Advisor

Nurit Fischer-Shemer

Course

Practice-Informed Research in Health Systems

Document Type

Capstone

Publication Date

Fall 12-1-2024

Purpose

This study looked into the social work perspective on psychedelic assisted therapy (PAT) and how it affects client care and access to services. With the use of social media and sharing through peers, we were able to gather information regarding individuals bias, knowledge, and attitudes towards PAT. With our findings, we hope to emphasize the importance of the social work perspective on this modality, the professions necessity to increase knowledge in this topic, and to ensure clients are provided with the full range of therapeutic treatments. We also hope to gather a better understanding of the current barriers in place and how that can affect client care. The war on drugs in the 1970s cultivated a society in which there is stigma surrounding the use of psychedelics. This initiative has resulted in funding and regulations for therapeutic use of psychedelics to be denied, halting research studies from moving into clinical trials to determine that psychedelics have a space in therapy. Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is a modality that has been reemerging since the 1980s and has further grown in popularity in a variety of countries, including the United States. Due to federal regulations PAT is not a modality that is offered throughout the US, with the exception of Oregon and Colorado. However, over the past fifteen to twenty years, more clinical research has been conducted to the best of their ability given the limitations of legality and using psychedelics. Many of these research studies have shown effectiveness of the use of psychedelics in addressing specific mental health diagnoses. Current literature argues the effectiveness of PAT in individuals with behavioral health disorders such as PTSD (Mohamed, et.al, 2022), mood disorders, including anxiety and depression (dos Santos, et.al, 2018), and substance use disorders (Koslowski, et.al, 2022)

Methods

A mixed-methods online survey was utilized to gather information regarding social worker’s bias, attitudes, and knowledge of PAT. Through the use of social media, the questionnaire was shared within online social work groups to gather opinions from throughout the US. There were a total of 44 participants who all hold or are pursuing a social work degree.

Findings & Conclusions

The study revealed a significant knowledge gap regarding PAT among social work professionals, with 52.3% of respondents reporting no familiarity with the modality. Additionally, the data revealed a contrast between current knowledge and professional interest. Despite low familiarity levels, over 60% of respondents expressed interest in receiving PAT training if legally sanctioned. The study found multiple significant barriers to implementing PAT, including lack of trained professionals, limited insurance coverage, and legal restrictions. With these new barriers identified, this study could help in bringing awareness to social workers about this modality and how it could potentially broaden client treatment options.

Recommendations

Based on our findings, our recommendations include:

  • Educational initiatives to close the knowledge gap between social workers and the psychedelic assisted therapy modality.
  • Practice implications to focus on service delivery models and cultural competency.
  • Policy development on new regulatory frameworks and professional standards development.
  • Training and supervision frameworks to ensure safe and effective PAT practice.

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5.Iv_Jo.pdf (5813 kB)
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