Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy in Washington, DC

A New Path to Healing, Growth, and Relief

For many people, traditional talk therapy and even medications such as SSRIs can feel limited in addressing deep emotional pain. If you’ve been struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, or a sense of disconnection, you may be searching for an approach that goes beyond symptom management and opens the door to real transformation.

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is an innovative, evidence-based treatment that combines the healing potential of ketamine with the support and guidance of psychotherapy. This approach can help you access new perspectives, reconnect with your inner self, and find relief from suffering in ways that traditional methods sometimes cannot.

Silhouetted dry plant stems against a vibrant sunset with a colorful sky.

Why Consider Ketamine Therapy?

Ketamine is a unique medicine with powerful therapeutic properties. Traditionally, it has been used as an anesthetic, often in hospitals. You may also be familiar with its recreational use at clubs and dance parties, known widely on the street as “K.”  Yet, when used responsibly within the right context, Ketamine can propel powerful psychological transformation. While psilocybin (i.e., mushrooms) is only legal in Oregon and Colorado (as of 2025), Ketamine is legal at the federal level and has been shown to provide rapid relief for conditions such as:

  • Depression (including treatment-resistant depression)

  • Anxiety and panic

  • Post-traumatic stress (PTSD)

  • Persistent negative thought patterns

  • Existential or spiritual distress

For some people, ketamine offers an opening — a window of possibility where long-held emotional patterns can be seen in a new light. With the right guidance, this window can become an opportunity for lasting change and healing.

How Does Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Work?

On its own without psychotherapy, Ketamine can create a powerful experience, working on unique neurotransmitter systems in the brain (e.g., Glutamate, NMDA receptors, GABA) to promote global neuronal network change.  However, the true and often lasting therapeutic effects come from how we prepare for, experience, and integrate the Ketamine sessions. That’s why I offer psychotherapy in conjunction with your Ketamine experiences.

Here’s what the process typically looks like:

You decide where you will have the Ketamine administered. We can discuss options together if you’d like.  I work part-time at Washington Interventional Psychiatry (WIP) in the Spring Valley neighborhood of NW Washington DC. 

 You may contact WIP directly to schedule an intake.  At that time, you can let them know you would like to participate in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy with me.  We will then work as a team to coordinate logistics of your treatment.  I am also affiliated with Avesta Ketamine Clinic with locations in Maryland, Virginia and the Dupont Circle neighborhood of NW DC. 

The psychotherapy component often includes (does not have to include all three):

1. Preparation

We begin by discussing your history, goals, and intentions for treatment. Preparation sessions help build trust, clarify what you’d like to work on, and ensure that ketamine is a safe and appropriate option for you. Together, we’ll explore how to set intentions and create a supportive environment for your sessions.

2. Ketamine Session(s) with Therapist Present

During your ketamine sessions at WIP or elsewhere, you’ll be in a safe, comfortable setting. I will be present with you throughout the experience, offering grounding, reassurance, and gentle guidance as you explore new insights and perspectives.  These sessions typically are allotted a full 2 hours. Clients typically find that they are able to access more memories, feel their emotions more vividly, and identify various patterns in thinking and feeling which may help to examine them more deeply. The degree of my involvement in your session(s) will completely depend on you, the dose you choose, and your preferences.

3. Integration

Perhaps the most important part of ketamine-assisted therapy is what happens afterward. Integration sessions help you make sense of your experience, connect it to your life, and turn insights into meaningful, lasting change. Together, we’ll explore how to carry forward what you’ve learned into your relationships, work, and daily life.

My Approach To Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy And Psychedelic Informed Psychotherapy:

I bring a warm, compassionate, and active therapeutic style to my work with clients.  I’m not here just to listen – I also offer support, perspective, and practical skills to help you create real change in your life. 

I strongly value and respect your personal boundaries in doing this work.  As your Ketamine-assisted therapist, we will discuss safety, level of contact (if any) during sessions, and coping skills to use post-treatment should difficult emotions arise. I believe Ketamine (as well as MDMA, and psychedelics such as psilocybin, ayahuasca and LSD) can offer transformative experiences to those who use them with openness, reverence, and curiosity.  They are soul-revealing and psychospiritual medicines.  I will help you make sense of your experience and integrate it into your life moving forward as best as possible.

My training includes:

  • Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology – The Wright Institute, Berkeley, CA

  • M.A. in Psychology – New York University

  • Certificate in Contemporary Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy – Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, 2023

  • Certification in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) – Ketamine Training Center, 2025

Alongside my private practice, I also work part-time with Washington Interventional Psychiatry as part of their ketamine-assisted therapy team. This collaboration allows me to integrate the best of both psychological insight and innovative medical treatment.

As a gay psychologist in Washington, DC, I’m also deeply committed to offering LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy. I recognize the unique ways that culture, identity, and societal pressures shape our experiences of mental health and healing. My goal is to create a space where every part of you is respected and welcomed.

Ketamine and Psychedelic Resources

Books

  • How to Change Your Mind (Michael Pollan) *Also a Netflix series of the same name

  • Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences (William Richards)

  • The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys (James Fadiman)

  • The Ketamine Papers: Science, Therapy and Transformation (Phil Wolfson, Glen Hartelius)

Begin Your Ketamine Journey

If you’re considering ketamine-assisted therapy in Washington, DC, know that you don’t have to take this step alone. With compassionate guidance, thoughtful preparation, and supportive integration, ketamine therapy can be a powerful tool for healing, growth, and self-discovery.