Do you ever wonder about the realities behind Oregon’s burgeoning psilocybin therapy landscape? As the first state to implement a regulatory framework around therapeutic psychedelic use, there are a lot of unknowns.
Interest in psychedelic therapy continues to grow, and so do misconceptions around the psychedelic industry. With Oregon specifically, it may be helpful to first check out our article on Measure 109–otherwise known as the Oregon Psilocybin Services Act—and Measure 110.
In brief, state licensed therapy facilities just began opening as of this year, and Oregon residents are quite intensely flooding them for treatment, with waitlists reaching up to 5,000 people.
While these service centers and licensed psychedelic facilitators represent a pivotal step toward widespread societal acknowledgment of the benefits of psychedelics, there are particular drawbacks to these regulatory frameworks.
As you can tell by the title, this article aims to address 5 myths about Oregon’s new psilocybin service centers, in hopes of spreading greater awareness, agency, and resources for informed and safe psychedelic use.
Key Takeaways
- Oregon’s service centers are now known to have waitlists exceeding 3,000 people, as well as high prices with low qualifications for licensure.
- The Oregon Health Authority does not require personal or professional experience with psychedelics to get licensed as a facilitator, nor do they require higher levels of education as is required of our network.
- Service centers are not your only option if you are seeking safe, effective, and quality support during your therapeutic psychedelic use.
- Psychedelic Passage: Your Psychedelic Concierge — The easy, legal way to find trustworthy psilocybin guides, facilitators and psychedelic-assisted therapy near you in the United States.
Myth #1: Service Centers Are the Only Legal Way to Seek Psychedelic Therapy in Oregon.
As Psychedelic Passage, a company dedicated to offering resources and accessibility to a network of qualified psychedelic facilitators, we feel compelled to set the record straight: the process of selecting a facilitation service is nuanced, and it’s important to know that you have options when making your decision.
Examining the licensure requirements, as outlined by the Oregon Health Authority, provides insights into the qualifications of those facilitators, and going through a state-licensed service center isn’t your only option, let alone your best one.
While the basic criteria for OHA licensure includes age, residency, a high school diploma, and completion of a training program and exam, it’s crucial to note the absence of mandates for personal psychedelic experience or professional expertise in guiding others through psychedelic journeys.
Here at Psychedelic Passage, our vetting process has a higher standard for acceptance into our network, including extensive background checks, a college degree, personal and professional experience with psychedelics and more.
Because of the many issues surrounding service center accessibility, we want to offer another option for those who are frustrated with the process at play in Oregon. For more information, book a call with us today to inquire more about our network of facilitators and get started on your healing journey.
Myth #2: It’s as Easy as Signing Up, Scheduling an Appointment, and Starting Treatment.
Some service centers are known to have up to 3,000 to 5,000 people-long waiting lists with the capacity to only administer 20 sessions per month. That’s about a 20% acceptance rate for being treated in a given year.
Odds are, you’ll be waiting years before you are selected for treatment, and while not all service centers have such a lengthy wait-time, there are only 17 open centers in the state at the moment.
Finding a location which has a desirable setting, a competent facilitator available, and affordable pricing may be extremely difficult, leading those who do find a way in to potentially compromise on important facets of the treatment quality.
There are simply a lot of boundaries with this regulatory model, and the fact that the system is still in its infancy means that, even though people need timely access to these therapies, the majority of those seeking help will not receive it through a state service center.
While we do assess potential clients with substantial mental health and physical health screenings, the process is smooth, quick, and straight-forward. We help navigate you from beginning to end, from preparation to integration for a smooth process.
While we are a referral service, we do ensure that those facilitators who are approved for our country-wide network are responsive, highly qualified, professional, and reputable service providers, and even better, you can journey within the comfort of your own home!
Myth #3: The Fact That Service Centers Are Licensed Means That Facilitators Are Qualified.
Navigating the selection of a facilitator, arguably the most pivotal decision for any individual embarking on a psychedelic journey, proves to be a more intricate task than one might anticipate.
One thing you may have also noticed is that being a licensed therapist is not a requirement for either OHA nor Psychedelic Passage, however, many in our network are licensed.
Compounding the issue, there exists no transparent mechanism for addressing complaints against facilitators in the OHA model, leaving the accountability for potential malpractice unclear.
This minimalistic licensure framework may inadvertently create a false impression of comprehensive competence among practitioners during a critical and sensitive therapeutic juncture. It’s also relevant to note that state-licensed facilitators are not directly affiliated with any service center.
This means that journeyers may have trouble finding facilitator-specific reviews or trouble distinguishing between service center quality and individual facilitator quality.
Equally noteworthy is the absence of a stipulation for a consistent facilitator from preparation through integration. While some programs maintain a single practitioner throughout the entire process, certain offerings in the market may involve different practitioners at various stages.
Myth #4: The OHA Program Is Facilitated by a Licensed Therapist.
Contrary to popular assumptions, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) program does NOT exclusively provide facilitation licensure to licensed therapists.
