Psychedelic Mentorship Training
An accredited program for training in psychedelic preparation and integration support, aimed at professionals working in the therapeutic and coaching fields. A pathway towards board-certification.
Elevate your practice with our 6-month online accredited training program for people looking to support others preparing for & processing altered states.
6-month accredited mentorship training
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Video content per week (At least 1 hour of in-your-own-time) |
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18 hours of live teaching time (90mins, fortnightly, over 6 months) |
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Worksheets and exercises to further ground and expand upon core learning concepts Guided meditations, breathing exercises, and practical preparatory and integrative practices |
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Bespoke teachings developed Especially for this Onaya course by each of our specialist contributors |
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Accreditation AANWP (American Association of Natural Wellness Practitioners) ANWPB (American Natural Wellness Practitioners Board) |
Core Modules Breakdown
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Module I: Foundations & Ethics
Understanding Psychedelics: Equipping mentors with foundational scientific knowledge and managing client uncertainties.
Traditional Perspectives: Helping mentors navigate cultural intersections with clients and appreciation for tradition and culture.
Intersections & Bridging the Gap: Education on intersections between fields and interconnections of biology and consciousness.
Inner Work & Therapeutics: Provide mentors with foundational therapeutic skills. Highlighting the importance of inner work.
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Module II: Preparation
Individual Preparation: Working at the individual level and psycho-physical readiness; setting intentions.
Collective Preparation: Working at the collective and environmental level; socio-spiritual readiness.
Mindfulness and Meditation: Knowledge and skills to integrate mindfulness, meditation into mentorship.
Safety Planning and Assessment: Helping a client establish safety for the journey and managing pre-post ceremony anxiety.
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Module III: Ceremonial Navigation
Altered States: Understanding and supporting altered states of consciousness.
Exceptional Human Experiences: Understanding and navigating exceptional human experiences which may arise.
Setting the Container: How to ensure a safe and protected space. The physical/sonic/relational container
Facilitation: Basics of facilitation and managing psychedelic emergencies.
Managing Intense Emotions: Managing intense psychedelic experiences. Somatic & trauma-informed techniques.
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Module IV: Integration
Integration – Getting Home:Fundamentals of integration and initial short term integration planning.
Integration – Staying Well: Maintenance guidance and ongoing monitoring.
Psychedelic Perspectivism: Navigating client’s perspective shifts after ceremony.
Nature Relatedness: Perspectives beyond self/other and connection with environment.
Working Systemically: Supporting clients systemically in their relationships and community.
Dreams and Symbolism: Understand the significance of dreams and support through symbolic aspects of the journey.
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Module V: Important Considerations
Trauma Informed Care:Working trauma informed and professional boundaries.
IFS and Parts Work: To equip mentors with understanding of Internal Family Systems and parts work to support clients.
Legalities: Educate mentors on legal frameworks & considerations and ensure they guide clients responsibly within the law.
Business: Legal & business considerations for mentor and client.
Research: Learning about psychedelic research, methodologies and ethics.
The American Association of Natural Wellness Practitioners (AANWP)
When you complete our 6-month Mentorship program, you are pre-qualified for Board Certification with AANWP/ANWPB.
Graduates can choose from a variety of Board Certification titles and membership provides access to numerous benefits and resources.
Who’s this course for
People with a background in a healing modality, including (but not limited to): medics, psychologists and psychotherapists, breathwork practitioners, life coaches, somatic healers and traditional practitioners.
Those with interest in Indigenous healing modalities and spiritual practices, looking to expand their practice to support individuals holistically in their psychedelic preparation and integration journeys.
Individuals seeking greater knowledge of modern science and spiritual traditions to advance their own personal development.
Augmenting skillsets within your current scope of practice
While the Psychedelic Mentorship Training program is designed for professionals in the full range of therapeutic fields, we accept anybody interested in developing their skillset.
- We strongly encourage applications from individuals who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, military veterans and service members, and those serving under-resourced and under-represented populations.
- International applicants are welcome, and professional board credentials are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
- We offer scholarships for students and practitioners from indigenous heritage who would otherwise not be able to afford the course.
- If you would like to extend the scope of your practice with this program, we offer a combined deal in partnership with the Human Potential Academy’s coaching qualification.
