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Safety Planning for Patients Desiring Psilocybin Therapy

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*Exclusive for members.

Wednesday, October 29th at 5 pm Pacific, 8 pm Eastern

An EXCLUSIVE Panel Discussion for Members of the Psychedelic Medicine Association:

Safety Planning for Patients Desiring Psilocybin Therapy

Host:

Lynn Marie Morski, MD, JD

Lynn Marie Morski, MD, JD

President, Psychedelic Medicine Association

Panelists:

Seth Mehr, MD

Seth Mehr, MD

Health & Safety Director, Instructor and Licensed Psilocybin Facilitator, Innertrek

Dr. Seth Mehr started his career as an Emergency Medicine physician, working for 20 years at a busy community hospital in Portland, Oregon. He founded Cascade Psychedelic Medicine in 2021, treating clients with depression, anxiety, postpartum depression and PTSD with psychedelic ketamine therapy. He served as a study physician for an MDMA-assisted therapy clinical trial for Social Anxiety Disorder. He currently serves as Health & Safety Director, Instructor and licensed psilocybin facilitator at Innertrek, in Portland. He is also a musician who brings live instrumentation into his psychedelic offerings.

Benjamin Malcolm, PharmD, MPH, BCPP

Benjamin Malcolm, PharmD, MPH

Psychopharmacology Consultant and Psychedelic Educator; Founder, Spirit Pharmacist LLC

Dr. Ben Malcolm earned his bachelor’s degree (BS) in pharmacology at the University of California at Santa Barbara, prior to his Masters in Public Health (MPH) and Doctorate of Pharmacy (PharmD) at Touro University California. He then completed post-graduate residencies in Acute Care at Scripps Mercy Hospital and Psychiatric Pharmacy at the University of California at San Diego Health. 

After residency he passed his exam to become Board Certified in Psychiatric Pharmacy (BCPP). He began his career as an Assistant Clinical Professor at Western University of Health Sciences (WUHS), College of Pharmacy before transitioning to his current entrepreneurial role as a Psychopharmacology Consultant, Psychedelic Educator, and Founder of Spirit Pharmacist.

Ben envisions a society in which access to psychedelic drugs in a variety of safe and supported settings is available for purposes of psychospiritual well-being, personal development, ceremonial sacraments, and treatment of mental illness. His focus is on the intersection between psychiatric medications and psychedelic therapies. He has given several Continuing Education presentations to pharmacists and other healthcare professionals as well as published over a dozen articles in peer-reviewed literature relating to psychedelics or psychiatric medications. His vision guides his clinical and education service-related professional activity.

Kayli Howard, MA

Licensed Psilocybin Facilitator, Marriage & Family Therapist Associate, Trainer Faculty for Fluence

Kayli Howard has a MA in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, where she trained as a Marriage and Family Therapist. In 2023 she received certification in Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy through Fluence. She is one of Oregon’s first licensed psilocybin facilitators. Since receiving licensure she has guided nearly 150 legal psychedelic journeys and was awarded the “Clients' Choice” in Althea's Psilocybin Outcome Awards. She trains upcoming psychedelic facilitators as a faculty member of Fluence’s Colorado Natural Medicine program.

Reid Robison, MD, MBA

Chief Medical Officer at Novamind/Co-founder at Cedar Psychiatry

Dr. Reid Robison is a board-certified psychiatrist and Chief Medical Officer at Novamind. Reid is co-founder at Cedar Psychiatry and serves as Medical Director of Center for Change, a top Eating Disorder program. He is currently the coordinating investigator for the MAPS MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy study of Eating Disorders. Reid is adjunct faculty at the University of Utah, founder of the Polizzi Free Clinic, and provides medical support and psychedelic therapy at plant medicine retreats abroad.

As access to psilocybin therapy expands through adult-use models like in Oregon and Colorado, clinicians are increasingly called upon to evaluate patient safety and readiness before facilitating psychedelic experiences. While enthusiasm for psilocybin’s therapeutic potential grows, thoughtful risk assessment and individualized planning remain essential to safe and ethical practice.

This month’s webinar will explore comprehensive safety planning for patients preparing to undergo psilocybin therapy. Our panelists will outline key medical, pharmacologic, and psychiatric considerations that inform risk assessment and clinical decision-making. The session will emphasize a collaborative, nuanced approach that prioritizes informed consent, harm reduction, and contingency planning over binary “fit/unfit” determinations.

In this webinar, our panelists will cover:

  • Major risk categories for psilocybin therapy, including medical conditions, medication interactions, and psychiatric history
  • Safety considerations for patients with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, seizure history, or substance use disorders
  • Guidance on serotonergic medications and evolving understanding of serotonin toxicity risk
  • Managing complex cases, such as clients with family histories of psychosis or active suicidal ideation
  • Harm reduction strategies, including preparatory interventions and the use of alternative therapies when psilocybin is contraindicated
  • Developing contingency plans for medical or psychological emergencies during psychedelic sessions
  • Best practices for informed consent and shared decision-making in psychedelic therapy

As always, there will be ample time for audience Q & A, so you’ll get to interact with the panelists directly!

So please join us for this live panel discussion on Wednesday, October 29th at 5 pm Pacific, 8 pm Eastern. This is exclusively for members of the Psychedelic Medicine Association, so if you have not yet registered, please do so here. And for members, please register for the panel here. A link to the recording will be available afterward if you cannot make it to the live event.

Hope to see you all on the 29th!

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