This means, in conjunction with their surprisingly low standards and requirements for program completion, many state-licensed facilitators have no formal therapeutic education.
We want to clarify that our concern is not aimed at crediting the value of a facilitator to mental health licensure. Proficiency varies across all professions, and the same holds true for licensed therapists.
Just as there are excellent and mediocre doctors despite having a medical license, mental health licensure doesn’t automatically translate to effective facilitation skills.
Our primary concern lies in the absence of crucial barriers and qualifications within the Oregon Health Authority program for psychedelic facilitators. The OHA program lacks professional experience requirements, personal psychedelic experience prerequisites, and psychological evaluations or human interviews before receiving licensure.
We want to highlight the nuanced reality surrounding the qualifications of facilitators, particularly in comparison to our own standards which we believe to be at a much higher and safer standard for our clients.
And although our network of facilitators includes licensed therapists, pre-requisites also include higher levels of education and substantial personal experience with psychedelic medicine. Of our other vetting requirements which the OHA does not include are background checks, college degrees, and personal psychedelic use.
That’s right, the OHA does not require that their facilitators even have personal experience with the medicine they are administering. That means that you could be guided by someone who has never even journeyed themselves.
In challenging this misconception, we affirm that our facilitators, licensed therapists or otherwise, adhere to elevated standards. Our commitment to excellence goes beyond the basic requirements, because our top priority is your safety and wellbeing.
Myth #5: A Regulatory Framework Means Insurance Can Cover Costs.
One last misconception that we will address about the service center industry is the assumption that the existence of a regulatory framework for therapeutic psychedelic use in Oregon means that pricing will be accessible for most people or health insurance could help cover the costs.
In reality, insurance companies do not help cover the costs of psilocybin therapy in Oregon or anywhere else in the US for that matter, and your best bet at receiving financial assistance for a psilocybin session is to apply for a scholarship with whatever company you are working with.
This is because insurance providers have yet to uniformly embrace psychedelic therapy within their coverage frameworks, and unlike some conventional medical treatments, psychedelic therapy may not align with established criteria for coverage.
You should be aware of this reality, so that you can manage your expectations and explore alternative avenues, such as sliding scale payment options and financial aid programs to make this transformative experience accessible.
Luckily, we at Psychedelic Passage offer access to affordable, professionally facilitated psychedelic experiences with opportunities for sliding scale pricing and financial aid application for optimal accessibility in any state, including Oregon.
In comparison to those offered at Oregon’s service centers, our pricing is comparable to the most accessible and affordable options on the market but with top tier accommodations and resources similar to those service center fees reaching up to $5k or more.
And even more, we currently have no waitlists in Oregon. Not only is our network vetted to the highest standards (higher than those required by the Oregon Health Authority), but our model also provides greater freedom of choice when it comes to location, dosage, and substance.
Our aim is to make intentional psychedelic use as safe, supported, and positive of an experience as possible by providing access to these resources and facilitation services, and we wish you healing and wholeness on your journey!
Our Vision For Ethically Competitive Psychedelic Therapy
We want to be clear: Our intention is not to demonize Oregon’s centers; we genuinely hope for improvements, seeing them as a potential proof-of-concept for broader adoption of psychedelic therapy in the US.
The reality is that most of the 715 individuals who availed themselves of regulated services last year likely experienced some form of benefit or positive support.
However, as we begin to observe the consequences of current standards, our responsibility is to educate where awareness is lacking. We sincerely applaud Oregon for pioneering standards in psychedelic therapy, becoming a guiding force for others.
But celebrating milestones should not overshadow the need for conversations about areas that need improvement—areas we, ourselves, have addressed and enhanced. Our aspiration is for the entire industry to evolve into an ethically competitive space.
We believe this will require open dialogue, constructive critique, and collective efforts to elevate standards. That is why we will persist in educating the public about our services, enabling them to understand the industry’s pitfalls by comparing them to higher standards.
Get Matched with a Trusted Psychedelic Therapy Provider Near You
Hi there! We sincerely hope that you’ve found valuable takeaways that resonate with your current intentions. To explore research-based education, stay updated with psychedelic news, and benefit from practical how-to articles, we encourage you to head over to our resources page.
If you’re seeking personalized advice and are prepared to take the first step toward a therapeutic psychedelic experience, we invite you to book a consultation with our team of experienced psychedelic concierges.
This consultation is more than just a conversation; it’s an opportunity to be matched with a trustworthy local facilitator. You’ll be seamlessly connected to our rigorously vetted network of psychedelic guides, ensuring potential matches align with your needs.
Psychedelic Passage offers confidence and peace of mind by alleviating the burden of having to guess who’s right for you. If you want to discover how Psychedelic Passage can help you, we empower you to learn more about our services and check out client testimonials from those who’ve gone before you.
Your healing path is uniquely yours, and our commitment is to serve you at every juncture. Psychedelic Passage: Your Psychedelic Concierge — The easy, legal way to find trustworthy psilocybin guides, facilitators and psychedelic-assisted therapy near you in the United States.
6 september 2019
