Counselors’ attitudes toward psychedelics and their use in therapy

Hearn, Benjamin; Brubaker, Michael D.; Richardson, G. B.

doi:10.1002/jcad.12429

Cited by 24 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…This general finding is different from previous studies in which clinicians voiced less optimistic perceptions of psychedelic-assisted treatment (Davis et al, 2022; Hearn et al, 2022). However, as these were survey studies, participants did not have the opportunity to ask questions or to discuss amongst each other, nor was scientific information on the therapy provided.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…This may be one of the reasons why much stigma exists regarding MDMA. Previous research suggests that clinicians often hold negative perceptions of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, including MDMA-AP (Davis et al, 2022; Hearn et al, 2022). Given the age of the patients, MDMA-assisted treatment for adolescents might be an even more controversial topic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

MDMA-assisted psychotherapy with adolescents suffering from PTSD: Do or don’t? a qualitative study with youth, parents, and clinicians

van Vugt,

Zijlmans,

Lindauer

et al. 2023

Drug Science, Policy and Law

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Background PTSD in adolescence causes much suffering and has substantial health-care costs. Many patients with severe PTSD do not respond to psychotherapy or continue to have symptoms despite trauma-focused psychotherapies and psychopharmacological treatment. A recent alternative in the search for cost-effective treatments for PTSD in adults is 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy (MDMA-assisted psychotherapy). However, no research has yet been conducted on the therapeutic potential of MDMA for adolescents. Aims of the study The purpose of this study is to investigate the perspectives of adolescents, parents, and clinicians about the possible clinical application of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for adolescents with PTSD. Method We performed focus groups in three samples: (a) 16–24-year-olds who had undergone trauma therapy ( N = 9), (b) parents of traumatized children ( N = 4), and (c) trauma clinicians ( N = 6). Focus group topics included: perception of and associations with MDMA, opinions on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, risks/benefits, and precautions to take prior to possible adolescent clinical trials with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. Results In all groups, initial participant attitudes towards MDMA were predominantly unfavorable, except for several adolescents who had conducted preliminary research on the subject. After a standardized explanation of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, provided in each group, all but one participant changed their minds and supported the idea of implementing MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for adolescents. They all emphasized the importance of conducting research first. Conclusion Our findings suggest that when provided with information on what MDMA-assisted psychotherapy entails, adolescents, parents, and clinicians are open to the idea of exploring this type of treatment for adolescents.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

MDMA-assisted psychotherapy with adolescents suffering from PTSD: Do or don’t? a qualitative study with youth, parents, and clinicians

van Vugt,

Zijlmans,

Lindauer

et al. 2023

Drug Science, Policy and Law

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“…Our findings were generally consistent with the existing literature on attitudes on psychedelics. An association of younger age and male gender with more positive attitudes on psychedelics that we found was also previously observed by Barnett et al 29 and Hearn et al 33 . Likewise, Reynolds et al conducted a qualitative study involving HCWs working with terminally ill patients and observed that an interviewee’s knowledge influences the way they talk about and perceive psychedelics 34 , thus the correlation of knowledge and attitudes on psychedelics that we observed confirms and quantifies their field observations.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Corrigan et al surveyed patients’ opinions on psilocybin therapy 31 . A study by Davis et al assessed American psychologists’ opinions on psychedelics 32 , while Hearn et al surveyed counselors in the United States 33 . All studies have so far used unvalidated self-developed questionnaires and presented their results as a cross-sectional overview of responses for each item.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validation of a new instrument for assessing attitudes on psychedelics in the general population

