Certificate graduates will have strong skills and knowledge at a high standard for foundational training and education. For some graduates, this has been built upon by further mentoring via specific training with Heffter, MAPS, and Usona researchers among others, who have already chosen these graduates as study therapists in ongoing psychedelic research projects. This is dependent on the unfolding regulatory processes, the attainment of protocol-specific training, and the available number of therapist researcher positions. As a notable outcome of this program, graduates will also be well positioned to be leaders in bringing awareness to issues of disparities and inequity in healthcare and implementation of diverse representation among researchers and study participants.

Our graduates have the opportunity to prepare to work in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. Some clinical graduates have expanded their practice into this specific area of mental health treatment. The certificate program provides comprehensive didactic training in ketamine with teachers who are leaders in this specialty area. Classes on ketamine-assisted therapy are distributed throughout the program. Classes cover pharmacology, therapeutic interventions, drug interactions, and strategies for creating a ketamine clinic. A list of additional opportunities for further ketamine training in the United States and Europe with an experiential component is given to certificate trainees. This has been a beneficial asset for those trainees interested in advanced practica study in ketamine-assisted therapies, many of whom have opened ketamine-assisted therapy clinics.

Another potential opportunity is for graduates to participate in expanded access clinical research programs. Expanded access is a program that allows patients to receive an investigational treatment not yet approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment outside of a clinical trial. The program is intended for patients with serious or life-threatening conditions who do not have any promising treatment options and are unable to participate in ongoing clinical trials. Only sites within the U.S and U.S territories are eligible to participate in the FDA Expanded Access Program. Similar programs exist internationally such as the Canada Special Access Program and the Compassionate Use Program and Named Patient programs in the EU. Within several years, it is likely that Compass, Usona, and MindMed will be in a position with the FDA to request the opening of these types of programs. We hope that within three years that Lykos will also have obtained sufficient clinical data to identify a population of patients for whom expanded access may be appropriate. These programs will follow a specific protocol, which is developed in consultation with the FDA for the use of the investigational treatment with psilocybin, LSD, and/or MDMA. Expanded access programs are directed by drug companies under the FDA guidelines and will be conducted at approved clinics and medical centers with a variety of mental health and medical professionals running such clinics. Prior to the FDA's requirement of Lykos to close expanded access clinics and generate more data on MDMA-assisted therapy, some of our graduates successfully worked in expanded access clinics approved by Lykos.

A fourth opportunity to be gained from the certificate is an enhanced ability to serve people in our culture who have used psychedelics or other potent practices (e.g., breathwork). The general public has insufficient knowledge and support for the challenging experiences that sometimes occur and less than ideal support for the full unfolding of even positive experiences. Most clergy, therapists and medical professionals have people in their practices and communities who are not disclosing that they are using these psychoactive substances. With this training our graduates will be skilled in addressing psychological material that has arisen for clients and congregation members as the result of their personal psychedelic usage. People in our graduates' practices will be more likely to disclose and to ask for help in the integration of their psychedelically induced mystical, insightful, and/or challenging experiences knowing their clinician is trained in psychedelic-assisted therapies. Graduates might choose to make this integration work a specialization within their practices and communities.

Fifth, CIIS is an approved psilocybin facilitator training program in Oregon (Training Program ID #TP-ce7dd84c). Our certificate graduates who complete our program's requirements in the Oregon subcohort will be eligible to sit for the Oregon facilitator exam and apply for the psilocybin facilitator license in the state of Oregon. This facilitator license enables a person to legally provide psilocybin-assisted therapy at a licensed service center in Oregon. Trainees who do not live in Oregon have taken this training as an advanced opportunity to earn this credential that might become partially transferable in other states approving psychedelics in the future. CIIS is also actively pursuing the requirements to be approved as a natural medicine training program with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA).

Note: The dates are set, but times of day are approximate and may be subject to change.
 

Boston Cohort Schedule for the In-Person Weekends and Training:
The in-person weekend sessions will meet during these times:

• Thursdays from 2pm to 6:30pm ET  
• Fridays and Saturdays from 9am to 6:30pm ET
• Sundays from 9pm to 1pm ET
   

Schedule for the Online Weekends:

• Saturdays from 11:30am to 6:30pm ET
   

Note: The dates are set, but times of day are approximate and may be subject to change.
 

San Francisco Cohort Schedule for the In-Person Weekends:
The in-person weekend sessions will meet during these times:

• Thursdays from 2pm to 6:30pm PT
• Fridays and Saturdays from 9am to 6:30pm PT
• Sundays from 8:30am to 12:30pm PT
   

Schedule for the Online Weekends:

• Saturdays from 8:30am to 3:30pm PT
   

Note: The dates are set, but times of day are approximate and may be subject to change.
 

