This year has been a rewarding year for the MDMA Therapy Training Program, with a shift to entirely virtual trainings and an expanded capacity for cohort sizes. The training program enrolled 800 trainees in their 2021 online cohorts.
Eight trainers facilitated the summer and fall virtual cohorts: Michael Mithoefer, M.D., Annie Mithoefer, B.S.N., Bruce Poulter, M.P.H., Marcela Ot’alora G., M.A. L.P.C., Brooke Balliett L.M.F.T., Phil Lister M.D., Ido Siemion, Ph.D., and Keren Tzarfaty, Ph.D., M.F.T.
This year also saw the rollout and implementation of our Health Equity Scholarship initiative, which is a part of a larger commitment to increasing inclusion and equity in our programs. Over the course of this year, we were able to allocate and award $900,000 in Health Equity scholarships in support of 231 scholarship recipients. We are currently working to continue and expand this initiative for 2022 and beyond.
By awarding funds through the MAPS Health Equity Scholarship, the MDMA Therapy Training Program hopes to continue the efforts to create these outcomes in 2022:
· Create a more accessible training program to ensure that the network of MDMA-Assisted Therapy Practitioners is vast and able to support diverse communities suffering from a spectrum of trauma.
· Increase the number of MAPS-Certified MDMA-Assisted Therapy Practitioners who identify as Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
· Train and learn from more therapy practitioners who live and work in historically marginalized communities.
· Foster connection and validate unique experiences of trauma in marginalized communities.
Trainings for 2022
The MDMA Therapy Training team is planning a variety of formats for 2022, including options for blended (online/in person) trainings and entirely virtual trainings. Dates, locations, and final details are in the process of being coordinated and secured. Stay tuned to the MAPS PBC website for more details on the 2022 training schedule.
Application Information
The training application will remain open for future cohorts. Applications will be reviewed during an admissions and screening process for upcoming cohorts. Apply here.
Previously submitted applications will remain on file and will be reviewed for upcoming training opportunities.
For eligible applicants interested in applying for a MAPS Health Equity Scholarship, please find more information and the application on our scholarship webpage.
New Training Collaboration with Naropa University
We’re excited to announce our new collaboration with Naropa University! The Naropa University Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies is a ten-month contemplatively-based professional training program featuring a hybrid delivery of online and intensive retreat-based learning. This non-degree certificate will provide post-graduate level training in essential aspects of psychedelic-assisted therapy, trauma-informed care, and spiritual integration. In collaboration with MAPS, Naropa offers specialized training in the clinical use of MDMA in approved settings. Trainees will also gain foundational competencies in psilocybin therapies and ketamine-assisted therapy.
Naropa began as a Buddhist-inspired university and is now an institution that brings together contemplative pedagogy and a commitment to socially-engaged activism. The certificate program formally opened applications on November 15, 2021, and the program will begin in March of 2022. Registration begins in January and space is limited. Learn more and apply now!
