Psilocybin Facilitator Training Certificate Program
Application Process & Policies
Psilocybin Facilitator Training Certificate Program
Application Process & Policies
The Naropa University Psilocybin Facilitator Training Certificate Program is designed for the direct entry workforce training of adults over 21 years of age as well as professionals working in clinical and therapeutic fields such as mental health counseling, medicine, nursing, chaplaincy, social work, and other licensed practice areas.Â
Program applicants must meet the minimum requirements for state licensure in Colorado and Oregon, with a preference for applicants with demonstrated experience in helping professions, caregiving experience, and/or reliability in their communities of care.
In accordance with OPS rules in Oregon and NMP rules in Colorado, Naropa’s PFT Certificate program eligibility criteria are commensurate with state regulatory models, as follows:
- 21 years of age (by January 1, 2025)
- High school diploma or equivalentÂ
- Resident of the United States
- Professional license in good standing, if applicable (for Colorado’s Clinical Facilitator tier)
Please know that because Naropa assesses many factors in determining eligibility, it is difficult to determine in advance whether or not a prospective participant will be competitive for the program without a full application review. Due to the high volume of requests, we are unable to provide an advance review of credentials for eligibility.
Live Info Sessions
Join our program educators and certificate leadership for a live online Info Session and Q&A!
Simple advance registration is required. Click the links below to register.
Info Session with
Audra Barber, MA
Wilhelmina De Castro, LCSW
November 7, 2024
10:00 am – 11:00 am MST
Â
Info Session with
Audra Barber, MA
Victor Cabral, LSW
Live Info Sessions
Join us live online to ask questions and learn more about the new PFT Certificate program! Click the links below to register.
Info Session with
Audra Barber, MA
Alessandra Santos Pye, LPC
November 4, 2024
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm MST
Info Session with
Audra Barber, MA
Wilhelmina De Castro, LCSW
November 7, 2024
10:00 am – 11:00 pm MST
Info Session with
Audra Barber, MA
Victor Cabral, LSW
Key Program Dates
Applications Open: Oct 25, 2024
Applications Close: Nov 24, 2024
Admissions Status: Opens Oct 25, 2024
Program Start: Jan 21, 2025
Practicum Opportunities (Program Add-on): 2025-2026
Program Ends: June 2025
Key Program Dates
Applications Open: Oct 25, 2024
Applications Close: Nov 24, 2024
Admissions Status: Opens Oct 25, 2024
Program start: January 21, 2025
Practicum Opportunities: 2025-2026
Program Ends: June 2025
Application Process
Applications for the 2025 PFT certificate program will be accepted through an online form beginning October 25, 2024. The deadline for applications is November 24, 2024.Â
A $35 non-refundable application fee is required. NCPS recognizes that the costs associated with training can present economic barriers to access, and strives to offer significant scholarship opportunities. If the application fee poses a barrier to access for you, please contact us to make alternative arrangements.
Applicants will be asked to submit the following as part of the application process:Â
- Education and licensure
- Licensing board(s) and license/registration number where applicable
- Total number of years of caregiving, including licensed care, provided
- Brief description of experience working with trauma and/or PTSD in a community care, spiritual care, caregiving, or professional capacity
- Brief description of current community care or professional therapeutic treatment population, including the extent of service to marginalized communities (if any)
- Brief description of experience working with non-ordinary states of consciousness (including natural medicine, contemplative and other healing modalities)Â
- Self-care and/or contemplative practice experience
- Brief description of strengths and growth edges as related to this program
- A 3-minute video submission
- Required letter of recommendation
- Optional scholarship essay for eligible/interested applicants
Financial Assistance
Scholarships for Diverse, Historically Excluded, Underrepresented Groups
With generous support from donors, partner organizations, and related charitable initiatives, we offer various types of financial assistance, including Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Scholarships, as well as support for specific program aspects in an effort to support program access for a diverse and dynamic cohort.
Naropa believes that equitable access to safe and ethical natural medicine can support collective movement toward community healing and liberation. We recognize the need to support the training of psilocybin facilitators from historically underrepresented groups to facilitate this vision. Historically-underrepresented groups include but are not limited to People of the Global Majority, LGBTQIA+, military service members and veterans, persons with disabilities, those experiencing economic marginalization with demonstrated financial need, and those with related experience.
The purpose of these scholarships is to help eradicate barriers and increase representation of diverse communities as psilocybin facilitators. With that in mind, scholarship applicants are asked to describe how their participation in this training will contribute to these aspirations. This is an invitation for applicants to share what feels empowering and liberatory, as we see each individual’s worthiness as inherent and fully welcome.Â
Members of historically underrepresented groups and those with related experience are especially encouraged to apply for JEDI scholarships, however, an applicant’s gender identity, race and/or national origin will not be a determining factor in the selection process:Â
Native American, Indigenous, and First Nations People
A limited number of full regular-tuition scholarships are available, with preference given to federally-recognized tribally enrolled members Native American, Indigenous, and/or First Nations individuals. Applicants are invited to submit a letter of support from an elder or tribal community member for consideration.
