The Key to Greater Access: Integrating Psilocybin Therapy into Mainstream Healthcare
At Healing Advocacy Fund, we believe the future of the state-regulated model of psychedelic therapy depends on closer integration with our existing mental and physical healthcare systems. That integration is what will move psychedelic care from the margins to the mainstream and offer the strongest pathway to expanding access to those who need it most.
Here’s why: in market research HAF conducted in Oregon last year among people living with relevant mental health conditions, one of the common reasons given for not considering the state’s psilocybin therapy program from respondents was: “My therapist, psychiatrist, or doctor hasn’t suggested this as an option.”
Because of the siloed state of the psilocybin therapy programs, particularly in Oregon, the vast majority of potential clients don’t hear about it from their trusted providers, and clinicians often lack the tools or confidence to guide those seeking this care. Without clinical legitimacy and referral pathways, psychedelic therapy risks being seen as “alternative” rather than essential, mainstream care.
That’s why HAF led the effort to change the law in Oregon. Thanks to that work, beginning in January 2026, Oregon providers will legally and safely be allowed to discuss and support psilocybin therapy with patients and clients without risking their state clinical licenses. And clinicians who are also psilocybin facilitators will now be allowed to use their licensed professional skills to better support their clients during preparation and integration.
It’s also why, in Colorado, HAF successfully advocated for greater provider flexibility in the program right from the start, with licensed medical and mental health professionals able to integrate psychedelic therapy into their existing practices.
But the work is not done. The foundations have been set, but now the bridges must be built. Healing Advocacy Fund is focused on the outreach and education to the mainstream healthcare field that can:
Help clients who are a good fit for psilocybin therapy get connected to care;
Improve safety outcomes;
Build healthcare integration strategies for future psychedelic programs; and
Advance the broader movement for mainstreaming psychedelic therapy
We appreciate your support for this critical work as we all seek to bring safe, effective healing to the people who need it.
Taylor West
Executive Director
UPDATES
Colorado: Up to Date Numbers on Natural Medicine Program Licensing
View DOR's list of licensed healing centers in Colorado. You can also search for DORA-licensed facilitators online by selecting "Natural Medicine" from the dropdown menu.
Oregon: Up to Date Numbers on Psilocybin Services Program Licensing
View the Oregon Psilocybin Services Data Dashboard to see the most up-to-date numbers.
Interested in Accessing Psilocybin Therapy in Colorado but Don't Know How? Start Here
In August, HAF released the Colorado Psilocybin Services Client Guide, an introduction to Colorado’s state-regulated psilocybin therapy program.
The Client Guide was designed for adults interested in accessing psilocybin therapy in Colorado, which has different regulatory structures and guidelines for use than those in Oregon. It contains information on:
The basics of Colorado’s program
Understanding the limits of psilocybin therapy and the possibility of adverse events
Mental health, family history, and medical considerations, and
The basics of how to find and assess healing centers and facilitators
The Colorado guide was adapted from our Oregon Psilocybin Services Client Guide, which was developed in partnership with members of HAF’s Safety Committee, a group of wide-ranging subject matter experts that advise our organization.
Colorado Psychedelic Community Survey
Psychedelic Safety Institute is conducting a comprehensive study of Colorado's psychedelic ecosystem, and they need input from healthcare providers, researchers, advocates, and community members involved in Colorado's psychedelic space. These insights will help inform future program implementation decisions.
If you are working in Colorado's psychedelic space, your voice matters. The broader the participation, the more accurately the research will represent our community's diverse perspectives and needs. The survey closes on September 5th.
> Complete the community survey
No Oregon Psilocybin Services License Fee Increases in 2026
In a recent HAF-hosted conversation with Oregon’s licensed service center operators, Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) Section Manager Angela Albee confirmed that there will be no OPS license fee increases through the end of 2026. Instead, the Oregon Health Authority has decided to backfill the OPS budget shortfall for one year.
It is possible that OPS will open rules around fee increases in the fall of 2026, though in the event that fees are increased they would not be put into place until January 1, 2027.
New Mexico Program Listening Sessions
The New Mexico Department of Health held its first virtual community listening session on August 26th. These sessions are open to the public and are designed to help the department understand community desires for the state’s new medical psilocybin program, in service to informing the upcoming regulatory process. The next listening session will be on September 3rd at 3:00pm MT. Additional information including registration for the session is available on the Department of Health’s website:
> Register for a New Mexico listening session
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Breaking Barriers: A First Look at Group Psilocybin Therapy for Low-Income Adults
Drs. Matthew and Olivia Hicks are leaders in the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy and Directors of Synaptic Institute, a local non-profit clinic in Oregon dedicated to integrative mental health care and the ethical use of psychedelic medicines. In 2025, they conducted a study on low-income adults with depression through Oregon’s state-regulated psilocybin therapy program.
