If you’ve been hearing more about psychedelic therapy lately, you’re definitely not alone. The conversation around mental health is shifting, and loads of people are curious about new approaches that go beyond traditional talk therapy or medication. One of those approaches is Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, or KAP. 

At Northern Edge Counseling, we offer KAP as part of our whole-person, relational approach to healing. Let’s walk through what it is, how it works, and why it might help if you’ve been feeling stuck.

First things first: What is ketamine?

Ketamine is a safe, legal medication that has been used in hospitals for decades. In therapy, small doses are used to create what many people describe as a shift in perspective… almost like stepping back from the noise in your mind so you can see things more clearly.

Unlike some other medicines, ketamine works quickly and is short-acting. When paired with therapy, it can help clients access insights that might feel “just out of reach” in day-to-day life.

How is KAP different from a ketamine clinic?

You may have seen advertisements for ketamine infusion centers that are popping up all over Minnesota. While these types of clinics can provide the medicine, what’s often missing is the therapeutic relationship, which is the guidance, safety, and integration that make insights from ketamine journey work, stick.

KAP isn’t just about the medicine. It’s about combining ketamine with intentional therapy:

• Preparation to set intentions and feel grounded before dosing. Framing the experience with the work you’ve already done, where you want to go, and how we might tackle the barriers to getting there with the help of psychedelic medicine.

• Support during dosing so you feel safe. So you feel connected. So you feel resourced and able to work with whatever shows up in your journey and beyond.

• Integration sessions to make sense of the experience and apply it in daily life. So what you experience isn’t just a novel experience, but real, working context that puts you closer to your therapy goals. 

Long story short, the medicine can help you open the door, but therapy helps you walk through it.

Who might benefit from KAP?

KAP or psychedelic-assisted therapy isn’t for everyone, but it could be a good fit if you:

• Feel like you’ve hit a wall in traditional therapy, and aren’t sure how to move forward towards what you want in your life. 

• Struggle with anxiety, depression, or burnout that hasn’t shifted or lifted with other approaches.

• Are functioning in daily life, but feel disconnected or like your tired of just “going through the motions”. 

• Are curious about exploring yourself, and all that makes up who you are, in a deeper way with professional support.

At Northern Edge Counseling, every client is screened by both a medical and mental health clinician to make sure KAP is safe and appropriate before beginning treatment. 

What does the process look like?

A typical KAP journey includes:

1. Medical and mental health evaluation. This is where you’re meet with a psychiatric prescriber to ensure your physical and mental health supports KAP work. 
2. Preparation Session. A time to talk with your therapist about your history, your goals, what to expect, and begin creating your intention for your journey. 
3. Medicine Session – You administer a low-dose of ketamine, either in-office or via telehealth (depending on your plan with your therapist & prescriber). Your therapist is present, offering grounding and support while you journey and explore.

4. Integration Sessions – This is where the work “lands.” Clients often bring insights, symbols, or stories from their medicine session, and therapy helps turn them into practical changes.

Most clients notice the most benefit after 6–8 sessions, though every journey is unique.

Common Misconceptions About KAP

• “It’s a magic fix.”
  Unfortunately not. Although the affects of ketamine are still being studied and are quite amazing, ketamine remains a catalyst, not a cure. The real change comes from how you integrate the insights afterward, and choose to move forward with the insight you’ve gained.

• “I’ll lose control.”
  You’ll stay aware and are able to talk during dosing, if you’d like to. Lot of folks stay fairly internal during their journey, as the experience is unlike anything they experience in day-to-day life.  The medicine creates a shift in perspective, the goal is never for you to be “out of control” during your journey. 

• “It’s only for people with severe depression.”
  While it can be helpful for depression, KAP can also support people dealing with anxiety, trauma, burnout, life transition, barriers to athletic performance or addressing a sense of disconnection from life or others. Because ketamine is a catalyst for change, what it can be applied to in the mental health world is vast.

Why we offer KAP at Northern Edge Counseling

KAP is one of the modalities we use to support clients who haven’t always felt seen or supported in ways that create forward momentum in therapy. For many, it provides a different kind of access point — a stepping stone into deeper healing when other approaches have fallen flat.

At Northern Edge Counseling, KAP is never offered as a stand-alone “fix.” It’s woven into the same relational, whole-person framework that guides all our work. The medicine may open the door, but it’s the preparation, the therapeutic relationship, and the integration afterward that help clients carry insight into lasting change.

If you’re curious about whether KAP might be a good fit, the next step is simple: schedule a consult. We’ll talk through your goals, your history, and whether KAP is right for you.

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