifications respectively for Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy and also for Adolescent/ Child Psychiatry and Psychotherapy. Julia uses an integrative approach drawing from a wide range of psychotherapeutic models in her practice (Freudian psychodynamic theory, Compassion Focused Therapy, EMDR and Mindfulness approaches). She also facilitates two-part ecopsychiatry workshops in natural settings, combining Shinrin Yoku (Japanese forest bathing) with Breathwork.
In 2021 she earned a Certificate in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy and Research from the California Institute of Integral Studies, and co-founded the Compassionate Care Center in Geneva Switzerland with her colleague and co-therapist Bianca King. The center provides innovative and legal psychedelic assisted therapy to Swiss residents who meet the compassionate use criteria of the Swiss Department of Public Health. She completed the five-part certification in MDMA assisted psychotherapy in 2022. Julia’s current plans involve completing the Consultancy Training to become a MAPS PBC trained Consultant and provide support to new MDMA-assisted therapy practitioners. Julia joined the Fluence training team in 2022 and co-wrote and co-facilitates a humanities focused course entitled “Poetry, symbol, story for psychedelic assisted therapy”.
BSc, PH.D
Dr David E. Nichols, PhD is an Adjunct Professor of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Previously he held the Robert C. and Charlotte P. Anderson Distinguished Chair in Pharmacology and was a Distinguished Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at the Purdue University College of Pharmacy. He received his B.S. degree in chemistry from the University of Cincinnati in 1969, and the PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Iowa in 1973, following which he did postdoctoral work in pharmacology at the University of Iowa, College of Medicine. In 2004 he was named the Irwin H. Page Lecturer by the International Society for Serotonin Research and in 2006 he received the first Provost’s Outstanding Graduate Mentor award from Purdue University. He has published more than 300 scientific articles, most of which deal with the relationship between molecular structure and biological action.
Jeff Leifer is an impact advisor and educator in the Psychedelic Medicine space. He is the founder of Circadian, a cross-sector collaboration and experience lab building engaged, resilient communities and presenting powerful voices in the fields of innovative mental health and the study of consciousness.
Jeff co-founded the Psychedelic Research, Education and Policy (PREP) funding program at the Threshold Foundation and currently serves on the board of directors for the Ketamine Research Foundation, focused on psychedelic-assisted therapies for depression, PTSD and end of life support. Jeff also serves on the advisory board for Anuma, exploring digital group therapeutics that combine virtual reality (VR) with the science of psychedelics.
Jeff leads the Psychedelic Listening Project, which documents diverse views on the state of the psychedelic ecosystem to inform best practices for philanthropists. The project will inform stakeholders looking beyond traditional funding approaches, prioritizing models that encourage human flourishing and shared decision-making.
Jeff has also worked extensively with Indigenous communities in the Global South to support the embodiment of plant medicine lineage, traditional ecological knowledge and forest-based, economic resiliency.
Prior to launching Circadian, Jeff thrived in the world of social finance, pioneering capital reforms, collaborative governance and public finance accountability. Jeff has an MBA from Yale University and BA from the University of California at San Diego.
Sara Reed is a mental health futurist and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She has spent her early career examining ways culture informs how we diagnose and treat mental illnesses. Sara has participated as a study therapist and participant in psychedelic therapy research and is currently the lead study therapist at Imperial College London for their psilocybin for OCD trial. She lectures on topics fusing culturally sensitive practices within psychedelic-assisted therapy and advises organizations on anti-oppressive and inclusive practices.
Dr. Trees, a Goori (Dhanggati) woman and GP, is a dedicated healthcare professional, often serving as the sole doctor in remote areas of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, particularly within Aboriginal communities and islands. With over thirty years of experience, she teaches locally and internationally, specialising in Indigenous health and cultures, emphasizing the importance of Indigenous knowledge for humanity’s future. Dr. Trees initially trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine as an acupuncturist before pursuing science.
An advocate for LGBTQ+ rights at the United Nations, she played a role in founding organisations like the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association (AIDA). As the first Indigenous Honours graduate from the University of Sydney School of Medicine, Dr. Trees continues to champion Indigenous values within educational systems. Beyond her medical career, she excels as an award-winning novelist in Magical Realism and Speculative Fiction.
