2023 BPRG-DOI Scholarship for CPTR

For the third year, the Boston Psychedelic Research Group (BPRG) is supporting the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) through a scholarship fund that will support members of the 2022 Boston cohort of the Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research (CPTR) Certificate Program in Boston.

This year our scholarship funds will go towards supporting CPTR students from the BIPOC and LGBTQI+ communities and those caring for underserved communities who want to be trained to do Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). Many CPTR grads use the skills they learn from the course to do KAP because it is the only legal way to do this therapy except in a research setting. Training beyond the CPTR program is required to do KAP and we want to ensure that these providers can get this training.

Last year, we were able to raise $40,000 total which CIIS matched for a total of $80,000, helping 22 students. Of these recipients, 18% of them were Caribbean/African American, 5% were Latin American, and 14% were Asian American. Another 5% of the recipients were foreign and expressed financial need and 58% are therapists working with marginalized communities.

We are asking everyone who is able to help to consider donating so we can get more people trained, which will in turn heal more people who will benefit from these therapies. The best part is that the BPRG Board of Directors will again match every dollar you donate and then, CIIS will match everything we (BPRG Board and Members) raise combined (up to $50,000). In other words, if you donate $50 it will QUADRUPLE into $200 which would go directly to deserving students in the Boston cohort.

Both the BPRG and CIIS are 501c3's so these will be tax-deductible donations. This year, the time frame for donations has been extended until the end of May because the 2023 cohort will be starting in September instead of March. This means you can donate in 2 calendar years if you would like for tax or any other reasons.

Testimonials from 2021 Recipients

"The CPTR changed my life and the trajectory of my career. It gave me access to the kind of people I needed to meet, and a thorough understanding of where I as a person of color can focus my work to have the biggest impact. I also felt that the scholarship program gave the Non-BIPOC attendees a deep education in how the various issues in the space have and continue to affect communities of color, including the indigenous that we source much of our work from. That education will go far in assuring that psychedelics are used with equity reciprocation, and the true inner work that ensures global healing is at the forefront of every initiative in this space. I enthusiastically encourage Donors to contribute specifically to BIPOC scholarship program simply because the contributions of BIPOC individuals to the psychedelic field is crucial, invaluable, and integral to getting this work done right."

-Anad Thomas, MSN, CRNA, APRN

"I came into the CPTR program with CIIS mostly excited to become acquainted with what goes into a psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy session and how that might eventually become a part of my practice. As we’re finishing up with the program, those aims feel a bit myopic and I think we, as a group, are realizing the importance of a multi-layered approach in this profound work. Entering the program, I had a hope to bridge information and perspectives with my dual-makeup of underrepresented backgrounds. And as the program has progressed, important questions have been raised in relation to personal biases in the room, medical and cultural systems we operate in, inclusion and equitable access, and so much more. Thankfully, the program directed me away from my initial myopic aims and stance; instead, it has provided useful direction in how to approach the ultimate goal of connection on both a personal and systemic level. The program incites important areas of query and more than leaving us informed, it has left many of us feeling we are more equipped to get involved and help foster healing environments. Without the BPRG scholarship, I would not have been able to join such a wonderful group of people fostering cohorts of sensitive and passionate individuals geared towards meaningful psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and psychedelic-assisted positive, social change."

- Anonymous

"I began the CPTR program with the goal of learning more about psychedelic therapy. Throughout the program, I often questioned the strong emphasis placed on social justice and reciprocity. Although I am of Hispanic origin and an immigrant to this country, I began to see the many blind spots I still had. As the program ended, I began to see things in a larger scope. The road to the end wasn't easy, and the program challenged my beliefs and preconceived notions. If I was asked to do it all again, I would because I feel the program has allowed me to walk forward in this field with integrity. I now understand the immense responsibility I have in ensuring safe and equal access to these powerful medicines."

- Jorge Padron

About the BPRG

The Boston Psychedelic Research Group is a Massachusetts nonprofit corporation committed to the promotion, dissemination, and advancement of psychedelic research. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the BPRG started in 2018 over an informal dinner. Years later we have over 600 members and are growing both in Boston and globally. We are a hub for education about the powerful benefits psychedelic-assisted therapy can have in the treatment of a wide variety of mental health issues. We do this primarily by holding monthly meetings where attendees can gather and converse, hear a prominent speaker share his or her work, and participate in a Q&A session.

About CIIS

The California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) is an accredited non-profit institution of higher education and research where students come to learn experientially what it means to be human in a rapidly changing world. Founded in 1968, CIIS has an annual enrollment of approximately 1,500 students pursuing degrees in 25 academic programs in its schools of Professional Psychology and Health, Consciousness and Transformation, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Undergraduate Studies. The university operates eight award-winning clinics throughout San Francisco offering low-cost or no-cost mental healthcare and acupuncture to more than 6,000 clients annually. In addition, CIIS Public Programs present an exciting array of lectures, conversations, performances, workshops, and conferences for both academic and general audiences. These transformative gatherings at the nexus of mental health, spirituality, ecology, social justice, and creativity serve and strengthen diverse communities throughout the Bay Area, attracting more than 11,000 attendees and 365,000 podcast listeners each year.

About the CPTR Program

To address the demand for trained psychotherapists to work in the expanding field of psychedelic studies, CIIS created the Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research (CPTR) in 2015. CPTR is directed by clinical psychologist Dr. Janis Phelps. CPTR’s mission is to invite cohorts of licensed psychotherapists, medical professionals, and ordained clergy to become researchers, therapists, and practitioners in legal psychedelic clinical studies. Because it is housed within a university, CPTR is the first and only academically accredited training program for psychedelic-assisted therapies in the world. Deploying CIIS’ institutional expertise in psychotherapy education, the CPTR certificate encompasses all aspects of learning: intellectual/didactic, personal/experiential, and applied. The CPTR certificate program is the world’s largest collaborative program focusing on psychedelic studies within a non-medical graduate university.

About Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies

Around 450 million people across the globe currently suffer from mental health conditions, placing mental disorders among the leading causes of ill health and disability worldwide. Psychedelic-assisted therapy has shown incredible potential to treat a range of mental health conditions including depression, addiction, and trauma. Results from a range of clinical trials at leading universities and research centers have shown MDMA and psilocybin-assisted therapy to be dramatically more effective than existing psychiatric or pharmacological treatments. As these drugs get closer to reclassification and legalization through Food and Drug Administration (FDA) trials and legislative efforts, the major gap in delivering treatment to the tens of millions of patients who need it will be the lack of trained psychedelic-assisted therapists.

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It is important to note that at no time does the BPRG or CIIS promote or require the recreational use of psychedelic drugs in any manner. Students taking the certificate program to learn about the competencies required of therapist guides in federally-approved medical treatment and psychedelic research.