People of the Global Majority (PGM)
People who identify as a Person of the Global Majority including those of Indigenous, African, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI), Latine, Southwest Asia and North Africa/Middle Eastern and North African (SWANA/MENA), and other multiracial descent.
LGBTQIA+Â
People who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, two spirit, as well as others under the queer spectrum and/or those marginalized due to their gender and/or expression. People who identify as trans are especially encouraged to apply.
Military Service/Veterans
Active military service members, including Reserves, and military veterans.
People with Disabilities, Chronic Illness, and/or Neurodivergence
People affected by or living with disabilities, chronic illness, and/or neurodivergence. Describe your qualifications for services or protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), or if you otherwise identify as an individual with disabilities.
Socioeconomic Accessibility
People whose self-reported income is in the lowest income bracket and experience economic marginalization. We are aware that multiple considerations can impact socioeconomic accessibility, including household size and number of dependents, expendable income, access to generational wealth, and debt to income ratio.
Program Tuition
Certificate Program Tuition Cost: $7,000, not including practicum
Practicum Cost (Optional add-on): Date and Costs TBD
Confirming Enrollment
Once an applicant is offered admission to the 2025 PFT program, an initial tuition payment is due by January 5, 2025 in order to secure registration. This first payment will be no more than $1,166.67 of the total tuition cost, with the specific amount determined by any financial assistance awarded. Following the initial tuition payment, remaining tuition will be paid in five monthly installments equivalent to the first payment.
Tuition and Payment Details
A $35 non-refundable application fee is required for all submitted applications. The application fee is not deducted from the certificate program tuition, which totals $7,000. Following the initial tuition payment, remaining tuition will be paid in five monthly installments, less any scholarships or other awarded aid.
Program tuition totals $7,000 and does not include the cost of any facilitator licensure application or training license fees—these additional costs, assessed by the state in which a prospective licensee is seeking licensure, shall be the prospective licensee’s sole responsibility.
Practicum opportunities are not included in the certificate tuition, and will entail separate registration and extra costs. Similarly, additional educational opportunities that may be made available to certificate graduates in the future, including consultation, peer support, and continuing education, are not included in the certificate program tuition, and will entail extra costs.
Practicum Opportunities
In addition to the successful completion of an approved training program, state licensure for psilocybin facilitation in Oregon and Colorado requires the successful completion of a practicum requirement, and in Colorado, the completion of a 50-hour consultation period.Â
The practicum is an in-depth opportunity for trainees to facilitate a non-ordinary state of consciousness experience under the guidance of a qualified supervisor. Trainee placement in practicum opportunities will be prioritized, but approved service center limitations and other factors may impact availability, and placement is therefore not guaranteed.Â
Practicum and consultation opportunities will be offered to Naropa PFT certificate program enrollees as such opportunities are confirmed. Practicum opportunities are not included in the certificate program tuition, and will entail separate registration and extra costs. Similarly, additional educational opportunities that may be made available to certificate graduates in the future, including consultation, supervision, peer support, and continuing education, are not included in the certificate program tuition, and will entail extra costs. Â
Deferral, Withdrawal and Refund Policy
Due to the immersive, small group cohort-based nature of this intensive training program, participants are strongly encouraged to commit to completing the entire program in a single iteration. However, participants who wish to withdraw may do so in accordance with the following policies. Requests for withdrawal must be documented in writing to the Directors and Coordinator for the program, and may require a meeting to ensure a mutually supportive transition. Tuition refund will be determined based on the program’s published policy and the documented date of the participant’s request (see below). Â
Withdraws: The following is the withdrawal fee schedule for participants who may choose to withdraw. Any scholarships, awarded aid, and processing fees will be deducted before refund, if any, is determined. Participants who have withdrawn may reapply for a future iteration of the program, but will be required to pay full tuition and complete all coursework for the new year.Â
- If a participant withdraws by  February 28, 2025, then 50% of their full tuition (less any financial assistance) will be due, and the remainder will be refunded.Â
- If a participant withdraws on or after March 28, 2025, then the participant will be responsible for the full program tuition cost (less any financial assistance).
Please note that for withdrawals, scholarships and discounts do not carry forward from the original year: new application statements for scholarships and discounts must be submitted and reviewed. Tuition fees cannot be applied toward other Naropa programs.Â
Deferrals: Because our program evolves each year in keeping with the rapidly changing nature of this field, accepted applicants may not defer their acceptance, and will need to reapply in a future year should they choose not to enroll in 2025. This includes those who begin the program and withdraw.
