Ketamine Therapy: Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)

People come to ketamine-assisted psychotherapy from different starting points.

You may be looking for more support after other approaches have not helped enough, or you may already be receiving ketamine treatment and want help making sense of the experience.

Ketamine therapy can refer to several kinds of care, including IV or IM ketamine treatment, Spravato, prescribed troches or lozenges, and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. At Mind Body Well Therapy, PLLC, I provide the psychotherapy component of ketamine-assisted care. This may include preparation, live therapeutic support during a prescribed ketamine session when appropriate, and integration psychotherapy afterward.

Some clients work with me alongside an existing medical provider, including after IV or IM ketamine treatment, Spravato treatment, or prescribed at-home ketamine. Others are interested in KAP but do not yet have a prescriber. When you choose to work with me and need one, I can refer you to an independent medical provider serving your state.

Hello, I’m Lucrezia Mangione, a licensed professional counselor and holistic integrative psychotherapist. My approach is grounded in holistic integrative psychotherapy. I provide psychotherapy and integration; the independent medical provider determines medical eligibility, prescribes when appropriate, and manages medication instructions and decisions. With your permission, we coordinate care. If you already have a therapist, you may be able to continue that relationship while working with me for focused KAP support.

Mind Body Well Therapy, PLLC, is based in Oxford, Connecticut. I provide in-person therapy and KAP there, as well as online therapy and KAP services to eligible clients in Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, and Florida. Specific KAP services depend on your location, clinical needs, medical provider, and care arrangement. For state-specific service information, explore KAP in Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, or Florida.

If you are ready to discuss your circumstances, you are welcome to request an individual, no-charge KAP Consultation. If you would rather begin by learning and listening, you can explore a KAP Information Session.

Related Pages

• Is KAP Right for Me?: Explore fit, readiness, expectations, and important considerations.
• KAP Preparation & Integration: Learn how psychotherapy can support you before and after a prescribed ketamine experience.
• Ketamine Therapy Risks & Benefits: Review balanced information about possible benefits, limitations, risks, and safety considerations.
• Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy: Learn more about psychotherapy-supported ketamine care, including preparation, live support when appropriate, and integration.

Ready to explore support? Schedule a consultation to ask questions and consider what may be a good fit.

What Is Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy?

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy brings prescribed ketamine and psychotherapy into one plan of care.

KAP does not follow one universal protocol. Some care plans include therapy before, during, and after a dosing session. Others focus on preparation and integration around ketamine treatment provided elsewhere.

Each part has a different purpose: preparation can help you understand the process, name your goals, and plan for support. Therapy during dosing offers a steady presence, while integration gives you space to reflect on the experience and connect it with daily life.

This approach to ketamine therapy keeps psychotherapy connected to the medication experience rather than treating it as a separate add-on.

How KAP Differs From Other Ketamine Therapy Options

 The term "ketamine therapy" can mean many things, including different drugs, dosing routes, settings, and levels of therapy support.

Some programs focus mainly on medication and may offer an evaluation, prescription, or ketamine dosing without psychotherapy. Infusion clinics often center care around intravenous ketamine, although some offer therapy support or work with outside therapists.

KAP places psychotherapy within the care model through preparation, live support during dosing, integration, or a mix of the three.

Ketamine and Spravato are not interchangeable. Racemic ketamine is FDA-approved as an anesthetic. Its use for mental health conditions is off-label.^1. Spravato is an esketamine nasal spray with FDA-approved uses that include treatment-resistant depression in adults. It may be used alone or with an oral antidepressant.^2

These are not simply better or worse forms of the same care; they are set up differently. As you explore your options, ask who provides the medication, what support is included, and how the providers work together.

Ways to Work With Mind Body Well Therapy for KAP

KAP psychotherapy can be arranged around care you already receive or built into a coordinated KAP care plan.

Preparation and Integration

You may receive prescribed ketamine through a medical program that does not include psychotherapy. In that case, you may want preparation before dosing, integration afterward, or both. For some people, ketamine therapy is already part of their medical care; they seek psychotherapy to prepare for or make sense of those experiences.

Preparation can help you approach the experience with more understanding and a clear support plan. Integration gives you time to explore what arose without forcing meaning onto the experience or assuming that every session holds a profound message.

The KAP Preparation and Integration page explores these parts of the process in greater depth.

Therapeutic Support During Dosing

Live therapy support may also be available during a prescribed dosing session.