Žuljević

Buljan

Leskur

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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Although there is research interest to assess attitudes on psychedelics, no validated instrument exists for this purpose. We aimed to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the Attitudes on Psychedelics Questionnaire (APQ) in a sample of the Croatian general population. A cross-sectional, web-based survey among the general population was conducted on 1153 participants (62.1% female, 77.7% with a graduate or high school degree, 15.1% health care workers). We assessed participants’ ability to recognize psychedelic substances using a short knowledge test. The APQ consists of 20 items with four sub-scales: Legal Use of Psychedelics, Effects of Psychedelics, Risk Assessment of Psychedelics, and Openness to Psychedelics. This model demonstrated best fit in a confirmatory factor analysis. Total scale reliability was excellent (McDonald’s ω = 0.949, 95% CI = 0.944–0.953). A strong correlation with a similar unvalidated measure (r = 0.885, P < 0.001) demonstrated convergent validity. We observed an association between attitudes and knowledge on psychedelics (r = 0.494, P < 0.001). Younger age, male gender, and lower educational status were associated with higher APQ scores. The APQ is valid, reliable, and could be applied in assessing educational interventions, patients’ treatment outcomes, and the attitudes of different groups of experts. We encourage further validation of the APQ in English.

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“…Notably, psychiatrists of all grades reported significant training needs and lacking preparedness or confidence to deliver psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy should it become available. Overall, most research conducted in this nascent field converges on the conclusion that a majority of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals – including psychologists and counsellors (24,25) – are supportive of further clinical research with psychedelics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

UK medical students’ self-reported knowledge and harm assessment of psychedelics and their application in clinical research: a cross-sectional study

Song-Smith,

Jacobs,

Rucker

et al. 2023

Preprint

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ObjectiveTo capture UK medical students’ self-reported knowledge and harm assessment of psychedelics and to explore the factors associated with support for changing the legal status of psychedelics to facilitate further research.DesignCross-sectional, anonymous online survey of UK medical students using a non-random sampling method.SettingUK medical schools recognised by the General Medical Council.ParticipantsThe sample consisted of 132 medical students who had spent an average of 3.8 years (SD=1.4; range: 1 to 6) in medical school.ResultsMost students (83%) reported that they were aware of psychedelic research and only four participants (3%) said that they were not interested in learning more about this type of research. Although medical students’ harm assessment of psychedelics closely aligned with that of experts, only 17% of students felt well-educated on psychedelic research. Teachings on psychedelics were only rarely encountered in their curriculum. Time spent at medical schools was not associated with more knowledge about psychedelics. On average, this sample of medical students showed strong support for changing the legal status of psychedelics to facilitate further research into their potential clinical applications. Regression modelling indicated that greater knowledge of psychedelics, lower estimated harm scores, more time spent in medical school, and lower perceived effectiveness of nonpharmacological mental health treatments were associated with a support for legal status change.ConclusionsThis is the first study to explore UK medical students’ self-reported knowledge and attitudes towards psychedelics and their application in clinical research. Our findings reveal a significant interest among medical students to learn more about psychedelic research and a strong support for further psychedelic research. Future studies are needed to examine how medical education could be refined to adequately prepare medical students for a changing healthcare landscape in which psychedelic-assisted therapy could soon be implemented in clinical practice.Strengths and limitations of this studyThis study presents the first survey of UK medical students’ attitudes towards psychedelics and their application in clinical research.The wide-ranging assessment included medical students’ self-reported knowledge of psychedelics, a multidimensional harm assessment of psychedelics, level of support for changing the legal status of psychedelics to facilitate further research into their potential clinical applications, and students’ perceptions of medical education on psychedelics and psychedelic research.The cross-sectional nature of our data prevented us from drawing causal conclusions about potential changes in students’ attitudes and knowledge over time.The limited range of demographic variables did not allow for an in-depth characterisation of this sample and important predictors of attitudes might have been missed. Non-random sampling and selection bias could have impacted the generalisability of our findings as students already interested in drugs might have been more likely to participate.

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Counselors’ attitudes toward psychedelics and their use in therapy

Cited by 24 publications

References 52 publications

MDMA-assisted psychotherapy with adolescents suffering from PTSD: Do or don’t? a qualitative study with youth, parents, and clinicians

MDMA-assisted psychotherapy with adolescents suffering from PTSD: Do or don’t? a qualitative study with youth, parents, and clinicians

Validation of a new instrument for assessing attitudes on psychedelics in the general population

UK medical students’ self-reported knowledge and harm assessment of psychedelics and their application in clinical research: a cross-sectional study

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