Schedule for the October Weekend:
The Online weekend sessions will meet during these times:

• Thursdays from 5pm to 9:30pm ET
• Fridays and Saturdays from 12pm to 9:30pm ET
• Sundays from 12pm to 4pm ET
   

Schedule for the November, December, February, March, and April:

• Saturdays from 11:30am to 6:30pm ET
   

Schedule for the January Thursday and Friday:

• Thursday from 2pm to 6:30pm ET
• Friday from 9am to 5pm ET
   

Schedule for the May Weekend:
The Online weekend sessions will meet during these times:

• Thursdays from 2pm to 6:30pm ET
• Fridays and Saturdays from 9am to 6:30pm ET  
• Sundays from 9pm to 1pm ET 
   

These professionals who hold the following specific advanced degrees and licensure, commissions, or ordinations may apply to the Hybrid and Online certificate programs:

• Acupuncturists (LAc with DACM / DSOM / DAOM)
• Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselors (LAADC with MA)
• Attorneys in counseling specialties (JD)
• Behavioral Analysts (BCBA/BCBA-D with MA/MS or PhD)
• Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNM with MS)
• Chiropractors (DC)
• Clinical and Counseling Psychologists (PhD/PsyD)
• Clinical Social Workers (LCSW)
• Counseling Nutritionists (RD, RDN, CNS, or CCN with MA/MS)
• Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT)
• Naturopathic Doctors (ND)
• Nurse Practitioners (NP with MS)
• Occupational Therapists (OT with MA/MS)
• Ordained Clergy and Commissioned Chaplains (with M.Div. and 4 units of CPE)
• Pharmacists (MS or PharmD)
• Physical Therapists (PT with MA)
• Physician Assistants (PA)
• Physicians and Psychiatrists (MD/DO)
• Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCC/LPC)
• Registered Nurses (BSN or higher)
• Speech Therapists (MS)
• Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners (TCM with MA/MS)
   

State Restrictions on Hybrid and Online Programs for Residents:  
Some states restrict residents from taking hybrid or online training programs out of state. In these cases, such states require institutions to be authorized or exempt in order to enroll trainees residing in the state.

If you reside in one of these states, unfortunately you are not eligible to apply for the CIIS Hybrid or Online certificate programs. You can learn more about this list and state authorization here.

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Delaware
• District of Columbia (DC)
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Rhode Island
• Wisconsin 
   

Our entirely Online cohort will allow greater accessibility to the certificate program for these clinicians both nationally and internationally.

Preference for the Online cohort is given to this group, but all professionals on the main list may apply:

• Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselors (LAADC with MA)
• Behavioral Analyst (BCBA/BCBA-D with MA/MS or PhD)
• Clinical and Counseling Psychologists (PhD/PsyD)
• Clinical Social Workers (LCSW)
• Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT)
• Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners (NP with MS)
• Psychiatrists (MD/DO)
• Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCC/LPC)
• Psychiatric Registered Nurses (BSN or higher)

These professionals below have specific eligibility requirements:

Criteria for Clergy and Chaplains: Ordained clergy and commissioned/ordained chaplains are eligible if they actively serve in pastoral counseling and spiritual direction within the well-known world religious traditions. The three requirements for this group are that they must: have earned an accredited M.Div. with study in psychology and therapeutic skills; be ordained or commissioned within a supervised traditional and established curriculum with multiple teachers; and preferably have completed 4 units of CPE prior to application. There is aid available for clergy and chaplains who demonstrate financial need.

Criteria for Counseling Attorneys: Only JD licensed attorneys with demonstrated supervised training and counseling work with families, couples, and individuals in several specific areas are eligible to apply. These areas are limited to: divorce mediation, child custody mediation and resolution, end-of-life counseling, estate plan counseling, family and elder law counseling, and community dispute resolution.  

Oregon Subcohort: All applicants may consider applying to be part of the Center’s Oregon training program. Our certificate curriculum is approved as a psilocybin training program by the Oregon Health Authority (Training Program ID #TP-ce7dd84c) and authorized by the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC).  

Regardless of which cohort applicants apply for, any applicant may participate in our Oregon training program in Portland, Oregon that will take place May 29^th-31^st, 2026. See the tuition section for the additional cost of this training. Any trainees who finish the certificate curriculum, complete the specific additional Oregon training in Portland, and also pass an exam may then apply to OHA for a facilitator license to do psilocybin work at an Oregon service center. Please read further details about this here. There may be an additional option to receive further advanced training with CIIS, using psilocybin itself at an Oregon licensed service center supervised by senior certified facilitators. We are exploring how this might be done in the spring of 2026 and what the cost of such an experience could be. As of January 1st, 2025, the Oregon statute 333-333-4050 will be expanded to allow people who are not residents of Oregon to be licensed as psilocybin facilitators.

Admitted applicants will be asked during enrollment to give their level of interest in that training, or to decline this opportunity to be trained in Oregon. Depending on the numbers of enrollees interested in this opportunity as well as any rule changes from OHA before May 2026, we will make as many spaces available in the May Portland training as possible. Trainees in the Oregon Subcohort must join the training in person in Portland, Oregon. We are very happy to be the largest and oldest training program to be approved by OHA.