When this is part of your care, I stay present during the agreed-upon session and offer grounded, nonintrusive support. Some people prefer a quiet, inward experience, while others value brief reassurance or light verbal reflection.

This presence is psychotherapy support. It is not medication administration, medical supervision, or medical monitoring. Those responsibilities remain with your medical provider.

KAP Support Alongside Your Current Therapist

Having a therapist who does not provide KAP does not mean you must end that relationship.

I may provide focused KAP services while you and your primary therapist continue with your ongoing care. With your written permission, your primary therapist and I can define our roles and work together when useful.

I can also coordinate with the ketamine prescriber involved in your care with your written permission.

If one of these forms of KAP support feels relevant to what you are seeking, you are welcome to Request an Individual, No-Charge KAP Consultation.

Ready to explore support? Schedule a consultation to ask questions and consider what kind of care may feel right for you.

How Prescribing and Psychotherapy Are Coordinated

Clear roles matter when several providers take part in your care. In ketamine therapy involving more than one provider, clear roles help keep medical care and psychotherapy appropriately coordinated.

Your prescriber decides whether ketamine may be a medical fit. This provider writes the prescription, gives medication instructions, and sets the safety and monitoring rules.

I collaborate with you to decide whether KAP psychotherapy may fit your needs. I provide preparation, integration, dosing support when arranged, and care coordination.

If you keep your current therapist, that clinician may continue your main therapy while I focus on the agreed-upon KAP work.

With your permission, the providers involved may share the information needed to support clear roles and coordinated care.

What the KAP Process May Include

People enter KAP from different starting points. Depending on your needs, ketamine therapy may involve one focused form of support or a coordinated plan. Your process may include:

1. Consultation and psychotherapy intake. We discuss the support you want, your mental health history, and whether you already have a therapist or ketamine prescriber.
2. Independent medical evaluation and prescribing. The independent prescriber decides whether ketamine is medically appropriate and manages the medication.
3. Preparation. We discuss what may help you approach the experience with steady support and realistic expectations.
4. Therapy support during dosing. When included, I stay present during the prescribed dosing session in the role we agreed upon.
5. Integration. We explore the experience and how it may connect with your relationships, choices, patterns, and daily life. This may include one small action instead of trying to change everything at once.
6. Continued care. You may continue focused KAP work with me, keep your current therapist, or use a mix of services based on your care plan.

Not everyone needs every component. The number and timing of sessions vary by person and care plan.

When Might Someone Explore KAP?

Many people who inquire about KAP carry more than they show.

You may seem capable on the outside while feeling anxious, worn down, disconnected, or stuck in patterns that have not changed. You may understand yourself well, yet find that insight alone has not brought the movement you hoped for.

People may explore ketamine therapy when depression, anxiety, or trauma-related distress continues, or when past treatment has brought only partial relief.

You may also want holistic therapy that looks at the full picture, including emotions, relationships, body-based responses, and daily life.

These concerns may explain your interest, but they do not show whether KAP is right for you. Medical fit, emotional readiness, expectations, available support, and your willingness to take part all matter. The Is KAP Right for Me? page explains fit and key concerns in more depth.

Safety, Evidence, and Realistic Expectations

KAP requires both medical and therapy review because a therapy assessment cannot take the place of medical screening. Medical clearance also does not mean that KAP therapy is right for you.

Ketamine can cause short-term changes in perception, awareness, blood pressure, coordination, and emotions, as well as nausea, dizziness, sedation, anxiety, or dissociation. Your prescriber should explain the risks and restrictions and set the monitoring rules for the medication and treatment setting.

The FDA has also warned about risks tied to compounded ketamine products, including oral forms used for mental health conditions. ^1

Research on some ketamine treatments is encouraging, while research on KAP is smaller and more varied. It has not yet clarified how much psychotherapy contributes to outcomes or which therapy elements and timing are most useful. No dosing route, including sublingual ketamine, or KAP plan has been shown to be best for everyone. ^3-6

Medication and psychotherapy have different roles: the prescriber decides whether ketamine may be a medical fit and manages the medication. Psychotherapy helps you prepare, receive support during dosing when arranged, reflect afterward, and decide what, if anything, you want to bring into daily life. These functions are why psychotherapy is part of the MBWT model, but they are not a promise that KAP will produce a certain result.

