Social Work and Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies: Practice Considerations for Breakthrough Treatments
Authors: Courtney Hutchison and Sara Bressi
Source: Clinical Social Work Journal, (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-019-00743-x
Publication type: Article
Abstract: The re-emergence of therapeutic uses for mind-altering, psychedelic drugs has brought the field of mental health to a new frontier in research, practice, and policymaking. In the past two decades dozens of clinical trials investigating therapeutic applications of psychedelics-including MDMA, psilocybin, and ketamine-have shown promising results in the treatment of trauma-related disorders, some forms of anxiety, and depression. These substances have also garnered preliminary support from the Food and Drug Administration, which has fast-tracked their development. As the field of psychedelic science continues to grow, a serious consideration of these novel treatments in the context of social work practice and values is imperative. This paper offers a brief overview of MDMA-, psilocybin-, and ketamine-assisted treatments, and presents an initial discussion of questions pertinent to social work practice raised by their use, including: safety, efficacy, theory of change, training needs, and social justice considerations.