Current Process in Colorado: CIIS is actively pursuing approval as a natural medicine training program with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA). If you are interested in receiving email updates about our developing status in Colorado, please enter your email address here.

In 2-4 double-spaced pages, please describe your background and interest in this certificate. Please answer each of the seven questions in order, limiting your answers to no more than approximately half of a page each. Please include descriptions of your training in therapy, medicine, counseling law, and/or spiritual direction where relevant.

1. Share your understanding of the following topics and where you have practiced these skills with diverse clinical populations: 
   • Understanding of psychological diagnoses
   • Building the therapeutic alliance
   • Conducting individual and group psychotherapy
   • Maintenance of clinical and/or pastoral confidentiality
2. Please describe your training in aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion. How do you use that knowledge and skill base in your clinical work and/or pastoral practice?
3. How are psychology, mindfulness, or spirituality integrated in your personal development? Please provide a specific example.
4. Any training program that teaches about trauma-informed care can bring up a trainee's own history of interpersonal and/or cultural trauma. Please share your thoughts on how a training program can balance the need to cover required content with skillful responses to such events. Please share what you might do if this happens to you personally during your training.
5. When clients are in an altered state of consciousness, they are uniquely vulnerable and ethical considerations are of utmost importance. Please discuss the ethical standards of your profession and describe how you maintain your commitment to the maintenance of professional and/or pastoral boundaries with those whom you have served.
6. What would you tell a fellow colleague who asks you for advice about a client who asks them to use unlawful psychedelics as part of their professional practice?
7. Your goals are important to us. Please share with us what you hope to do with this certificate. Please discuss the ways you might use this training in your current work and how it might contribute to your long-term life goals.
    

Please include a resume or CV that outlines the history of your higher education, licensure, ordainment, or commission status, practica, internships, residencies, work in service to communities, pastoral care, and fieldwork.

Licensed applicants should submit a copy of current license(s). Clergy/chaplains should upload their commission/ordination papers and optionally, any documentation of 1-4 units of CPE.

Please submit contact information for two current or past clinical supervisors, mentors, and/or professors who are willing to serve as a reference. Include their full name, email, phone number, and relationship to the applicant. We prefer contacting references rather than reading letters of recommendation.

Application Fee: $150 non-refundable

Tuition Cost:

• Hybrid Boston and San Francisco Cohorts (incl. Holotropic Breathwork): $8,900
• Online Cohort: $8,300
   

Optional Additional Costs:

• Holotropic Breathwork for the Online Cohort in SF (1/30/26 to 2/1/26): $500
• Oregon OHA Coursework in Portland (5/29/25 to 5/31/25): $650
  Does not include advanced training using psilocybin at an Oregon licensed service center.
   

When an applicant is offered admission to the 2025-2026 program, the first tuition payment is due within three weeks of the offer of admission or by June 1, 2025, whichever comes first. See the Information Packet for both tuition payment options: one or three payments. The first payment will secure your space in the program.

Applicants for Need-Based Scholarships must write a 1-page letter that demonstrates financial need. In this letter, each applicant will report key facts about their financial situation to explain their level of net income and need for tuition assistance. Applicants must also include details about the types of communities that they currently serve and what draws them to those communities.

The Need-Based Scholarship statement letter is due when the final application materials are submitted. Need-Based Scholarships will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis for applicants in need who are offered enrollment. Applicants requesting a scholarship should apply early. Our goal is that applicants for need-based aid will be notified on a rolling basis through May 23, 2025.

Since 2016, we have dispersed over $1.2 million to students in this certificate training program through tuition revenue and donated scholarship funds. We would like to thank all our donors, particularly the Certificate Alumni Association and other donors, for funding scholarships since 2016. We are proud that we have been able to provide support for trainees who otherwise would not have been able to attend.

CE credits for psychologists are provided by the Spiritual Competency Academy (SCA) which is co-sponsoring this program. The Spiritual Competency Academy is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Spiritual Competency Academy maintains responsibility for this program and its content. The California Board of Behavioral Sciences accepts CE credits for LCSW, LPCC, LEP, and LMFT license renewal for programs offered by approved sponsors of CE by the American Psychological Association. LCSW, LPCC, LEP, LMFTs, and other mental health professionals from states other than California need to check with their state licensing board as to whether or not they accept programs offered by approved sponsors of CE by the American Psychological Association. SCA is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN Provider CEP16887) for licensed nurses in California. RNs must retain this document for 4 years after the course concludes. SCA is an approved CE provider for National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coaches (CEP Number 100196).

For other questions about CEs, contact Spiritual Competency Academy at info@spiritualcompetencyacademy.com.

Trainees are awarded a certificate of completion for course work after paying the continuing education fee and completing the CE program evaluation up to 30 hours. Continuing Education Certificates are emailed to trainees.

For questions about enrolling in CE or receiving your Certificate of Attendance, contact Wendy Campbell at cptrcontinuingeducation@ciis.edu.