Some people describe a ketamine experience as a reset or a breakthrough in understanding. For a fuller discussion of potential benefits, risks, and important limitations, visit Ketamine Therapy Risks & Benefits. Others notice small changes, feel unsure or uncomfortable, or see little benefit. KAP is not right for everyone, and choosing not to pursue it can be a sound care decision. You can learn more on the Is KAP Right for Me? page and from your prescriber.

What Makes KAP at MBWT Different

KAP at Mind Body Well Therapy, PLLC, gives you access to both parts of care and built-in teamwork between them. When you work with me and need a prescriber, I refer you directly to an independent prescriber in my network who serves your state. With your permission, we work together on your behalf while keeping separate roles, so you do not have to build a KAP care team on your own.

The psychotherapy is tailored to the support you need. Your care may include preparation and integration, therapy support during dosing, or a mix of all three. You may be able to keep your current therapist or prescriber, while the independent prescriber still decides whether ketamine is a medical fit and makes all medication decisions.

Mind Body Well Therapy, PLLC, offers in-person psychotherapy and KAP in Oxford, Connecticut, and online psychotherapy to eligible clients in Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, and Florida. Live dosing support depends on your location, needs, prescriber's rules, and care plan.

KAP psychotherapy is generally private pay. Prescriber and psychotherapy fees are separate. Insurance coverage varies by provider, service, and plan. Visit Fees and Insurance for payment and out-of-network information.

Exploring Whether KAP May Be a Fit

You do not have to figure this out on your own.

An individual KAP consultation is a good place to start, whether you already have a prescriber or need coordinated care. We discuss what brought you to KAP, the support you want, and whether we may be a good fit.

If you want a ketamine prescription without psychotherapy, you will need to contact a medical practice directly.

If you are interested but not ready for a private conversation, a KAP Information Session offers a lower-pressure place to learn and ask general questions.

Whether you begin with a consultation or an information session, the purpose is the same: real information, honest support, and space to decide.

Request an Individual KAP Consultation

Learn About KAP Information Sessions

References

1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2023, October 10). *FDA warns patients and health care providers about potential risks associated with compounded ketamine products, including oral formulations, for the treatment of psychiatric disorders*. In *Compounding risk alerts*. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/compounding-risk-alerts

2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2025). *CDER breakthrough therapy designation approvals: Spravato (esketamine), NDA 211243, Supplement 16*. https://www.fda.gov/media/97001/download

3. Joneborg, I., Lee, Y., Di Vincenzo, J. D., Ceban, F., Meshkat, S., Lui, L. M. W., Fancy, F., Rosenblat, J. D., & McIntyre, R. S. (2022). Active mechanisms of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy: A systematic review. *Journal of Affective Disorders, 315*, 105-112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.07.030

4. Kew, B. M., Porter, R. J., Douglas, K. M., & Glue, P. (2023). Ketamine and psychotherapy for the treatment of psychiatric disorders: Systematic review. *BJPsych Open, 9*(3), e79. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2023.53

5. Simpson, R. J., & Juruena, M. F. (2026). Effectiveness of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy as a treatment for treatment-resistant depression: A systematic review. *Psychopharmacology*. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-026-07003-0

6. Veraart, J. K. E., Schimmers, N., Breeksema, J. J., Seybert, C., Kamphuis, J., Huber, L. F. T., Rota, A., Coerts, D. T., Oliveira-Maia, A. J., & Schoevers, R. A. (2026). Ketamine-assisted psychotherapies for mental disorders: A historical overview and systematic review. *Clinical Psychology Review, 124*, 102706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2026.102706

Ready to explore support? Schedule a consultation to ask questions and consider what kind of care may feel right for you.

About the Author

Lucrezia Mangione is a licensed professional counselor and founder of Mind Body Well Therapy, Pllc. Her work is grounded in evidence-based psychotherapy and guided by an evidence-informed, whole-person approach that considers the interconnectedness of mind, body, heart, spirit, and lived experience.

She works with thoughtful, sensitive adults who may feel overwhelmed, anxious, emotionally exhausted, disconnected, or stuck, including caregivers, nurses, physicians, therapists, and other healthcare and helping professionals.

Mind Body Well Therapy, Pllc is a private psychotherapy practice offering holistic integrative psychotherapy, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and integration support, and NeuroEase EEG brain training and neurofeedback. Information on this website is provided for educational and informational purposes and is not intended for self-diagnosis or as a substitute for individualized medical, psychological, or mental health care. See the Privacy Policy and Disclaimer for more details.