PHILADELPHIA — Jess Jones, a licensed clinical social worker, treats a number of patients with ketamine-assisted therapy — where clients take ketamine, prescribed by a psychiatrist, in a series of sessions to treat severe depression or other serious mental health issues.
Interest in psychedelic-assisted therapies such as these is growing in the United States, and an emerging body of research suggests that ketamine can successfully treat depression that's resistant to more traditional methods of treatment. Some states are moving toward legalizing psychedelics: Colorado and Oregon have decriminalized psychedelic mushrooms.
In this Q&A, lightly edited for brevity and clarity, Jones walks through her process of ketamine-assisted therapy, and how she counsels patients who need it. (Jones is also working on clinical research trials involving therapy with other psychedelic drugs, but here is speaking only about her personal therapy practice, which isn't the subject of research.)
