Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy in San Marino
Therapy-centered ketamine-assisted psychotherapy preparation, support, and integration in collaboration with qualified medical prescribers.
In-person in San Marino, minutes from Pasadena, South Pasadena, and the San Gabriel Valley. Serving all of California via telehealth.
Ketamine is not a magic pill…
But ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, or KAP, can be a powerful treatment option for some clients, especially those dealing with persistent depression, treatment-resistant depression, trauma, anxiety, or long-standing patterns that have not shifted enough through traditional therapy alone.
But the medicine experience itself is not the whole treatment.
In my approach, the real value of KAP often comes from the full therapeutic arc: preparation before the experience, support during the experience when appropriate, and integration afterward.
KAP is also not the right fit for every client. In addition to following all medical guidance from the prescribing clinician, I require clients to work with me in traditional talk therapy for a period of time before beginning KAP. This gives us time to establish a therapeutic alliance, clarify goals, assess fit, and create a safer and more effective therapeutic frame for the work.
I understand that this is not what every client is looking for. Some people want ketamine treatment quickly, or prefer a model focused primarily on the medicine experience itself. That is not the way I practice.
My preference is therapy-centered KAP: careful preparation, appropriate collaboration with the prescribing clinician, support during the experience when clinically appropriate, and integration afterward so the work can connect back to everyday life.
If you are interested in working with me, or would like to discuss how I provide KAP, I invite you to schedule a free 20-minute consultation. If you would like to learn more, please continue reading this page.
A Therapy Focused Approach to KAP
One reason ketamine may be useful in psychotherapy is that it is understood to promote neuroplasticity and psychological flexibility — a temporary window in which familiar patterns can feel less fixed, new perspectives may become more accessible, and emotional material may be easier to approach.
But neuroplasticity is not the same thing as lasting change.
That is why my approach to KAP emphasizes preparation, therapeutic support, and integration. We clarify what you are hoping to work on before the session, keep the experience connected to your actual life when clinically and medically appropriate, and use integration afterward to translate insight, emotional access, or new perspective into meaningful change.
When clinically and medically appropriate, I often prefer a lower-dose, psycholytic approach — meaning medicine work that supports therapy while preserving more connection to the therapeutic process.
I am interested in enhancing the therapy, not maximizing the depth of the trip.
The goal is not simply to have a powerful experience. The goal is to help that experience become useful.
Medical Collaboration
Ketamine is a medical treatment.
I do not prescribe ketamine or determine medical eligibility for ketamine treatment. Medical evaluation, prescribing, medication management, medical follow-ups, and any required medical monitoring must be handled by a qualified medical prescriber.
KAP requires collaboration with the prescribing clinician. If you already have a prescriber, I will need appropriate releases in place so we can coordinate care.
If you do not yet have a prescriber, I can provide referrals to trusted medical colleagues who evaluate clients independently. All medical decisions, including eligibility, prescribing, dosing, route of administration, frequency, and monitoring, are made by the medical provider.
My role is to provide the therapeutic frame: preparation, support, and integration in collaboration with the medical provider when appropriate.
All medical fees, including evaluations, prescriptions, medication, follow-up appointments, and medical monitoring, are separate from my psychotherapy fees and are arranged directly with the medical provider.
Training and Experience
My KAP work is informed by my completion of the Integrative Psychiatry Institute’s year-long Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy training program, along with additional training and experience in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, preparation, dosing support, and integration.
Having experienced psychedelic-assisted work from both sides of the therapy process, I have a deep respect for the preparation, trust, safety, and integration this kind of work requires.
Location and Fees
I offer in-person ketamine-assisted psychotherapy preparation and integration sessions at my office in San Marino, minutes from Pasadena, South Pasadena, San Gabriel, and surrounding communities.
I also offer online preparation and integration sessions throughout California via telehealth when appropriate.
KAP support during a medicine session may be available either in my office or via telehealth, but this depends on medical and clinical appropriateness and is ultimately a medical decision made by the prescribing clinician.
My strong preference is for ketamine dosing to occur under appropriate medical supervision, especially for higher-dose or more medically complex treatment. In some cases, this may mean the medicine session occurs in a prescriber’s office, with me offering therapeutic support either in person as a visitor or via telehealth.
If clinically appropriate KAP support requires travel outside my San Marino office, travel time and related expenses may be billed at my standard rate and will be discussed in advance.
My standard fee for individual psychotherapy, preparation, and integration sessions is $250 per 50-minute session.
Lower-dose, therapy-centered KAP support may be offered in extended formats, including 75-minute or 90-minute sessions, depending on clinical appropriateness and prescriber guidance.
Longer medicine-session support is billed at a higher rate because it requires extended clinical time, preparation, and therapeutic support.
All medical fees are separate and must be arranged directly with the prescribing medical provider.
I am a private-pay, out-of-network therapist and can provide superbills when appropriate. Insurance reimbursement for KAP-related services can be more complicated than standard psychotherapy, especially for extended medicine-session support. Some plans may reimburse preparation or integration sessions, but may not reimburse all or part of a medicine-session support appointment.
Coverage varies by insurance plan, diagnosis, session length, procedure code, and medical necessity requirements. I cannot guarantee reimbursement. If you hope to use out-of-network benefits, I strongly recommend confirming coverage directly with your insurance carrier before beginning KAP-related work.
Schedule Your Free Consultation Call
If you’re interested in working with me, or would like to learn more, the first step is scheduling a free 20-minute phone consultation.
We’ll talk briefly about what you are looking for, whether KAP may be an appropriate direction to explore, and whether my therapy-centered approach feels like a good fit.
Sometimes the consultation confirms that working together makes sense. Sometimes it helps clarify that another provider, medical evaluation, or type of support would be a better fit.
Either way, it is a simple place to start.