Read their August 2025 interview with HAF about the results.
What was the LIGPATD study, and who was it for?
The Low-Income Group Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Depression (LIGPATD) study explored whether group-based psilocybin therapy could work for low-income adults in Oregon living with major depressive disorder.
Why focus on low-income adults with depression?
Because psilocybin therapy, even where legal, is often prohibitively expensive (around $2,000 per session in Oregon), access is largely limited to wealthy people. Even funded studies have unintentionally catered to people of greater affluence and dominant culture. The study aimed to explore whether group-based therapy could make this promising treatment more affordable and accessible for underserved populations.
How was the study designed?
It was an open-label, uncontrolled feasibility design—meaning the focus was on whether the model could be done safely, not on comparing outcomes to a control group. Twenty participants joined in groups of up to six. They completed:
Two online preparation sessions
Two psilocybin dosing sessions (with Psilocybe cubensis tea)
Two integration sessions afterward, plus a three-month follow-up
Unlike most psilocybin studies, which use synthetic doses in highly controlled medical settings, this one was conducted within Oregon’s legal psilocybin services program—making it the first of its kind.
What did participants actually experience?
Preparation was done in small online groups, where participants built trust and set intentions. Then came two psilocybin sessions, held one week apart, in a facilitated group setting. After each session, participants gathered for integration—to process, reflect, and share. Importantly, they also continued with their own outside therapists throughout the study.
What kinds of results did you see?
The big takeaway: the study was doable and safe. And while the outcomes are considered preliminary, they were promising.
Depression scores dropped sharply—from “severe” at the start to “mild” immediately after treatment, with benefits still present at three months.
Wellbeing measures (PROMIS-29) showed significant improvements across the board—anxiety, sleep, social functioning, physical health, even cognition.
Participant feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with average satisfaction at 4.8 out of 5.
Were there side effects?
No serious adverse events were reported. Some participants experienced nausea, headaches, or temporary disorientation. One participant had extended nausea and vomiting, and one reported worsened depression due to outside stressors—but overall, the model was safe and well-tolerated. One participant dropped out citing soreness.
How long did the effects last?
The most dramatic improvements showed up immediately after treatment. By three months, some depression symptoms had crept back—but participants were still significantly better off than at baseline. Most wellbeing gains held steady, except for pain relief, which faded over time.
How does this compare to other treatments?
Traditional antidepressants can take weeks to kick in, and often don’t address domains like social functioning or meaning. The group format also makes it more affordable and scalable than the usual one-on-one psychedelic therapy model. Unlike SSRIs, psilocybin therapy was not ongoing daily medication but a short, intensive process.
What surprised you most as a researcher or therapist working on this study?
Nearly everyone had some degree of trepidation about being in a group; most had either no experience of group therapy or had had negative ones in the past. In the end, the perspective flipped; participants were grateful for the other participants, some even formed friendships, and one of the strongest results we saw was the social functioning domain of the PROMIS-29. We aren’t suggesting that group therapy is right for everyone, but for many it can be powerful, not just cheaper.
There was also a high retention rate (95%) and strong participant satisfaction, even in a group format. The feasibility of conducting clinical research inside Oregon’s regulated psilocybin framework despite complex legal restrictions is encouraging. Even with participants facing economic hardship, the model was safe and beneficial.
What’s next for your work, and what should we be looking out for?
We would like to find funding for a larger version of the trial that has a comparison group to evaluate effectiveness and cost-effectiveness relative to other therapies covered by insurance. We also aim for more inclusive recruitment (racial/ethnic diversity, gender/sexual minorities). Our goal is to build a case for expanding access to effecting models.
> Learn more
RESOURCES
Accounting Survey: State-Regulated Psilocybin Therapy
Are you offering or exploring offering accounting services to licensed operators in the state-regulated psilocybin programs in Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico or future states? We want to hear from you! Please take a moment to complete a quick survey that will help HAF compile a resource for licensed participants in the state-legal programs.
> Complete the Psilocybin Accounting Survey
EVENTS
September 7: The Enchanted State: Exploring New Mexico's Psychedelic Future in Santa Fe, NM
The Enchanted State is a groundbreaking gathering exploring the transformative role of psychedelics in mental health, addiction recovery, culture, and the spiritual dimensions of consciousness — with a focus on New Mexico’s future.