Namae has been exploring altered states of consciousness and working with plants, herbs, fungi, shamanic breathwork and experiential spiritually transformative modalities for over 30 years. Namae’s approach to awakening is rooted in safety, presence, spontaneity, adaptation, and love. Her innovative and feminine approach combines ancient spiritual practices, indigenous and mystical lineages with therapeutic counseling, tantric embodiment, artistic expressions, scientific knowledge, neurobiology, biomimicry, and ecology. She has created tools of deep transformation, shamanic ceremonies, and rituals that help people connect, love, and attain awareness in altered states, supporting their integration and to adapt to subtle and dynamic changes in their lives, to become more whole, and to re-embed themselves in the spiritual potency of Nature.
Namae is also a designer and teacher of a 3-year facilitator training curriculum, Guide of the Heart, as well as training modules to teach facilitators how to guide from love, and connect people to the intelligence of Life. She also manages all aspects of the non-profit, the employees and volunteers, retreats and events, the development of the organization’s website and membership program and CWays Home’s 20-acre property in Oregon.
Before CWays Home, Namae was a self-employed Guide of Conscious Ways LLC, with a private practice serving thousands of individuals and groups. She led spiritual adventure tours to Peru, Bolivia, Australia, and other locations in the States, working with indigenous healers, mystics, shamanic practitioners, spiritual guides, and teachers.
Namae graduated from the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, with a Bachelors of Applied Science in 1980, majoring in Environmental Biology. She created a women’s landscape design company, owned and managed Sunheart Sanctuary, a holistic shamanic breath work center in the Blue Mountains outside Sydney and conducted organizational reviews as a management consultant with the Victorian and Tasmanian State Governments. In 1998, Namae heeded the call to go “walk-about”, traveling first to Hawaii and then around the world to experience and discover what it means to become a citizen of this planet, settling in the States in 2004. She has danced and taught the feminine path of tantra, lived the life of a pantheanic hermit for several years in the forests of Maui, explored the nature of consciousness and played with many artistic expressions.
Namae is deeply devoted to the awakening of Love through direct relationship with the intelligence of Life.
Ashleigh is a Clinical Psychologist, working with The Tavistock Trauma Service in the UK National Health Service and the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London. As a clinician, Ashleigh specialises in the treatment of complex trauma and has worked as a therapist on Imperial’s clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted therapy. In her clinical research, Ashleigh carries out qualitative and psychotherapy process research to better understand clients and practitioners’ experiences of using psychedelic-assisted therapy to treat complex PTSD, depression and anorexia. Ashleigh has co-designed the ARC ethics framework with Dr. Meg Spriggs and colleagues to support the development of safe and ethical practice guidelines in psychedelic-assisted therapies. Ashleigh has also led a psychedelic integration group to help people access therapeutic and community-based peer support after having beneficial or challenging psychedelic experiences. Ashleigh is trained to work flexibly with psychodynamic, systemic, cognitive-behavioural and mindfulness-based therapies.
Francoise Bourzat holds an MA in Somatic Psychology from New College of California (San Francisco, 1990). She was an adjunct faculty in the East West Psychology Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies from 2012 to 2016. Since 1987, Francoise has apprenticed with shamans and healers in the U.S. and Mexico. In the last 25 years, she has traveled with groups to Mexico, incorporating her counseling practice experience with her knowledge of expanded states of consciousness where she partners with Mazatec healers in Sacred Mushrooms ceremonies. She also leads workshops and contributes to conferences internationally. Her book, Consciousness Medicine is available everywhere books are sold.
Trudi is one of CPAT’s Residential Facilitators.
She lives on a Bee Sanctuary nestled in Gumbaynggirr Country on the Mid-North Coast of NSW. Here she has a private practice as a Mental Health Social Worker working somatically, with nature, in trauma-focused care and the integration of experiences. Trudi has worked for over 25 years with expanded states of consciousness through birthwork and earth connection practices.
