Naropa University in Boulder now offers a certificate program to train facilitators on how to help people take psychedelic mushrooms under state regulatory models.
Psilocybin, or magic mushrooms, is a naturally occurring psychedelic found in more than 200 species of fungi. Naropa’s new Psilocybin Facilitator Training certificate will educate psilocybin facilitators who guide people through the process of taking the hallucinogenic drugs.
Naropa’s certificate program is one of the first state-approved training programs under Colorado’s Natural Medicine Health Act regulations.
“Ongoing research continues to support the therapeutic potential of psychedelics while state-based legislation is expanding access to them,” Joseph Harrison, executive director of Naropa’s Center for Psychedelic Studies, said in a statement. “There is a pressing need to train practitioners to deliver these healing modalities. Our new Psilocybin Facilitator Training certificate satisfies the didactic education requirements for Colorado and Oregon and teaches the important skills that practitioners will need to be successful in this emerging field.”
Naropa’s 2024 certificate program is fully enrolled and underway. Programs and scholarship opportunities for 2025 will be announced this fall.
“As a leader in integrating contemplative practices and training with counseling psychology, professional chaplaincy, eco-psychology and other healing disciplines, Naropa is uniquely positioned to provide an in-depth, rigorous education in essential aspects of psychedelic-assisted education and training,” Naropa President Charles Lief said in a statement.
The six-month, 150-hour non-degree professional development program is fully online. After completing the program, trainees can advance to a 40-hour, experiential practicum under the supervision of mentors, a requirement for psilocybin facilitators seeking licensure in Colorado and Oregon.
The certificate program includes state-regulated technical skills training and a contemplative approach, which is a reflection-driven education rooted in mindfulness. It will include practice for community care, a harm reduction approach and ethics training.
“What makes Naropa’s program unique is how it is grounded in a healing justice framework, which is an abolitionist approach that aims to demystify healing by empowering community members to engage in harm reduction and community care,” Diana Quinn, director of clinical education for Naropa’s Center for Psychedelic Studies, said in the release.For more information, visit naropa.edu/academics/extended-campus/psilocybin-facilitator-certificate/ .
Boulder’s Naropa University launches psychedelic mushrooms certificate
