Psychedelic / Ketamine Preparation & Integration Rates, Referrals
Ketamine psychedelic therapy is a collaboration between an independent medical provider and a psychedelic mental health specialist, such as psychotherapist, coach, doula facilitator, shaman, guide or other human support. Support for the experience of ketamine and psychedelic medicines is essential in preventing harm, and maximizing any positive benefits these medicines may offer in the reduction of suffering in humans and other animals.
How to get started with ketamine psychedelic therapy?
Collaboration between independent medical providers and psychedelic mental health specialists
Getting started with ketamine therapy
Psychedelic Therapy Referral
Independent medical providers oversee the medical aspects of your treatment
- See a licensed medical provider
- An independent medical clinician and / or your primary care provider will assess you for your ketamine prescription and the setting of your medicine session that is most appropriate for you. Although some of this may be accessible remotely, an in-person medical visit is recommended. A medical and / or psychiatric diagnosis may be required. Your medical provider will discuss this with you. Your medical visit is an additional cost consideration. Your medical provider will recommend the route of administration, setting, dosing strategy and safety protocol in collaboration with a licensed pharmacist.
- Not sure how to talk to your medical provider about your mental health? Take a mental health test (offered by Mental Health America), which you can share with your medical provider. They will confirm with their own assessments, which are also offered remotely or in office.
Taconic Psychiatry - Dr. Pruett is an independent psychiatrist, with a mental health team available in person and via telehealth available in most states.
What is the ketamine psychedelic therapy experience like?
Ketamine Practice Guide
- Schedule Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy & Support Intake & Preparation Sessions
Michael DeMarco, PhD is a licensed psychotherapist and life coach specializing in psychedelic-assisted preparation, support and integration
Psychedelic Therapy Rates
Treatment plans, Rates, Payment Options
Psychedelic Preparation/Integration Coaching Rate
A sliding scale is available.
**Additional expense considerations: medical visit by your referring provider and the cost of your generic compounded racemic ketamine charged by your pharmacy, and be sure to ask them about their sliding scale model.
Will ketamine psychedelic therapy be covered by insurance?
While some clients may working within the medical healthcare system, others are working from an ongoing mental health and life coaching model. While your local insurance plan may cover aspects of your medical care, life coaching and medicine journey hours are not billable to insurance plans.
If you have mental health benefits, you may be able to get part of your care reimbursed to you according to your plan. Working with a licensed psychotherapist in your state allows you to submit data to your health insurance company so that you may get part of the cost of your care reimbursed to you, or directly to your care provider, once you have paid their corporation enough money. These are called “premiums”.
Coaches, psychedelic facilitators, etc are not able to submit claims for their services to insurance corporations, and are not providing a medical service.
Note: a medical / psychiatric diagnosis is required for most third party insurance reimbursement.
Coaching does not require a psychiatric diagnosis
Thrizer.com helps you successfully navigate your out-of-network benefits
Many people do not have health insurance that provides adequate coverage for psychedelic mental health psychotherapy reimbursement.
A fee for service model with transparent pricing is what many practitioners rely on to exist.
Estimate Your Healthcare and mental health costs with and without health insurance. 90837 is a standard 60 minute psychotherapy session. You can also check out medical costs for an idea of going rates in your area. Refer to your health plan for specific reimbursement details.
Fair Health Consumer— Industry Standard Fees
What about "psychedelic insurance"?
Insurance plans paid for directly by you, or by your employer have various tradeoffs related to coverage, privacy, clinician pay, etc. Adding the word "psychedelic" may make this sound like a new type of plan, but healthcare insurance corporations cover mental health and medical health services provided by licensed healthcare providers for medical services (medical visits) and mental health services (psychotherapy). These companies reimburse MD's at a higher rate for the same procedure code than a mental health counselor, for example.
Ketamine and naltrexone have been studied in certain substance use disorder cases.
Preparing for Ketamine Therapy
Ketamine Preparation, Support & Integration Curriculum Outline
Michael DeMarco, PhD
Download Practice Guide outlines a general rationale for approach, and an abbreviated review of the literature on psychedelic ketamine + cognitive behavioral therapy.
Collaboration, and clarification of roles are key elements in working with physical and mental health. Medical providers oversee the medical / psychiatric aspects of your assessment and prescription medicines, the pharmacist dispenses a medication and has explained to you its side effects and how to take it.