Trudi is active in the Deep Ecology and Wayapa Wuurrk networks as a practitioner, facilitator and trainer and runs 1:1 sessions, group work, workshops and retreats. Her work is anchored in experiencing pieces that remind us of how we need to nurture ourselves, each other and Country, which has the potential to ignite deep earth, mind, body and spirit connections to what is missing.
She is called to this position within her work to support others to discover and rediscover this connection in times that are changing – and that there are many ways we can work with and hold space for expanded states of consciousness to find meaning.
Trudi was a CPAT student in 2023 and joined the CPAT team in 2024. She is on a joyous quest of exploring the felt sense of connection out there in the world!
LL.B (Hons), GradDipMus
Tania de Jong AM is the co-Founder and Executive Director of Mind Medicine Australia. She regularly presents on psychedelic-assisted therapies, mental health and wellbeing at major conferences and events around the world and to Governments, regulators, clinicians, philanthropists and the general public.
Tania is one of Australia’s most successful female entrepreneurs and innovators developing 6 businesses and 4 charities including Creative Universe, Creativity Australia and With One Voice, Umbrella Foundation, Creative Innovation Global, Pot-Pourri and The Song Room.
As an investment banker Peter Hunt AM advised local and multi-national companies and governments in Australia for nearly 35 years. He co-founded one of Australia’s leading investment banking advisory firms, Caliburn Partnership and was Executive Chairman of Greenhill Australia. Peter was a member of the Advisory Panel of ASIC and chaired the Vincent Fairfax Family Office.
Peter is an active philanthropist involved in funding, developing and scaling social sector organisations which seek to create a better and fairer world. He is Chairman of Mind Medicine Australia which he established with his wife, Tania de Jong, in 2018. He regularly presents to Governments, regulators, clinicians, philanthropists and the general public on psychedelic-assisted therapies and the legal and ethical frameworks needed to ensure these treatments can be made accessible and affordable.
* Please note that faculty is subject to change based on course curriculum, availability and to ensure that overall learning experience is enhanced for the student cohort.
The course will take place over a period of 4 months with:
2025 Cohort 1: February 16 – June 22
Sydney residential: June 2 – 7
Melbourne residential: June 10 – 15
2025 Cohort 2: July 27 – November 16
Sydney residential: October 27 – November 1
Melbourne residential: November 5 – November 10
Download the testimonials from our previous intakes: Download pdf (276.2 KB) Last updated: Jul 11, 2024
Mind Medicine Australia’s Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies™ is endorsed as professional development training by the organisations listed below.
It may also form the basis of individual professional development and training plans. All our training courses and events can also be used to claim ongoing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points in Australia through professional colleges (e.g. through the Australian Psychological Society, RANZCP, RACGP…).
Please check with your professional membership body for the appropriate category and number of points.
The CPAT™ course aims to build on skills already acquired and used by professionals working in the mental health field. The three main roles in administering PAT are the Prescriber, Primary Therapist and Secondary Therapist.
Note that this is not an entry level course that qualifies an individual to practice psychotherapy. Applicants are expected to already be qualified to practice in the mental healthcare field and have relevant clinical experience.
The CPAT™ course is available to a variety of mental healthcare professionals including:
Other relevant healthcare professionals may be considered.
Admission into the CPAT™ is dependent on several factors including potential role in PAT (prescriber, primary therapist, secondary therapist), professional qualifications, and capacity of the applicant to successfully undertake and complete the CPAT™. Preference will be given to applicants who have clinical experience in mental healthcare. Applicants must be registered with AHPRA (Australian applicants) and/or a member of a relevant professional association representing healthcare practitioners and be of good professional standing.
Note that MMA believes that to be a Primary Therapist in PAT, the practitioner should have extensive psychotherapeutic experience, preferably with significant amounts of supervision, and is/has engaged in their own self-development (eg. therapy, experience in altered states).
Applicants who do not work in one of the above professions will be considered if they:
(A) are completing study/training to work in the mental health field
OR
(B) have substantial experience in altered state based work in non-clinical environments such as breathwork practitioners, indigenous healers, shamanic practitioners.
Please note that those from the above categories will receive a certificate of participation in place of a CPAT-prescriber or CPAT-therapist certificate of completion.
