Join the MycoMeditations Team

Reports To: The Lead Therapist will report to the Retreat Leader during retreats, and administratively to the Clinical Director.

Job Overview:  The Lead Therapist provides emotional and therapeutic support to guests during sessions, integration, and general interactions.

Responsibilities and Duties: 

While other team members may also be Therapists, there is only one Lead Therapist per retreat. Lead Therapist assignments are made on a retreat-by-retreat basis and may be rotated. The Lead Therapist must hold a valid and active license in Counseling, Psychotherapy, Clinical Social Work or similar designation.

Administrative:

Coordinate closely with the Retreat Leader and the Operations Team to ensure retreat activities proceed in accordance with the established itinerary.

In conjunction with the goals set forth by the Retreat Leader and Clinical Director, assist with the development and growth of less experienced facilitators and therapists.

During Retreat:

Before Sessions

• Greet all guests upon arrival.
• Lead guided meditation prior to dosing sessions.

During Sessions

As with every team member, the Lead Therapist is expected to be attentive and present during the entire session. The Lead Therapist should not use their cell phones during the session or appear bored or restless. The role of the Lead Therapist is to remain a calm, grounded presence for the guests.

• Ensure needs of the guests and Retreat Leader are met.
• Provide support to guests during dosing, with specific emphasis on the most difficult cases.
• Communicate with the Retreat Leader to ensure guest safety and to provide necessary information. The Retreat Leader is mobile, traversing the dosing space and observing each guest’s status. The Lead Therapist will communicate updates to the Retreat Leader as they enter the Lead Therapist’s area.
• If a guest is having a challenging experience, it is the responsibility of the Lead Therapist to assist.
  • If the Lead Therapist hears something from a guest that the Retreat Leader should know, they should communicate the information. This would include anything that indicates a guest is experiencing a challenging situation and requires additional support.
  • If the Lead Therapist encounters situations that are beyond their expertise, they are to reach out to the Retreat Leader, without leaving the guest unattended.
• Continually scan the environment to determine if any of the above responsibilities need to be completed.

During Integration Sessions

• Lead group integration sessions
• Take and type up therapy notes (or assign to another therapist or senior facilitator with the approval of the Retreat Leader).
• Maintain attentive presence in the integration.
• Support the discussions by adding relevant insights.
• Attempt to bring the guest deeper into their reflection.
• Introduce helpful frameworks of knowledge as applicable.

During All Other Times

During downtime outside of the sessions, the goal for the Lead Therapist is to be present with the guests and to help create a friendly, nurturing environment. It is essential for the Lead Therapist to communicate with all guests throughout the retreat week and to cultivate a supportive and therapeutic relationship.

• Attend breakfast and dinner at the scheduled time
• Maintain friendly communication with guests in their downtime and during breakfast/dinner
• Practice active listening with guests at all times
• Be available to all guests for individual therapy sessions and support throughout the week

Post Retreat

• The Lead Therapist will conduct follow-up group integration calls via Zoom. The first session shall be scheduled 2 weeks post-retreat, and the second session 6 weeks post-retreat. Each session shall last approximately 2 hours for up to 8 guests; 3 hours if more than 8 guests.

Qualifications:

• Master of Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, or similar field.
• Active License in Counseling, Social Work, Psychotherapy or similar designation.
• Post-graduate training on one of the following: Internal Family Systems, Somatic Therapy, Transpersonal Psychology, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
• Training in psychedelic-assisted therapy through Fluence, MAPS, CIIS, IPI, etc.
• At least ten years experience working with individuals and groups
• Ability to build rapport quickly while maintaining healthy boundaries with guests
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Empathetic presence
• Ability to take control in a crisis situation
• Detail oriented
• Strong ability to manage time and prioritize tasks
• Ability to work within a team environment
• Personal experience in the trip space with psilocybin and/or other hallucinogens, enabling understanding of guest experiences

Reports To: The Therapist will report to the Retreat Leader during retreats, and administratively to the Clinical Director.

Job Overview:  The Therapist provides emotional and therapeutic support to guests during sessions, integration, and general interactions.

Responsibilities and Duties: 

Administrative:

In conjunction with the goals set forth by the Retreat Leader and Clinical Director, assist with the development and growth of less experienced facilitators and therapists.

During Retreat:

Before Sessions

• Greet all guests upon arrival.
• Lead guided meditation prior to dosing sessions, if assigned by Retreat Leader.

During Dosing Sessions

As with every team member, the Therapist is expected to be attentive and present during the entire session. The Therapist should not use their cell phones during the session or appear bored or restless. The role of the Therapist is to remain a calm, grounded presence for the guests.

• Ensure needs of the guests, Lead Therapist and Retreat Leader are met.
• Provide support to guests during dosing, with specific emphasis on the most difficult cases.
• Communicate with the Retreat Leader to ensure guest safety and to provide necessary information. The Retreat Leader is mobile, traversing the dosing space and observing each guest’s status. The Therapist will communicate updates to the Retreat Leader as they enter the Therapist’s area.
• If a guest is having a challenging experience, it is the responsibility of the Therapist to assist.
  • If the Therapist hears something from a guest that the Retreat Leader should know, they should communicate the information. This would include anything that indicates a guest is experiencing a challenging situation and requires additional support.
  • If the Therapist encounters situations that are beyond their expertise, they are to reach out to the Retreat Leader, without leaving the guest unattended.
• Continually scan the environment to determine if any of the above responsibilities need to be completed.

During Integration Sessions

• Actively participate in group integration sessions; lead discussion if directed by the Lead Therapist
• Take and type up therapy notes if assigned by the Lead Therapist.
• Maintain attentive presence in the integration.
• Support the discussions by adding relevant insights.
• Attempt to bring the guest deeper into their reflection.
• Introduce helpful frameworks of knowledge as applicable.