Support for the experience of the medicine is through practitioners of mental health or spiritual care guide, doula, chaplain, therapist counselor, nurse, shaman or doula.
The overall costs of treatment reflects each of these practitioners time and overhead.
The Psychedelic Institute Project aims to connect medical groups which provide medical oversight and harm reduction support and/or consultation for your medical provider and/or ongoing mental health provider. Otherwise, ask your medical provider if ketamine therapy might be appropriate for your particular mental health and wellness plan.
The Institute has no financial stake or gain from any of these independent practices. The cost of your medical visits and the cost of your medicine are additional considerations.
Telehealth providers increase access to medicine by specializing in at-home / in-home care
Mystics Health
IV-Ketamine in-office
New York (Various options in Manhattan, Brooklyn)
Sara Herman, MD, California, Bay Area
Licensed and accredited compounding pharmacies are an essential part of modern medicine, and can formulate medicines into forms most conducive to treatment of the individual. The following compounding pharmacies come with recommendations from providers and clients. The Institute has no financial stake or gain in these independent businesses. Your medical provider may work with another licensed pharmacy.
We advocate for all forms of psychedelic medicines be available in compounding pharmacies around the world, available in collaboration with psychedelic mental health support.
*Obtaining accreditation by the pharmacy compounding accreditation board, part 1: an overview
Joe Cabaleiro Rph
Ketamine Harm Reduction
There is a lot of misinformation surrounding ketamine safety, leading to misuse, tolerance and psychological dependence.
PlanetMedicines
For crisis support & additional harm reduction services can help you decide what level of care you might need when you're having a mental health crisis. When things feel more stable, ask your doctor for telehealth and talk therapy.
Telehealth Mental Health Support
Telehealth for mental health services, including prescription medicines, has existed for decades
Medication-assisted therapy is not new, or specific to ketamine, and is different than self-medicating, “at home ketamine”, in-office Spravato, or any other psychiatric drug administered without mental health support.
Psychotherapy, coaching and chaplaincy may be done in person, in an office, in nature, via telehealth, in hospice, hospital, temple, jungle, or by phone
Ketamine-assisted therapy in office, at home, or via telehealth has helped increase access to care for such a large number of suffering! Community support is more available than ever online. It's important to practice the concepts you are learning in mental health counseling and psychotherapy at home and in community. Mental health coaches, and organizations like CBT-based SMART Recovery help make that possible.
Collaborating with a specialist in psychedelic therapy for medically-guided, therapeutic ketamine offers one solution to some of the issues of dependence, diversion, or misuse and a reduction in the likelihood of personal harm from the use of this medicine, or any medicine that may affect your mental health and well-being.
Psychotherapy (along with integrating counseling and coaching) in conjunction with medicine in the least amount that will do the most good over time, continues to be offered in offices, via telehealth, in home, and at home. Mental health practitioners have offered telehealth sessions, in-home and other out-of-office settings for decades.
The setting of prescription medicine use is guided by your independent medical provider’s understanding of an evolving set of Standards of Care in Psychedelic Medicines and Therapies, scope of practice and competency.
See Ketamine for Depression (Hyde, 2015) and The Ketamine Papers (Wolfson & Hartelius, 2016) for a synopsis of 60+ years of ketamine research adding to more than 100 years of research in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in mental health and recovery treatment practice.
Michael DeMarco, PhD
Psychedelic therapy preparation and support addresses the experience of being a human who has chosen to work with a medicine.
Ketamine via mouth has been safely prescribed by mental health and pain management specialists for at-home use for decades in psychiatry, pain management, palliative care, hospice, and end-of-life care with proper level of support.
Michael DeMarco, PhD
Ketamine Preparation, Support and Integration Worldwide. Harm reduction coaching, acceptance & commitment coach
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy via telehealth available for residents of CA, NY, UT and VT by medical referral.
Addressing the Gap: Real-World Evidence of Technology-Enabled Coaching Services for Mental Health (2025)
Michael DeMarco, PhD
(2025): "Technology-enabled coaching, as part of a blended care platform, improved depression, anxiety, and transdiagnostic emotional processes. Participants with higher baseline depression and anxiety reported greater improvements, highlighting coaching’s effectiveness for people with elevated needs. By redefining care and leveraging technology, coaching may be a scalable treatment solution."
Schedule an intake to see how we might be able to approach our work together
Justin
Michael DeMarco, PhD