(3 CEUs)
with:
Dr. Thomas D. Meyer, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth)
When: Friday, June 5, 2026 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. Where: Online via Zoom (link will be emailed 2 days before the event) Cost: BVPA Members Free (including student members and bundle members), Non-Members $80, TPA Members 10% discount at registration with TPA Member Number, Student Non-Members $10.
When: Friday, June 5, 2026 from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Where: Online via Zoom (link will be emailed 2 days before the event)
Cost: BVPA Members Free (including student members and bundle members), Non-Members $80, TPA Members 10% discount at registration with TPA Member Number, Student Non-Members $10.
Program Description: From 1950-1970, interesting research focusing on psychedelics was conducted. Then, for a variety of reasons, all psychedelic-related research programs came to a halt and the related substances were classified as Schedule 1 drugs. Schedule 1 drugs are characterized as having a high risk of abuse, with no currently accepted medical use for treatment purposes. However, recently, there has a been a resurgence of interest in the potential for these drugs to assist in psychotherapy. This workshop will briefly outline the history but will focus primarily on recent developments with regards to efficacy of psychedelics such as psilocybin, LSD, and 5 MEO-DMT. A focus of the workshop will also be on the type of psychological support and psychotherapy that has been used as adjuncts to psychedelics. The program will also include a discussion of whether “psychedelic-assisted therapy” is psychotherapy or not. Learning Objectives: After the presentation, participants will 1. be able list at least two mental health areas where Psychedelic Assisted Therapy is moving closer to FDA approval. 2. know what the terms ‚set‘ and ‚setting‘ mean when it comes to Psychedelic Assisted Therapy. 3. be able to name at least two strategies used to provide psychological support in the context of Psychedleic Assisted Therapies. 4. be able to discuss whether Psychedelic Assisted Therapy is pychotherapy or not.
Program Description:
From 1950-1970, interesting research focusing on psychedelics was conducted. Then, for a variety of reasons, all psychedelic-related research programs came to a halt and the related substances were classified as Schedule 1 drugs. Schedule 1 drugs are characterized as having a high risk of abuse, with no currently accepted medical use for treatment purposes. However, recently, there has a been a resurgence of interest in the potential for these drugs to assist in psychotherapy.
This workshop will briefly outline the history but will focus primarily on recent developments with regards to efficacy of psychedelics such as psilocybin, LSD, and 5 MEO-DMT. A focus of the workshop will also be on the type of psychological support and psychotherapy that has been used as adjuncts to psychedelics. The program will also include a discussion of whether “psychedelic-assisted therapy” is psychotherapy or not.
Learning Objectives: After the presentation, participants will
1. be able list at least two mental health areas where Psychedelic Assisted Therapy is moving closer to FDA approval.
2. know what the terms ‚set‘ and ‚setting‘ mean when it comes to Psychedelic Assisted Therapy.
3. be able to name at least two strategies used to provide psychological support in the context of Psychedleic Assisted Therapies.
4. be able to discuss whether Psychedelic Assisted Therapy is pychotherapy or not.
About Our Speaker Dr. Thomas D. Meyer, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Director of the Psychological Intervention and Research Program for Mood Spectrum Disorders (PIRL-M), and Co-Director of the UTHealth Brain Collection. He has over twenty years of experience conducting research in Germany and the United Kingdom, and joined UTHealth in 2014. He has published papers on a variety of topics such as screening for bipolar disorders (BD) and misdiagnoses of or attitudes towards individuals with mood disorders. However, his core interest has always been developing and evaluating psychosocial treatments to improve or maintain mental health. He was the PI of the first published randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) for BD in Germany as well as a large study looking at risk factors for mood disorders, and involved as Co-I on several other funded projects; for example, studies evaluating early intervention for recurrent mood disorders, or the ABC study (a cohort study of Bipolar II disorder). His expertise in psychosocial interventions for mood disorders resulted in having been involved in the development of the national German S3 Guideline (the highest-level evidence-based consensus guideline) for assessment and treatment of BD, the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Competency Framework for Severe Mental Illness and to the Guideline Development Group for the update of the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) BD treatment guideline. More recently, he developed a strong interest in the potential of psychedelic substances for mental health and well-being. He became a lead therapist for MindMed Phase II LSD trial for General Anxiety Disorder and the COMPASS Phase II and III trials investigating psilocybin for treatment resistant depression. He is also the primary mentor and supervisor for all therapists in the German COMPASS study sites. Currently he is also the PI of an open-label trial supported by gifts from the Anne & Don Fizer Foundation to investigate “Acceptability & Safety of Two Sequential Doses of Psilocybin in Bipolar II Depression and Suicidality” (ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT06706232).
About Our Speaker
Dr. Thomas D. Meyer, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Director of the Psychological Intervention and Research Program for Mood Spectrum Disorders (PIRL-M), and Co-Director of the UTHealth Brain Collection. He has over twenty years of experience conducting research in Germany and the United Kingdom, and joined UTHealth in 2014. He has published papers on a variety of topics such as screening for bipolar disorders (BD) and misdiagnoses of or attitudes towards individuals with mood disorders. However, his core interest has always been developing and evaluating psychosocial treatments to improve or maintain mental health. He was the PI of the first published randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) for BD in Germany as well as a large study looking at risk factors for mood disorders, and involved as Co-I on several other funded projects; for example, studies evaluating early intervention for recurrent mood disorders, or the ABC study (a cohort study of Bipolar II disorder). His expertise in psychosocial interventions for mood disorders resulted in having been involved in the development of the national German S3 Guideline (the highest-level evidence-based consensus guideline) for assessment and treatment of BD, the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Competency Framework for Severe Mental Illness and to the Guideline Development Group for the update of the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) BD treatment guideline.
More recently, he developed a strong interest in the potential of psychedelic substances for mental health and well-being. He became a lead therapist for MindMed Phase II LSD trial for General Anxiety Disorder and the COMPASS Phase II and III trials investigating psilocybin for treatment resistant depression. He is also the primary mentor and supervisor for all therapists in the German COMPASS study sites. Currently he is also the PI of an open-label trial supported by gifts from the Anne & Don Fizer Foundation to investigate “Acceptability & Safety of Two Sequential Doses of Psilocybin in Bipolar II Depression and Suicidality” (ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT06706232).