Certification Requirements
Knowledge and skill-based competencies are assessed in the primary domains of - psychedelic guidance and support, core therapeutic skills, and trauma-informed care. Certification will be awarded upon successful completion of the following:
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Multiple choice knowledge based examination
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Panel vignette assessment
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30 minute recording of client interaction for competencies assessment
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2 x 15 minute recordings of client interactions for feedback
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Over 80% attendance of weekly 90 minutes live teachings
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Submit reflective log for live teaching and buddy sessions at the end
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Passes on all in-course assessments
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12 hours of peer-to-peer (buddy) calls
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30 client hours (completed over the second half of the course, with assistance finding clients if needed)
Instructors
Course Director Dr. Simon Ruffell
Dr. Simon Ruffell, a psychiatrist with a PhD in ayahuasca and mental health, combines Western medicine, research psychology, and traditional plant medicine expertise. He has focused on ayahuasca research since 2016, and as CEO of Onaya Health and co-founder of Onaya Science, he collaborates with universities and Indigenous-led organizations to study ayahuasca's effects in Amazonian settings. Simon aims to bridge Indigenous and Western perspectives on plant healing. He is currently training in Shipibo curanderismo under Keyo Sui Rono and Don Rono Lopez.
Course Director Dr. WaiFung Tsang
Hailing from Hong Kong, Onaya's COO Dr WaiFung is a research psychologist with years of clinical experience primarily in the field of addiction, neurodevelopment and trauma, exhibiting a keen interest in psychedelic research. Currently based at the Maudsley Hospital, King’s College London, he is a co-founder of Onaya Science specialising in Amazonian indigenous ayahuasca research. He is also training in Shipibo Curanderismo and a talented musician with his band United Freedom Collective, signed to the acclaimed UK label, DamaDama, Ninja Tune.
Shipibo Curandero Don Rono Lopez
Don Rono was raised in a family of curanderos and comes from a long lineage of Shipibo plant doctors. With an incredible working knowledge of the plants, Don Rono continues to participate in plant dietas and study the science of healing. He has an interest in modern scientific techniques and helps inform Onaya about the nature of Shipibo curanderismo and its traditions from an indigenous perspective. Good-natured and with a gentle spirit, he is the lead curandero at the Ayahuasca Foundation's Riosbo Research Center where Onaya Science conducts research.
Shipibo Curandera Doña Angela Lopez
Doña Angela is a Shipibo curandera working at the Ayahuasca Foundation. She has done extensive plant dietas and has a soft and motherly energy in ceremony and in life. She’s also a tremendously talented artist, making clothing, jewelry, and crafts in her traditional Shipibo style. With decades of experience in the familial lineage of a plant medicine tradition passed down from generation to generation, she continues to develop her own style, especially with the uniqueness of her singing.
Shipibo Curandero Don Miguel
Don Miguel was born into a long lineage of Shipibo healers and plant doctors. He has a tremendous sense of humor and enjoys goofing around when it is appropriate. He knows Amazonian medicine and plants incredibly well. A trained language professor for his community, he is fond of leading lectures and workshops on the meaning of icaros and plant medicine within the Shipibo culture.
Indigenous Cultural Educator Jem Stone
Co-founder of IPAT- Indigenous Psychedelic Assisted Therapies and Rebirthing Breathwork Australia, Jem Stone is a First Nations Woman with mixed heritage, Cultural Educator, Wellness Practitioner and Trainer who is passionately integrating original knowledge systems into education and wellness spaces through connection and decolonised learning methods. Jem is trained as a Psychedelic Assisted Therapist, Wayapa Wuurrk Practitioner and Trainer, We Al-li Facilitator, Rebirthing Breathwork Therapist and Educator, Meditation and Yoga instructor who is passionate about creating safe, inclusive, decolonised spaces for healing.
Author & Anthropologist Dr Jeremy Narby
Jeremy Narby is an anthropologist, author, and advocate for indigenous knowledge, especially in the Amazon. His book *The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge* (1998) explores connections between shamanic visions and molecular biology. With extensive fieldwork in the Peruvian Amazon, he champions indigenous rights and traditional knowledge. Through NGOs like Nouvelle Planète, he supports sustainable development and promotes a holistic understanding of knowledge that bridges indigenous wisdom and modern science.
Clinical Psychologist Matt Pennell
Matt is a clinical psychologist whose therapeutic approach incorporates relational, psychodynamic, and parts models. He is also completing a PhD as part of a psychedelic clinical trial, his research is on innovative approaches to psychedelic therapist training.
Clinical Psychologist Dr. Bianca Sebben
Bianca is a Clinical Psychologist with a special interest in complex trauma, dissociative disorders and working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Currently a therapist on a psilocybin-assisted therapy trial for prolonged grief for people who have lost a loved one to cancer, Bianca holds a PhD in Indigenous Psychology, looking at traditional methods of healing and increasing cultural safety in Western medical systems. Cofounder of Indigenous Psychedelic Assisted therapies (IPAT); an organization developing a model of PAT informed by Indigenous practices; Bianca has a special interest in 5 MeO DMT harm reduction, and is a co-founder of the Australian Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Practitioners (AMAPP).
