Social Work and Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies: Practice Considerations for Breakthrough Treatments

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.