Episode 9: Ben Hearn - Psychedelic Counselor | LGBTQ+, Trauma, & Ketamine | University of Cincinnati

Curious to Serious

In this episode, we talk with Ben Hearn.
Ben is a doctoral candidate in Counselor Education & Supervision at the University of Cincinnati and a student at the Center for Psychedelic Therapy and Research.
His work focuses on providing advocacy and education within the counseling profession regarding psychedelics and their potential use in therapy as well as specializing in work with the LGBTQ+ population and those who have experienced trauma.
He is currently developing a ketamine-assisted psychotherapy clinic and intends to complete his dissertation on the topic of psychedelic integration among queer-identified folx.
Time Stamps:
1:58 Ben’s Introduction
2:47 Navigating through the intersections of queerness, religion, spirituality, and science. Ben’s possible dissertation
5:40 Academia and psychedelics pre- Psychedelic Renaissance, identifying obstacles, stigma, and creative outlets
8:35 Introduction to Ben’s current work as a psychotherapist at a once- ketamine infusion center turned psychotherapy clinic
12:41 What it means to be a facilitator in a psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy program. How mindfulness practices can help facilitators stay grounded.
16:00 What academic tools and theories have helped Ben become a mindful preparation, facilitator, and integration specialist: spotlighting Internal Family Systems (IFS), Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), Humanistic principles, etc.
21:00 Preparation goes beyond the clinic
30:30 Where does preparation end and integration begin? Looking at support through the psychedelic healing journey as a continual process.
33:21 Co-creating healing spaces that center patient wellness and individual preferences. How the start-up mindset of Ben’s team embodies a growth-centric and patient-forward clinic
36:07 Barriers to treatment. Addressing major barriers of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy like time spent in session.
38:23 How the facilitator role can change the price of KAP
44:00 Patient advocacy-- are they consenting to not having psychotherapy? Clinics or Infusion centers
48:38 Closing questions: “Where do you see the field in 5 years, how do you plan on contributing to that vision today?”
52:31 Closing questions: “What is your advice for aspiring KAP psychotherapists? How could they approach the first contact email?”
55:00 Closing questions: “What would 2021 Ben say to 2012 Ben?”
56:38 Ben Hearn’s contact info and counselor interest group information

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