Attendance and Missed Content Policy
It is important to note that participants must complete the entire curriculum to earn the certificate and meet the necessary state requirements for facilitator licensure, which specify the number of training hours that must be fulfilled. Attendance at live classes and pod small groups is therefore mandatory.Â
Live Classes: Weekly virtual live classes are a critical aspect of the certificate program. For every live class missed, participants must watch the class recording and write a short reflection paper about the content in the corresponding module. If a participant misses more than four live sessions, they may be required to attend the closest equivalent live session the following year of the program. Please note that participants’ certificate of completion will be held until all make-up work has been addressed in full.Â
Pod Small Groups: Participants may miss one Pod small group meeting without penalty. After the first absence, participants are required to write and submit a short reflection paper about the topic of the missed session. If a participant misses more than two practice group meetings, they will need to return the following year to continue with the certificate unless an exception to policy is granted in writing.
Participants who miss substantial live class sessions in full or part will not receive a certificate of completion. Participants assume full responsibility for ensuring timely program completion, including any necessary make-up work.
Exceptions to Program Policy
Participants who wish to seek any exception to the above-stated Withdrawal, Deferral, Payments and Refund policies due to a medical emergency or extenuating circumstances may present a formal written petition to the Program Administrators via email. Petitions must provide a detailed summary and timeline of the relevant circumstance, and must be accompanied by supporting documentation. Completed petitions must be submitted in full within 30 calendar days of the last day of the program in which the participant was enrolled, or within 30 calendar days of the relevant due date or deadline, whichever is first.
Accessibility Services & Resources
The online components of the certificate program are primarily facilitated via Zoom along with industry-leading learning management software platforms, all of which include built-in accessibility features. Every effort will be made to offer practicum opportunities at sites where facilities are fully ADA accessible. Certificate program staff will notify practicum sites of any accessibility needs.Â
Admitted program participants requesting support services and/or reasonable accommodations from Naropa University are required to submit documentation of a qualified disability to verify eligibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Disability Resources policies. Reasonable accommodations will be made for persons with qualified disabilities after appropriate review by Naropa’s Office of Accessibility. For more information please contact psychedelicstudies@naropa.edu.
Participant Use of Psychedelic Substances
Consistent with university obligations under the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 and the Drug-Free Schools and Community Act Amendments of 1985, Naropa Center for Psychedelic Studies (NCPS) certificate programs do not require the use of psychedelic substances by program participants in order to successfully complete training. In alignment with the Center’s mission, participants will be educated in the competencies required for psychedelic treatment and research where legal. Participation in apprenticeship trainings, practicums and experiential opportunities involving ketamine, psilocybin or other medicines shall be entirely voluntary, and all reference to such options will be to clinics or facilitators located in jurisdictions where training in the therapeutic use of these substances is legal.
Commitment to Anti-Oppressive, Brave Space Learning Environment
Certificate program trainees are expected to contribute to the creation of an anti-oppressive, brave space learning environment by interrogating systems of oppression, engaging in their own inner work of examining their intersecting identities, implicit bias, and experiences of power and privilege, and centering the experience of those most impacted. Our work is dedicated to going beyond espousing commitments to social justice; we are committed to embodying these commitments and operationalizing them in practice. We acknowledge that this is a process, and as such we are moving toward an aspirational goal of anti-oppressive space, which often requires a deep unlearning of ways of being that have been culturally ingrained over generations. We invite trainees to join us in this practice with gentleness, personal and collective accountability, and an openness to learning and growth.
Please see the Center’s Integrity Commitments for more details and resources.
Certificate Program and University Policy
Non-degree certificate program enrollment does not constitute admission to a Naropa University degree program. Non-degree certificate program participants are not eligible to earn a degree. Those seeking a degree must apply for the specific academic program of interest. Should a non-degree certificate program participant later enroll in a Naropa University degree program, no hours or work completed for a certificate program shall apply toward the requirements of a degree program. Participants registered in a non-degree certificate program are not eligible for federal financial aid, Naropa University student scholarships, or student employment positions. Non-degree certificate program financial assistance, including program scholarships and need-based aid, is administered by the respective program and is in no way related to Title IV federal financial aid funds.
Contact Us
You are welcome to email directly at any time: psychedelicstudies@naropa.edu. Questions about Program Eligibility? Please know that because Naropa assesses many factors in determining eligibility, it is difficult to determine in advance whether or not a prospective participant will be competitive for the program without a full application review. See Eligibility and Admissions Criteria for more information. Please sign up for an information session to get more information.
Thank you! We look forward to hearing from you.
Psychedelic Studies at Naropa
The Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies is facilitated by the Naropa Center for Psychedelic Studies (NCPS). Guided by a vision for a contemplative approach to psychedelic studies, the Center for Psychedelic Studies was established to support the development and integration of psychedelic studies at Naropa, and to offer a range of public education opportunities focused on the transformative healing potential within this emerging field. The work of the Center for Psychedelic Studies has been supported in close collaboration with Naropa Extended Campus.