Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy: a plain guide

KAP is psychotherapy first. A licensed therapist prepares with you, is with you during the sessions in which ketamine is given, and works with you afterwards on what came up. The ketamine itself is prescribed by a licensed medical prescriber, who decides whether it is appropriate for you and at what dose.

It is not a stand-alone medication service, and it is not a retreat activity. Whether it is right for someone is a clinical decision, made with the clinicians after an assessment.

Ketamine was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1970 as an anesthetic. In 2019 the FDA approved esketamine, a nasal spray made from one form of the ketamine molecule, for adults with treatment-resistant depression, and in January 2025 it was approved for use on its own for that condition. Esketamine is available only through a restricted program, in certified healthcare settings.

The ketamine used in most ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is a different, older formulation, prescribed off-label: a licensed prescriber may prescribe an approved medicine for a use the FDA has not specifically approved, on their own clinical judgment. That is why the prescriber's assessment matters so much.

Practices differ, and the clinicians set the plan, but a course typically includes a first consultation, a medical evaluation by the prescriber, one or more preparation sessions with the therapist, the sessions in which ketamine is given with the therapist present, and integration sessions afterwards.

Screening looks at medical history, including blood pressure and heart health, current medications, and mental health history. Some people are advised against it. That conversation happens with the clinicians, before anything is scheduled.

Halcyon does not provide medical or clinical services. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is provided by licensed clinicians of Presence of Mind Therapy, under their own licences and professional judgment. Halcyon provides the setting: a private house on Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, the quiet, and the hours around each session.

Maureen Lennon-Schafer, LCSW, founded Presence of Mind Therapy and is certified in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, which her practice provides in New Jersey with partner prescribing physicians. It begins with a conversation, not a booking: ask for a meeting and Maureen will be in touch to talk it through with you.