During All Other Times

During downtime outside of the sessions, the goal for the Therapist is to be present with the guests and to help create a friendly, nurturing environment. It is essential for the Therapist to make an effort to communicate with all guests throughout the retreat week and to cultivate a supportive and therapeutic relationship.

• Attend breakfast and dinner at the scheduled time
• Maintain friendly communication with guests in their downtime and during breakfast/dinner
• Practice active listening with guests at all times
• Be available to all guests for individual therapy sessions and support throughout the week

Post Retreat

• The Lead Therapist will usually conduct the follow-up group integration calls via Zoom. The first session shall be scheduled 2 weeks post-retreat, and the second session 6 weeks post-retreat. Each session shall last approximately 2 hours for up to 8 guests; 3 hours if more than 8 guests. This role may occasionally be assigned to the Therapist for training and development purposes.

Qualifications:

• Master of Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, or similar field.
• Post-graduate training on one of the following: Internal Family Systems, Somatic Therapy, Transpersonal Psychology, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
• Training in psychedelic-assisted therapy through Fluence, MAPS, CIIS, IPI, etc.
• At least two years experience working with individuals and groups.
• Ability to build rapport quickly while maintaining healthy boundaries with guests
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Empathetic presence
• Ability to take control in a crisis situation
• Detail oriented
• Strong ability to manage time and prioritize tasks
• Ability to work within a team environment
• Personal experience in the trip space with psilocybin and/or other hallucinogens, enabling understanding of guest experiences

Reports To: The Facilitator will report to the Retreat Leader during retreats, and administratively to the Clinical Director.

Job Overview:  The Facilitator has completed training as FIT1 and FIT2. The Facilitator is expected to take another step forward as a more proactive member of the facilitation team.  As a more experienced member of the facilitation team, the Facilitator assumes greater responsibility in the dosing space, integration sessions and in general interactions with the guests.

Responsibilities and Duties:

Promotion to Facilitator is predicated upon successful completion of FIT1 and FIT2 internships.

During Dosing Sessions

The Facilitator oversees a particular area of the dosing space, supervising 1-3 guests and generally remains in the area for much of the dosing session. A FIT1 or FIT2 will provide support and back-up to the Facilitator.

• Watch closely over the guests in their respective dosing spaces.
• Search for indicators that reflect the guest’s state of mind.
  • This may include but is not limited to:
    • Body position.
    • Facial expression.
    • Vocalizations.
    • Movement.
• Use discernment before approaching a guest.
• Offer support to a guest who is in need.
  • This may include but is not limited to:
    • Asking open-ended questions.
    • Normalizing the guest’s experience.
    • Validating their emotions.
    • Providing reassurance.
    • Sitting beside the guest.
    • Offering a hand to hold or a hand on the back, only after asking permission.
    • Sending positive thoughts and feelings to them.
    • Offering tissues.
    • Offering suggestions such as changing position, leaning into the purge, etc.

• Discretely communicate the status of guests with the appropriate facilitator, being careful not to point or allow other guests to hear.
• Remain composed at all times.
• Be sure to walk calmly during the dosing session, conveying the sense that everything is unfolding as it should.
• Observe how the more senior facilitators/therapists work in the more extreme scenarios.
• Manages moderate scenarios in the dosing space.
• Shares wisdom with less experienced facilitators as needed.
• All facilitators should communicate with one another to ensure guest safety and to provide necessary information.
  • The Retreat Leader is mobile, traversing the dosing space and observing each guest’s status. The Facilitator will communicate updates to the Retreat Leader as he/she enters the Facilitator’s space.
  • If a guest is having a challenging experience, it is the Facilitator’s responsibility to assist. If the Facilitator feels assistance is required to work with a guest, he/she will ask the FIT1 or FIT2 to find the Retreat Leader. All facilitators should be aware of situations that are beyond their expertise and reach out to a more experienced facilitator.
• As certain facilitators are called to work with specific guests as the need arises, another facilitator will take his/her place. It is essential that all guests be within view of at least one facilitator at all times.

During Integration Sessions

The Facilitator takes a more active part in the integration sessions. Each of the Facilitators at MycoMeditations possesses unique knowledge and frameworks of interpretations based on their educational backgrounds, personal healing journeys, readings, and experiences in the mushroom space. Facilitators should feel free to share relevant insights with the guests during the integration sessions and during downtime with the guests as well.

• Engages in active listening as the guests share their experiences.
• Listens attentively to the Therapist’s input.
• Supports the discussions by adding relevant insights.
• Attempts to bring the guest deeper into their reflection.
• Introduces helpful frameworks of knowledge as applicable.

During All Other Times

Like all team members, the Facilitator’s aim is to bring a friendly, supportive presence to the guests. Given their additional responsibilities, the Facilitator will be seen by guests as a more core piece of the facilitation team. The Facilitator should make herself/himself available to all guests for additional conversation and support throughout the retreat week.

• Arrive at the scheduled time for breakfast and dinner.
• Be available for discussions with guests.
• Be present at meals, taking care to speak with guests and not socialize with team members.
• Maintain friendly communication with guests in their downtime and during breakfast/dinner.
• Practice active listening with guests at all times.

Qualifications:

• Successful completion of 6 retreats as a Facilitator in Training – Levels 1 & 2.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Excellent communication and listening skills.
• Ability to build rapport quickly while maintaining healthy boundaries with guests.
• Ability to maintain healthy boundaries with guests and other team members.
• Ability to take direction from senior staff.
• Detail oriented.
• Ability to communicate with compassion and empathy.
• Strong ability to manage time and prioritize tasks.
• Personal experience in the trip space with psilocybin and/or other hallucinogens, enabling understanding of guest experiences.