Speakers representing a wide array of perspectives will explore the future of psychedelics in New Mexico and beyond. If you are local to New Mexico, join the live event in Santa Fe at the Lensic Performing Arts Center on September 7th, with unique perspectives from national and regional change-makers, cultural leaders, veterans, first responders, care providers, artists, and policy makers.
> Purchase your tickets
September 17: New Mexico Elder Institute - New Mexico Medical Psilocybin Act CLE (1 Credit Hour)
HAF New Mexico Director of Strategic Support Denali Wilson will join Kathryn Tucker, JD, Director of Advocacy for the National Psychedelics Association for a one hour Continuing Legal Education (CLE) presentation on the New Mexico Medical Psilocybin Act. The session is part of the New Mexico Bar’s Elder Law Institute, hosted by the Center for Legal Education and the Elder Law Section, which explores emerging legal issues affecting practices that serve older adults.
> Register for the CLE Presentation
September 18: HAF Panel at Colorado Behavioral Health Conference in Breckenridge
Each year, hundreds of behavioral health specialists, members of the state and criminal justice system, physical health providers, and university students attend CHBC’s annual behavioral health conference. The conference focuses on best clinical and business practices in behavioral health. For the second year in a row, HAF Colorado director Tasia Poinsatte will be presenting a session on Colorado’s psilocybin therapy program, joined by Center Origin co-founder Mikki Vogt, LPC, LAC, NMCF and Treehouse Sanctuary co-founder German Ascani, MD.
The session will include an overview of Colorado’s program, including practical information for providers, along with reflection and learnings from the first 6 months of state-legal psychedelic care in Colorado.
> Register for the CBHC conference
September 23: Understanding the Impact: Innovative Research in State-Legal Psychedelic Care
Colorado and Oregon facilitators are invited to join Healing Advocacy Fund and the Open Psychedelic Evaluation Nexus (OPEN), a non-profit research initiative from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), to learn about groundbreaking efforts to track the safety and impact of state-regulated psychedelic care. OPEN is now welcoming both Colorado and Oregon facilitators to be research participants in this innovative work!
Researchers at OPEN use a secure, web-based system to study the impact of state-legal psychedelic services on client health. The goal: help healing centers and facilitators understand client safety and outcome data to improve the quality of services.
Register for the webinar on Tuesday, September 23 at 12 pm MT to learn more about the research findings and how you can participate.
IN THE NEWS
‘A transcendental experience’: UNM studies death through a psychedelic trip
Albuquerque Journal
Death is inevitable. It needn’t be traumatic, say researchers at the University of New Mexico.
Next month, UNM will participate in a clinical trial testing how psychedelics could help patients come to terms with a terminal or life-changing diagnosis.
CU Denver offers Colorado’s first psychedelic training program at public university
Colorado Public Radio
The University of Colorado Denver is accepting applicants for the state’s first and only public university-based training program for psychedelic facilitators starting the fall term. Graduates, once licensed, will be able to conduct therapeutic sessions using psilocybin — the active ingredient in so-called “magic mushrooms” — in clinics, mental health, healing or research centers.
> Read the article
Telluride Mushroom Festival has been tripping on psychedelics for 45 years
Denver Post
In 1981, the first Telluride Mushroom Conference – which would eventually become the Telluride Mushroom Festival – convened enthusiasts, experts, foragers and scientific renegades to hunt for wild mushrooms and talk about mind-altering substances. The lineup featured some of the foremost thinkers in the space, including mycologists Paul Stamets and Gary Lincoff, and Dr. Andrew Weil.
> Read the article
Psilocybin treatment lifts depression for low-income adults, study finds
KGW
Adults with low incomes reported lower depression following three months of psilocybin treatment in a first-of-its-kind study released Tuesday. The study conducted by the National University of Natural Medicine and Oregon Health and Science University focused on people with major depressive disorder. Nineteen participants completed two psilocybin administration sessions in a group, and after the second treatment — and again in three months — participants self-reported significant reductions in depression, as well as other improvements.
> Read the article
Your Questions About Psychedelics
NYT, The Morning
Psychedelic drugs have won over some surprising converts. Scientists say they can treat a range of psychological ailments. Tech titans swear by them. Hollywood stars praise microdosing. Rick Perry — a onetime Texas governor and Trump official — is now an unlikely champion.
> Read the article