Application fee: $250 (non-refundable)
plus
Course fee: $10950 (by installments) or $9950 (upfront payment in full)
Please note:
Mind Medicine Australia has donated funds to The Australian National University (ANU) to enable them to conduct a study of brain activity associated with exposure to psychedelics (including MDMA and psilocybin) in people who have completed training in psychedelic assisted psychotherapy.
Please note that the first payment (of either $9950 or $3650 is required to secure your place in the course).
Please read the FAQs below for Mind Medicine Australia’s (MMA) Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies (CPAT)™. If you have further questions please contact MMA.
Each week of the online course has a 3-hour class, with additional readings, experiential workshops and discussion exercises to support your learning.
We recommend allocating 6-7 hours/week to maximise the learnings and absorb the content.
After receiving your application it will be reviewed within 3 business days. Admission interview times will be shared for applicants who meet the eligibility criteria that you can book within the following 1-2 weeks.
We review interviews at the end of each week. After you complete your admission interview you will be notified by the end of that week with an outcome. Payment in full or the first instalment will be required within 7 business days following an offer.
Live attendance is not required for online sessions. We strongly encourage all students to attend as many sessions live as they can and ask questions and engage with the teachers and other students. All sessions will all be recorded for later viewing for those who cannot attend.
Attendance of the entire residential is required to complete the course.
The course has 4 assessment requirements:
Prescribers and therapists complete the training together. All content is completed by all students.
This structure ensures that all clinicians seeking to work in PAT have a foundational understanding of all areas relevant to delivering these treatments.
Prescribers and therapists will complete different tasks in their final written assessment.
Note that prescribers who are also suitably trained to deliver therapy (such as psychiatrists) will be able to work as both a prescriber and a therapist upon completion of the course.
MMA has found that a diverse, multidisciplinary group of professionals significantly enhances the learning experience. It also leads to a strong network of life-minded professionals who often form clinical groups, networks and teams following the course.
With current regulations, Human Research Ethics Committees (HRECs) and the TGA are responsible for determining who can work as part of the multidisciplinary teams that are required to deliver psilocybin and MDMA-assisted therapy as part of the TGA’s Authorised Prescriber (AP) program.
We can confirm that MMA’s CPAT™ is being accepted by both HRECs and the TGA as suitable training to allow clinicians to work in teams delivering psilocybin and MDMA-assisted therapy.
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) has less regulations around who can work to deliver treatment. CPAT™ graduates will be able to deliver KAP – either by prescribing themselves or partnering with a medical doctor who can prescribe.
CPAT™ is accredited for Continued Professional Development (CPD) with a number of Australian colleges and associations. These are listed on the CPAT™ website. We recommend that graduates ask their college or association to advise how many CPD points they will be credited from the CPAT™ training.
As PAT is a new and developing field, the accreditation standards and structures have not yet been in place to begin accrediting training programs. However, the training is recognised by the HRECs and the TGA. MMA is actively working with the Australian and international educational and other organisations to support further accreditation of the course as it becomes possible to do so.
Funding is available for outstanding practitioners in financial need and those from rural, regional areas and/or those from indigenous or other diverse groups to support part of the tuition fees for the course. Some financial assistance is available on a competitive basis.
Applications open:
Are open for 2024 intakes (applicants will be considered in order of receipt. We expect the program to be over-subscribed so please register early to avoid disappointment.)
Screening and interview/finalise applicants:
Your application is processed as received and contact is made directly to assess further and arrange an interview
Step 1: Complete the Application Form, including payment of your $250 application processing fee.
Step 2: Applications will be screened, and if successful invited to an interview. These are self-scheduled via our online portal
Step 3: If successful in your interview, you will be invited to join the course. You’ll be issued a student agreement and invoice for either $9950 upfront payment or 3 x $3650. Your place in the course will be secured upon receipt of your signed student agreement and your first payment.
Please use the contact form below to get in touch. Alternatively, send us an email to cpat@mindmedicineaustralia.org or give us a call: 03 8679 6015.
By submitting an enrolment application for the Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies (CPAT), you acknowledge that you have read and accepted these Terms and Conditions.
*Subject to regulatory requirements