Date: January 31, 2024 from 12-1pm PST
Presented by: Michelle Gagnon, RN, PhD(c)
Room: Online on Zoom Meetings
After decades-long dormancy, psychedelic research for treating various mental health conditions has undergone a revitalization since the early 2000s. In 2020, Health Canada granted landmark legal psilocybin (magic mushrooms) exemptions for end-of-life distress. In light of the pandemic and worsening mental health crisis, psychedelics are emerging as a promising approach for a number of clinically challenging conditions, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and addiction. As psychedelics approach mainstream healthcare use, we are faced with vital practice considerations of psychedelics and healthcare; notably in developing a highly skilled workforce who will contribute to the care of individuals undergoing psychedelic-assisted therapy. In this presentation, Michelle will share a brief history of the psychedelic landscape and contemporary psychedelic-assisted therapy features and components with attention to the Canadian context.
Bio:
Michelle Gagnon is a PhD Candidate in the School of Nursing at UBC. Her research examines how contemporary psychedelic-assisted therapy is being experienced among patients and providers within the Canadian context along with the ways in which contextual features shape these experiences. The overall aim of her work is to increase the evidence-base concerning the current practices and contexts of psychedelic-assisted therapy which may be used to inform best practices within the Canadian healthcare setting. This research has been influenced by her work with community partners, including her Visiting Researcher position with Vancouver Island University’s Naut sa Mawt Centre for Psychedelic Research as well as her membership of the Ethics Working Committee with the Psychedelic Association of Canada. She is currently working as a Research Assistant with the Capacity Research Unit.
Click here to view the presentation poster.
Click here to view the audio recording of the presentation.