Anthropologist Dr Bia Labate
Dr. Beatriz Caiuby Labate (Bia Labate) is a queer Brazilian anthropologist based in San Francisco, specializing in plant medicines, drug policy, shamanism, and social justice. She is Executive Director of the Chacruna Institute and Public Education and Culture Specialist at MAPS. She holds a Ph.D. in social anthropology from UNICAMP and has authored or co-edited 28 books. Dr. Labate is also a Visiting Scholar at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and an advisor for veteran mental health initiatives.
Shipibo Curandero Don Wilder Mahua
Wilder Etman Rojas Mahua is a traditional healer from the Shipibo community of Paoyhan on the Ucayali River. Initiated into ayahuasca shamanism at 12, he learned from his grandparents and credits their icaros and master plants like Noya Rao with transforming his life. Wilder now practices curanderismo alongside his mother in various parts of the Peruvian Amazon.
Integrative Transpersonal & Trauma Psychotherapist (trainee) Maria Nazdravan
Maria is a dreamwork facilitator, writer, and integrative transpersonal and trauma psychotherapist (trainee). She is passionate about helping others learn the symbolic language of the unconscious and unlock the hidden meaning of their dreams. She founded Dreamwork Circle in April 2023, offering a supportive space for monthly classes and weekly dream circles that foster self-discovery and transformation.
Applied Shamanic Counsellor Isa Gucciardi
Isa Gucciardi holds degrees and certificates in transpersonal psychology, cultural and linguistic anthropology, comparative religion, hypnotherapy, and transformational healing. She has been a dedicated Buddhist practitioner for forty years and has spent over thirty years studying spiritual, therapeutic, and meditative techniques from around the world. Isa teaches and speaks nationally and internationally, and maintains a private practice with institutions and individuals in Depth Hypnosis and Coming to Peace processes. She speaks five languages and has lived in eleven countries; she is the mother of two children and lives with her partner in San Francisco.
Esoteric Scholar Julian Vayne
Julian’s journey into group ritual practice began within the Western Esoteric Tradition when he was 16. Since then he has worked in ceremony with practitioners from many different lands and lineages. Julian is a senior member of the Magical Pact of the Illuminates of Thanateros and widely recognized as one of Britain’s leading occultists. Today Julian is the author of books, essays, journals and articles in both the academic and esoteric press. He sees his work as part of the process to help re-imagine an earth-centered, non-dogmatic, open-source spirituality.
Indigenous Therapist Kirt Mallie
Kirt Mallie is a Mualgal man, Indigenous Therapist, and Cultural Educator based on Gumbaynggirr Country in Australia. Co-founder of IPAT – Indigenous Psychedelic Assisted Therapies, he is also a yoga and meditation teacher, sound therapist, and spiritual counsellor. Kirt is dedicated to creating sacred spaces for healing and helping others align with their truth and power through deep connection and self-awareness.
Professor of Psychology Prof. David Luke
Dr David Luke is Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Greenwich where he has been teaching an undergraduate course on the Psychology of Exceptional Human Experience since 2009. He is also a Lecturer at the Alef Trust as Programme Leader of the Professional Certificate in Psychedelics, Altered States and Transpersonal Psychology, and tutor on the MSc Consciousness, Spirituality and Transpersonal Psychology. His research focuses on transpersonal experiences and altered states of consciousness, especially via psychedelics, having published more than 100 academic papers in this area, including thirteen books, most recently DMT Entity Encounters: Dialogues on the Spirit Molecule (2021).
Human Potential Expert Dr. Mark Atkinson
Dr. Mark Atkinson is an internationally-renowned pioneer in the field of human potential development and optimal health medicine. Through his work as a medical doctor, leadership coach and human potential teacher, Mark has helped thousands of people to optimize their health and unlock higher levels of wellbeing, performance, and consciousness. He is an author of bestselling books and the founder of the Human Potential Academy and the Human Potential Coach Certification Program. He received his medical degree from Imperial College London.
Somatic Expert Dr. Esme Dark
Esme specialises in somatic and psychedelic therapy, bringing together the mind and the body in holistic practice. After working for many years as a senior clinical psychologist in refugee mental health in Australia, Thailand and the UK, she is now a core therapist in some of the biggest psychedelic trials in Australia.
