Psilocybin-assisted therapy in Denver

Update: We have one therapist who has completed training requirements to provide psilocybin-assisted therapy in Colorado. We’ll have 3 therapists who can provide psilocybin therapy by the end of 2025.

We’re currently waiting for the state to review and approve our application to provide psilocybin therapy in one of our offices. After we receive approval, we plan start contacting people from our waitlist starting in Summer 2025. 

To get help sooner, we also have therapists in all 3 of our locations accepting new clients for anxiety, depression, EMDR, Ketamine-assisted therapy, and trauma therapy with availability this week.

Psilocybin-assisted therapy treatment plans will cost between $4,000 and $5,000. Plans will include preparation sessions, an all-day dosing session, and integration sessions. Dosing sessions will only be in person in Colorado, not remotely.

Note: We’re therapists, not a medical clinic or research facility. We don’t provide free sessions, microdosing, “trip sitting,” or psychedelic guidance for mushroom therapy.

How does psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy work?

In 2019, Denver made history as the first city in the United States to decriminalize the use of “magic” mushrooms for personal use. Now, many people are wondering when psilocybin and psilocybe therapy will be available in Colorado. Short answer, therapists who’ve completed required trainings should be able to use psilocybin with their clients starting in Summer 2025.

The active ingredient in these mushrooms is psilocybin, and growing research has shown that psychedelic drugs like psilocybin, Ketamine, and MDMA can help people seeking help for anxiety, depression, PTSD, and even addiction. After psilocybin was decriminalized, people 21 and older can grow or possess mushrooms in Denver, but sharing or selling them remains illegal, especially for state-licensed therapists.

Similar to how Ketamine is being used in therapy today, research has shown promising results for using psilocybin in a therapeutic setting. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that psilocybin dramatically reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with cancer. Their studies have also indicated that psilocybin can be extremely effective with helping people quit smoking and become “unstuck” so that they can get past damaging patterns and addictions.

Another study at New York University also found that up to 80% of patients with cancer who had psilocybin-assisted therapy had sustained improvement in their depression and anxiety 6 months after treatment. Most of the study’s participants said that their experiences with psilocybin therapy were life-changing and that they had near-immediate reduced feelings of anxiety and depression. 

Some therapists in Denver have been providing psilocybin-assisted therapy (also known as mushroom therapy) illegally for clients, they’re risking their professional licenses by providing “trip sitting” or psychedelic guiding services without completing the required trainings. My Denver Therapy already has one therapist who has completed their required trainings for psilocybin-assisted therapy, and we’ll have two more by the end of 2025.

Featured on CBS Colorado

My Denver Therapy’s founder Courtneyrose Chung was recently featured on CBS Colorado for a story on psilocybin-assisted therapy in Denver.

Psilocybin-assisted therapy is still undergoing regulatory approvals in Colorado. We anticipate very high demand for psilocybin-assisted therapy and have an active waitlist for when treatment protocols, medication prices, and state regulations have been established that will determine how much treatment plans will cost. 

When will psilocybin-assisted therapy be legal?

In 2018, psilocybin was designated as a “breakthrough therapy” by the FDA for treatment-resistant depression. 

In Colorado, regulations are being finalized, and it looks like therapists will be able to provide this type of therapy for their clients starting in summer of 2025.

For people with certain conditions, the federal Right to Try law makes exceptions for terminally ill patients who have exhausted their government-approved options and can’t get into a clinical trial to access treatments.

What will psilocybin or psilocybe potentially be used for in therapy?

So far, research on psilocybin-assisted therapy has been focused on a few major areas and populations:

  • Terminal illness, end-of-life, or life-threatening conditions 
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • PTSD
  • Addiction
woman smiling on a beach

How much will psilocybin-assisted therapy cost?

There’s significant demand for psilocybin-assisted therapy in Colorado, but few people realize how much it will cost. 

A recent study estimated that psilocybin-assisted therapy will cost between $7,638 and $9,532, depending on the price of psilocybin. In Oregon, for microdosing alone without therapy, a guided trip currently costs $3,500 per session.  

We anticipate that our psilocybin-assisted therapy treatment plans will cost between $4,000 and $5,000.

woman and man hugging outside

What are some risks with psilocybin-assisted
therapy?

There is a risk of people having a “bad trip” when using psilocybin. This can cause people to have enhanced feelings of fear, anxiety, confusion, and even panic. How people react to psilocybin can be dramatically different from person to person.

Also, psilocybin can cause psychotic reactions in people with bipolar disorder and mental health conditions like schizophrenia, which may make people with some conditions ineligible for mushroom therapy. 

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Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn’t you – all of the expectations, all of the beliefs – and becoming who you are.

Rachel Naomi Remen

Brian Thomas
(MA, LPC)
Taylor Downs
(Counseling Intern)
Dawn Schmidli
(M. Ed, LPC)
Kelly Albers
(MA, LPC)
Katy Pelletier
(MS, MFTC)
Nicole Hunka
(MA, LPC)
JJ Hedden
(Counseling Intern)
Annie Hause
(MA, LPC)
Hillary Naef
(MA, LPC)
Alex Song
(MA, LPC)
John Hague
(MA, LPC)
Maci Luther
(MA, LPC)
MacKenzie King
(MS, LPC)
Lance Hill
(MA, LPC)
Allie Evans
(MMFT, LMFT)
Aria Kirby
(MS, LPCC)
Lindsey Kayne
(MA, LPCC)
Shannon Keane
(MSN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC)
Nicole Wolf
(MA, LPC)
Courtneyrose Chung
(MMFT, LMFT, LPC, LAC, NMIT)
Jelly Bean
(Therapy Dog)
 

Meet our therapists

My Denver Therapy has become one of the largest therapy private practices in Colorado with many of the best mental health therapists in the Denver Metro area. 

As a therapist-owned practice with over 100 years of combined experience, we care about seeing you heal, grow, and thrive. We’re one of the only therapy practices in Colorado with licensed professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, addiction counselors, social workers, and psychiatric nurse practitioners who actively see new clients in person and online. 

Whether you’re an adult, teen, young adult, couple, or family, our inclusive therapist team is built to specialize in clients of all ages, faiths, backgrounds, and life experiences. 

Because our client-centered approach that meets you where you are, we’ve helped thousands of people in Colorado by providing in-person therapy at our conveniently located Denver Metro area counseling offices in Denver, Greenwood Village, and Lone Tree, plus online therapy for clients throughout Colorado. Our therapists also provide consultation for other therapists and private practices throughout the Denver Metro area.

To support you and your mental health journey, our therapists are trained in some of the most innovative, effective, and in-demand forms of therapy available today, including EMDR, Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, CBT, DBT, and IFS. 

We know that you want to find the best therapist in Denver for you, so our team includes therapists of different ages with a wide range of backgrounds, specialities, and experiences to help you find the right match for your goals, location, budget, and schedule.

We’re out of network for insurance, Tricare, and are unable to take Medicaid or Medicare, but most of our therapists’ rates are lower than the local and national averages for therapy. Also, we don’t charge separate intake or administration fees or charge more for specialized therapy methods like EMDR.

All of our therapists take a client-focused approach to counseling and approach each session with a commitment to your progress and growth. When you’re ready to meet your therapist, we’re here to help.

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