KETAMINE-ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY

TRAINING COURSE

Elevate Your Practice in Just 4 Days: A Trauma-Informed Approach to KAP

What is this program?

Our comprehensive Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) training course is designed to equip you with an in-depth understanding of the benefits of ketamine.

This program is led by experienced professionals Wendy Byrd, LMFT, LPC, and Robin Perlmutter, LCSW co-founders of Connected Heart Therapy. Participants will gain extensive knowledge about KAP, developing a comprehension understanding of its effects across biological, chemical, neurological, emotional, and spiritual dimensions.

Learn about KAP’s history, benefits, and the importance of psychotherapy to help clients access the benefits of Ketamine. Master practical skills for helping clients, while enhancing your practice by blending trauma-informed care with Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy. Learn how Ketamine creates neuroplasticity and allows the brain to recover from trauma. Explore safety, addiction, and the broader psychedelic scene.

You will learn how to effectively support clients throughout their ketamine experiences — before, during, and after sessions — ensuring a holistic approach to their overall well-being.

Learning outcomes:

Participate in two optional experiential ketamine experiences (intramuscular) supported by a fellow trainee and on-site medical staff (participation is contingent upon medical approval).
Learn how to integrate ketamine-assisted psychotherapy into clinical practice.
Develop a comprehensive treatment approach that includes ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.
Learn how to integrate trauma-informed care treatment plans into your KAP practice.
Understand the psychological and physiological effects of ketamine and differentiate between various dosing and administration routes.
Describe the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ketamine, including its mechanisms of action and neurobiology.
Identify the indications and contraindications for ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and assess clients' suitability for ketamine treatment.
Prepare clients for ketamine sessions, including conducting assessments, obtaining informed consent, and setting intentions for the therapeutic experience.
Understand the three paradigms of working with ketamine: the biochemical, psychedelic, and psychedelic models of change.
Learn how to create a safe and supportive environment with particular attention to set and setting for ketamine sessions.
Understand the role of music and playlist creation in KAP.
Learn how to guide clients through non-ordinary states of consciousness and employ techniques for guiding clients during the ketamine experience.
Describe the three phases of a typical KAP session.
Learn how to integrate ketamine into clinical practice while tailoring treatment plans based on client's needs and presenting concerns.
Address DEI in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, including understanding cultural perspectives on psychedelics and addressing diversity and equity issues.
Learn how to use broaching to integrate DEI issues in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy sessions.
Comply with ethical guidelines, current standards, and legal requirements for ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, including risk management strategies, informed consent, and documentation.
Stay informed about emerging research and future directions in the field.
Learn how to access resources for ongoing learning and networking opportunities in the field of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.

Meet the trainers:

Robin Landers, LCSW

Robin Landers, LCSW is a highly experienced psychotherapist, educator, and certified EMDR therapist, as well as an EMDRIA-approved consultant. With over two decades in mental health treatment, she specializes in trauma-informed care and innovative therapeutic approaches. Based in Austin, Texas, Robin has been at the forefront of integrating EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP), pioneering protocols that enhance healing and transformation.

After years in solo private practice, Robin co-founded Connected Heart Therapy, expanding her commitment to holistic mental health care and professional education. As an EMDR consultant and Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy trainer, she facilitates basic trainings, mentors clinicians, and educates other mental health professionals in EMDR and KAP protocols. Her expertise is rooted in a deep understanding of trauma, healing and the transformative power of personal growth.

Robin’s clinical work spans individual and couples therapy, with a focus on complex trauma, psychedelic-assisted therapies, and systems-centered therapy. She has worked with diverse populations, from adolescents in the juvenile justice system to adults seeking transformative therapeutic experiences. Trained in MDMA-Assisted Therapy, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, and Systems-Centered Therapy, she brings a compassionate, integrative approach to mental health treatment.

Robin remains deeply dedicated to advancing the field through training, mentorship, and innovative clinical applications, continually refining her work to support both clients and fellow professionals in achieving meaningful psychological change.

Wendy Byrd, MA, LMFT, LPC

Wendy Byrd, LMFT, LPC is a distinguished psychotherapist, educator, and EMDRIA Approved Trainer based in Austin, Texas. She brings extensive expertise in innovative therapeutic approaches, including Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) and EMDR. She has been featured on Good Morning America and in Newsweek, speaking to the transformative potential of these cutting-edge therapeutic modalities.

Since establishing her practice in 2007, Wendy has become known for her holistic approach to therapy and professional education. Her expertise in KAP is grounded in a deep understanding of trauma, healing, and the profound potential for personal transformation. As an EMDRIA Approved Trainer, she has dedicated herself to advancing the field by training and mentoring other mental health professionals in both EMDR and KAP protocols.

Throughout her career, Wendy has demonstrated leadership in the mental health community through her service on both local and national professional associations' boards. She has presented at national conferences, particularly noted for her innovative work in integrating various therapeutic modalities, including her approach to incorporating EMDR into couples therapy. Her background includes significant experience working with complex trauma, having previously specialized in adolescent and child therapy in residential treatment settings.

Coby Phillips, PA-C

Coby Phillips is a nationally certified Physician Assistant and Licensed Massage Therapist with over 25 years of experience across multiple surgical specialties, integrative psychiatry, pain management, and therapeutic bodywork. For the past eight years, her focus has included the transformative use of ketamine as a tool for healing — especially for those navigating emotional exhaustion, trauma, life transitions, and end-of-life journeys.

Coby offers a person-centered approach to ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP). Her sessions are safe, slow, and attuned to the body, allowing space for emergence, emotional release, and clarity. With a deep trust in the body’s innate intelligence, Coby integrates breathwork, gentle somatic awareness, and trauma-informed presence into her work with clients.

Coby’s commitment to healing is grounded in the belief that every individual deserves access to effective, personalized care. Whether she’s supporting veterans, first responders, healthcare workers, or those grieving the loss of identity, purpose, or vitality — she honors the full arc of the human experience. Her recent training as a death doula with the End of Life Psychedelic Care Project deepens her ability to support threshold experiences with reverence and grace.

As she bridges high-stakes medical systems and sacred healing traditions, Coby understands what it means to walk between worlds. Her practice honors not only science and structure, but the unseen dimensions of healing — including the regulation and safety offered through animal companionship. Her beloved canine companion, Zigmund, is a frequent part of her healing container, offering quiet reassurance, presence, and a reminder of the sacred medicine of connection.

Often the initial contact for evaluating the appropriateness of KAP, Coby is honored to be part of each person’s journey, standing as a guide, a witness, and a companion on the path. Utilizing warmth, humility, and somatic wisdom, she creates a space where healing becomes not a goal to strive for — but a homecoming to self.