Master Herbalist Julie Bruton-Seal
Julie is a qualified naturopathic herbalist, craniosacral practitioner, and iridologist who studied under Dr. Jill Davies and Christopher Hobbs. She co-authored several books on herbal medicine with her husband, Matthew Seal, and together they run courses from their Tudor cottage in Norfolk. Julie is also an artist and photographer, with her work featured in National Geographic. She and her husband have been long-time vegetarians and now mostly follow a vegan lifestyle.
Master Herbalist Matthew Seal
Matthew Seal is a writer and editor with a history degree from the University of Sussex. He co-founded the Professional Editors' Guild in South Africa and is an advanced member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading. With his wife, Julie Bruton-Seal, he has co-authored six books on herbal medicine. They live in Norfolk, running herbal courses from their Tudor cottage and follow a mostly vegan lifestyle.
Psychedelic Ecologist Dr. Sam Gandy
Sam is a PhD ecologist with varied experience of working within the psychedelic field, including as a scientific assistant to the director of the Beckley Foundation and a research assistant for Synthesis Institute; as a senior science writer for Wavepaths, and as a psychedelic science presenter for Seed Talks. A lifelong nature lover, Sam has a research interest in psychedelics’ influence on human relationships with nature, and is a collaborator with the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London. His main focus is within the ecological field, working as Innovation Team Leader with environmental consultancy Ecosulis.
Jan 2025 Sign Up
For all applicants, please complete this sign-up form - following this, please register a deposit or make a payment to enroll.
$4200 | 6-Month Onaya Mentorship Training (Starting 16th Jan 2025)
- Payment Plan: $770 over 6 months (5% markup)
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$100 Deposit (6-month route): Save a limited space on the 16th Jan 2025 cohort
*Full payment is due 4 weeks before the course starts.
Testimonials
“I love the initiative to create a framework to prepare, guide, and integrate psychedelic experiences. Nowadays, many provide these experiences without the proper guidance, and people get lost in a rabbit hole, facing more challenges, and disruption to their lives when there's no guidance and intention. Onaya is an excellent resource certification platform to work on a proven framework based on an ethical protocol that respects and protects Indigenous rights, plant medicine, and individual in the journey of elevating their potential working with limiting beliefs, trauma, acceptance, happiness, productivity, etc.
Onaya is creating a community of scientists, coaches, and shamans that holistically care for the human individual and would guide you to achieve the best results, crafting an intention, going through the process, and integrating the experience in all aspects of your life. You are not alone with ONAYA.”
“Taking the Onaya Mentorship course was an incredible experience. The course content was both comprehensive and accessible, highlighting the importance of client preparation and aftercare integration. The teachings, rooted in respect for indigenous knowledge and modern science, broadened my understanding and provided a balanced perspective on working with specific plants.
Overall, this course is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to deepen their knowledge of psychedelics and better guide their clients.”
“The Psychedelic Mentorship training has been a transformative experience for me.
The comprehensive and well-structured approach, combined with a solid foundation
in history, science, and the exploration of indigenous cultures, provided a rich and
holistic understanding of the subject. The live discussions and engaging materials
allowed me to apply theoretical knowledge in meaningful ways. The kindness and
compassion shown by the teachers fostered a supportive and inspiring learning
environment. The training itself felt like a ceremony, creating a deep sense of
connection and purpose. This course has enhanced my professional and personal
journey, equipping me with invaluable insights and skills. I highly recommend it to
anyone interested in psychedelic preparation and integration mentorship.”
Frequently Asked Questions
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Q. What are the dates for the next mentorship training?
The next 6 months mentorship training starts on the 16th of January 2025.
The 6-month cohort commences their first 90-minute orientation session on 16th January 2025, 5pm GMT / 12pm EDT.
Followed by:
*Fortnightly 90-minute sessions every other Thursday, from 16th January until 16th July 2025.*All live calls take place on zoom video conferencing, at 5pm GMT / 12pm EDT.
*Minimum required attendance is 80% of sessions.
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Q. In which countries or organisations is this program's accreditation valid?
The psychedelic mentorship program is accredited and certified by an international organization. However, each member must comply with their local state or country laws.
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Q. I am unsure if my qualification/experiences counts towards the program's eligibility requirements?
Please feel free to email us at [email protected] and we will happy to clarify and discuss with you.
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Q. Will I be able to work clinically following completion of the program?
Neither the 6 nor 12-month programs are designed to equip people with the training and expertise necessary to manage clinical and risky populations (e.g. PTSD, psychosis-spectrum disorders). The program is designed to provide mentors with foundational competencies to work only with non-clinical populations. Those encountering clients who pose a risk to self/others/from others, are recommended to discuss in supervision regarding an onward referral plan.