Overview

As psychedelics have gained traction in healthcare and community settings, comprehensive education has become necessary for care professionals and recipients alike. In 2022, UC Berkeley’s Center for the Science of Psychedelics launched the Berkeley Psychedelic Facilitation Certificate Program, which was designed for advanced religious, spiritual care, and healthcare professionals working in areas such as chaplaincy, ministry, medicine, nursing, mental health counseling, psychology, psychiatry, and social work, as well as those trained in traditional plant medicine lineages who carried the support of their community. To diversify enrollment from members with lived experience in historically underserved communities, as well as those who demonstrated a commitment to serving them, we offered financial assistance to qualified applicants. We are grateful for the generosity of the program’s donors, who made this aid possible.

The nine-month, 200-hour professional preparation program for aspiring psychedelic facilitators included:

• 160 instructional hours, 90% of which took place in person, during seven three- to five-day modules. Monthly online small-group meetings and JEDI panels complemented the in-person time. To pursue licensure as a psilocybin facilitator in Oregon or Colorado, an additional 40 hours were fulfilled through a hands-on practicum. These practica were designed by individual students with the support of instructional staff, and included 30 hours of direct facilitation or observation of non-ordinary states of consciousness, as well as 10 hours of professional consultation. Some practicum opportunities were provided by the program, but all were optional and carried an associated cost. 
• The program’s culturally sensitive training prepared facilitators to address the needs of clients, patients or community members from a diverse array of faith traditions and communities of origin. We acknowledged and engaged with Indigenous and other traditional communities that have long been stewards of healing practices with psychedelic substances. Throughout the curriculum, we explored matters of positionality, ethics, systemic marginalization, and sociocultural structures of power. Professionals from Indigenous and/or other marginalized communities were especially encouraged to apply.
• This interdisciplinary certificate program integrated and applied nine core domains of knowledge:
  • Spiritual Care
  • Psychotherapeutic Methods
  • Ancestral Entheogenic Traditions
  • Clinical Science and Research
  • Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
  • Contemplative Practice
  • Ethics
  • Reciprocity and Ecological Awareness
  • Somatic Awareness

Presentations, Publications, and Awards

In December of 2024, Program Staff Director Moana Meadow presented at the DoSER (Dialogues on Science, Ethics and Religion) Dialogues event, “Perspectives on Psychedelics: Past, Present and Future,” hosted by AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science). JEDI Mentors Ariel Clark and Jamila Hokanson joined Meadow to cover topics as wide ranging as the spiritual features of psychedelic experience, the formation of psychedelic churches, the psychedelic legal landscape, challenges to diversity in psychedelic research and access to psychedelic care, Indigenous perspectives on sacred medicines, and impacts of the increase in psychedelic use on Indigenous communities. View the recording here.

In February of 2024, Program Staff Director Moana Meadow presented on the Psychedelic Spirituality and Medicine panel at the Harvard Divinity School, Center for the Study of World Religions “Psychedelic Intersections” Conference with Dr. Sharday Moserinjohn, Victoria Litman, and Dr. Franklin King. The panel covered topics including adverse psychedelic experiences, legal and ethical considerations related to spiritual experiences in psychedelic care, requirements for psychedelic education, and specific implications for psychedelics in psychiatry. Watch the full panel recording or read Meadow’s published paper, “Relationality in Psychedelic Facilitation Training Programs” in the Conference Anthology published in December 2024. 

In 2023, the Certificate Program was awarded a gift by Healing Hearts, Changing Minds that supported increased access to psychedelic treatments for LGBTQIA+ communities. Award recipients met in person in 2024 to share their learnings. Listen to Program Staff Director Moana Meadow’s interview with HHCM, which describes the early stages of development for the program and some of the most inspiring outcomes of the first two years.

In 2023, KJZZ Phoenix featured an interview with Program Staff Director Moana Meadow on The Show. Listen to their discussion: “Legalized psychedelic therapy will require safe, culturally sensitive spaces.”

In 2023, PBS ViewFinder featured the Certificate Program in its overview of the growing psychedelic field, “Psychedelics and Healing.” Program Staff Director Moana Meadow and Faculty Director Tina Trujillo are interviewed, along with several alumni.

In 2023, Dr. Sylver Quevedo, Senior Scholar in Medicine, Healing, and Ecological Awareness, and a core instructor in the Certificate Program, was featured in the BCSP’s online course, “Psychedelics and the Mind.” View a short excerpt of his contribution here.

Program Affiliations

The UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics incubated the Berkeley Psychedelic Facilitation Certificate Program from 2021 – 2025, in partnership with the Berkeley School of Education (BSE). As of July 1, 2025, this program is administratively independent from the BCSP and housed entirely within the BSE.

For more information, please contact the training program team.