Ketamine Essentials
March 27-29 2026
Holladay, UT
13 CE’s
What to ExpectThis is an introduction training designed for therapists, counselors, social workers, and other mental health providers who want to experientially understand the ketamine experience so they can better support their clients through preparation, meaning-making, and integration.
❋ This training is for mental health providers who:Work with clients receiving ketamine treatment (or plan to)
Want to understand what their clients actually experience
Wish to strengthen their preparation and integration skills
Are curious, thoughtful, and ethically grounded
Value experiential learning
❋ Ketamine ExperienceWhile a facilitated Ketamine experience is not required, it is highly recommended to deepen your experience and understanding of the material provided. We will be specifically discussing intermuscular ketamine administered by a medical provider with a sitter using the therapist as a prep and integration part of the team. We recommend you set up your experience as soon as you are able prior to the training.
Facilitated experiential sessions will not be provided in this training and are not required but HIGHLY recommended prior to training with Connections Ketamine.
❋ Expert FacilitationGuided by:
A medical doctor with extensive ketamine expertise
An experienced sitter with over 15 years of preparation, sitting, and integration work
In collaboration with The Healing Group Institute to bridge the provider, sitter, therapist collaboration.
Participants are invited into a weekend of learning that is grounded, relational, and clinically meaningful—supporting both professional growth and personal insight.
❋ Training Topics Participants will explore:History of ketamine therapy
Mechanisms of action
Indications & therapeutic applications
Current statistics & outcomes
Medical oversight: screening, monitoring, safety
The power of Set & Setting
Ethical considerations
The role & responsibilities of a sitter
Navigating challenging experiences (“bad trips”)
Integration models & therapy techniques (collaborative)
Clinical collaboration: doctor–sitter–therapist
Meet the Facilitators
At Connections Ketamine and Healing, Dr. Nathan Unkefer and Shandell Pino bring together two powerful halves of the healing process: medical expertise and emotional integration. Most ketamine clinics stop at administering the medicine. Nathan and Shandell believe that’s only the beginning. Healing requires safety, science, and a trusted guide to help anchor insights into everyday life.
Nathan, a board-certified ER physician, ensures every treatment is safe, physician-guided, and backed by nearly two decades of emergency medicine experience. He’s seen ketamine work thousands of times in clinical settings — and now applies that expertise to support patients searching for lasting relief from depression, anxiety, and PTSD across the Salt Lake Valley.
Shandell, a certified psychedelic integration specialist, provides grounding, compassion, and a calming presence before, during, and after each at-home session. She helps patients process insights, release emotional blocks, and integrate breakthroughs into daily routines so change becomes lasting transformation.
Together, they provide what no traditional clinic can: the balance of science and soul that restores hope and makes true healing possible.
Pricing
Early Bird Registration (through March 20th, 2026)
Tap here to find out more information about joining The Healing Group Institute.
This training will provide 13 CE’s
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Non THGI Member $575
Institute Members $500
Early bird tuition will close March 20th
Payment plan and scholarships available
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Non THGI Member $650
THGI Member $575
Orientation & Medical Foundations
Day One | March 27 | 5:00-8:00pm
As everyone arrives, we take time to settle in, get comfortable, and begin connecting with those around us. The journey starts here. We will be covering the roles of medical provider, the guide and the therapist.
Psychedelic Process & Clinical Application
Day Two | March 28 | 8:30am-5:00pm
This immersive, full-day training offers a comprehensive look at ketamine-assisted care through medical, psychedelic, and psychotherapeutic lenses. The morning begins with a strong medical foundation, covering ketamine’s history, mechanisms of action, safety profile, indications, routes of administration, and risk management, with space for discussion and clinical questions. The afternoon shifts into the lived psychedelic experience, exploring set and setting, the role of the sitter, ethics, clinical boundaries, and integration principles. Participants are then guided step-by-step through what ketamine care looks like in real practice—from therapeutic and medical assessments to preparation, ketamine sessions, integration, and ongoing therapy—highlighting how each provider contributes to a cohesive ecosystem of care. The day concludes with experiential integration practices, including somatic and creative approaches, reflective discussion, and clinical application, all woven together with opportunities for dialogue, questions, and shared learning throughout.
Experiential & Integration
Day Three | March 29 | 8:30am–12:00pm
Day 3 centers embodied learning, reflection, and meaning-making. Participants are guided through a sonic induction drum journey designed to evoke altered states of consciousness—offering a “psychedelic without the psychedelics” experience that deepens understanding of non-ordinary states in a safe, contained setting. The remainder of the day focuses on integration and processing, with art therapy–based practices, group reflection, and facilitated discussion exploring how experiential insights translate into clinical work. Together, we examine therapeutic applications, ethical considerations, and ways to support clients in meaning-making after transformative experiences. The training concludes with a closing circle that includes final questions, shared reflections, curated resources, and a completion ritual that honors both the learning and the collective journey.