There’s a conversation happening in therapy offices across Canada. Therapists are watching their clients struggle—really struggle—and wondering if there’s something more they could offer. They’ve tried traditional approaches. They’ve referred out. They’ve adjusted techniques. And still, some clients remain stuck.
Psychedelic-assisted therapy represents a different possibility. But for most therapists, it feels out of reach. They don’t have medical licenses. They don’t have clinics set up to deliver these treatments. They don’t want to abandon their existing practice or clients to start something entirely new.
That’s exactly why ATMA CENA created the CoCare™ Program—to bridge the gap between “I wish I could offer this” and “I actually can.”
What Is CoCare™?
CoCare™ is a collaborative care model that allows therapists to integrate psychedelic-assisted therapy into their existing practice without changing their clinic, their scope, or their client relationships.
Here’s how it works: You remain the primary therapist. You continue seeing your client in your own office, on your own schedule, providing the preparation and integration work you already do so well. When it’s time for a medicine session, your client goes to an ATMA CENA-licensed clinic where a medical team provides the treatment under physician supervision.
You’re not handing your client off to strangers. You’re collaborating with an interdisciplinary clinical team that handles the medical piece while you maintain the therapeutic relationship.
This is continuity of care through multidisciplinary collaboration in action. It’s not either/or. It’s both/and.
Why This Model Matters
Traditional healthcare often forces people to choose: stay with your therapist but don’t get access to new treatments, or leave your therapist to access those treatments somewhere else.
Both options feel like losses. Therapeutic relationships take time to build. Trust doesn’t transfer easily. And for clients dealing with complex trauma or treatment-resistant conditions, starting over with a new provider can feel exhausting—or even impossible.
CoCare™ solves this problem by allowing therapists to stay in relationship with their clients while adding physician-supervised medical treatments for depression and anxiety to the care plan.
You don’t lose your client. Your client doesn’t lose you. And together, you gain access to a level of care that neither of you could provide alone.
What Therapists Are Saying
Dr. Lauren Birks, a therapist using CoCare™, describes the experience this way: “It’s really been a supportive environment and has definitely facilitated a smooth transition into psychedelic-assisted therapy for myself and my client.”
Shelane Williams, another CoCare™ participant, adds: “I was really excited about being part of the medicine journey as well as the preparation and integration. It was cool that there was an option for that, not just handing my client off to people who I don’t know.”
These aren’t marketing quotes. They’re reflections of what makes this model work: therapists stay connected to the full arc of treatment. They’re not consultants. They’re partners.
How It Actually Works
The CoCare™ process unfolds in stages, each designed to ensure safety, collaboration, and clinical effectiveness.
1. Training
Before you can participate in CoCare™, you complete ATMA CENA’s Clinical Pathway—a CE-accredited, clinically grounded online program with live Q&As. This training covers the foundations of psychedelic-assisted therapy: pharmacology, safety protocols, trauma-informed care, preparation and integration techniques, and the ethical considerations that shape this work.
You’re not just learning theory. You’re building the competence to work effectively within a collaborative care model.
2. Client Assessment
When you have a client who might benefit from psychedelic-assisted therapy, you initiate a referral to the ATMA CENA clinical team. The client goes through comprehensive mental-health assessments and consultations with a nurse, a prescribing physician, and the medicine therapy team.
This isn’t bureaucracy—it’s due diligence. Every client receives personalized care plans reviewed by licensed medical professionals to ensure the treatment is appropriate and safe.
3. Preparation
You continue working with your client in your own practice, providing the preparation therapy that helps them get ready for the medicine session. This is where your existing relationship is invaluable. You already know your client’s history, their triggers, their strengths. You’re the person best positioned to help them clarify intentions and build readiness.
4. Medicine Session
When it’s time for treatment, your client goes to an ATMA CENA-licensed clinic. The medical team administers the medicine and provides safety monitoring throughout the session. You have the option to attend as a compassionate witness—present in the room to offer continuity and support, even though the medical team is managing the clinical piece.
For therapists who are qualified (typically those with five or more years of clinical registration), there’s even an option to provide psycholytic therapy during lower-dose sessions, actively engaging with the client while they’re in an altered state.
5. Integration
After the medicine session, you resume integration work with your client in your own practice. You help them make sense of what emerged, ground insights into everyday life, and continue the long-term healing work that extends far beyond a single session.
This continuum of services—from preparation through treatment to integration—is what makes psychedelic-assisted therapy effective. And CoCare™ ensures that you, the therapist who knows the client best, are present for all of it.
Who Can Participate?
CoCare™ is designed for regulated and licensed mental health professionals, including:
- Registered Psychologists or Psychotherapists
- Registered Clinical Social Workers (RCSW) or Registered Social Workers (RSW) authorized to provide psychotherapy
- Nurses or Nurse Practitioners authorized to provide psychotherapy by their nursing college
The program is structured in tiers based on your qualifications and the scope of work you can provide. But regardless of tier, the core principle remains the same: you stay the therapist, and the CoCare™ team handles the medical oversight.
Even wellness practitioners—somatic bodyworkers, sound practitioners, yoga teachers—can participate in a support capacity, offering non-clinical integration work within their professional scope and making referrals to the clinical team.
Why Collaboration Beats Competition
In traditional models, clinics compete for clients. If a therapist refers someone out, they risk losing that relationship permanently.
CoCare™ flips that dynamic. ATMA CENA doesn’t want to replace you. We want to empower you. Our goal is to create access for clients by strengthening therapists—not by taking their clients away.
This is what a true collaborative care model looks like. It’s not about one practice dominating the field. It’s about building an interdisciplinary clinical team approach where everyone contributes their expertise, clients get better care, and no one has to do it all alone.
The Bigger Vision
CoCare™ is part of a larger effort to transform how mental health care is delivered in Canada.
Right now, access to innovative treatments is limited by geography, resources, and infrastructure. Most therapists can’t afford to build a clinic, hire medical staff, and navigate the regulatory maze required to offer psychedelic-assisted therapy. And most clients can’t travel to major cities or afford the out-of-pocket costs associated with private clinics.
By centralizing the medical infrastructure and offering it as a service to trained therapists, ATMA CENA creates a hub that benefits everyone. Therapists can expand their scope without reinventing their practice. Clients can access cutting-edge care without leaving their community. And the field as a whole can grow sustainably, ethically, and collaboratively.
What’s Next?
If you’re a therapist who’s been curious about psychedelic-assisted therapy—if you’ve wondered whether you could offer it without upending your entire practice—CoCare™ might be exactly what you’ve been looking for.
It’s not a quick fix. It requires training, collaboration, and a willingness to work within a team. But for therapists who are ready to expand what’s possible for their clients, it’s a pathway that actually works.
And for clients who are stuck—who’ve tried everything and still can’t find relief—it’s a message of hope: your therapist doesn’t have to choose between staying with you and offering you innovative care. Through CoCare™, they can do both.
Ready to bring psychedelic-assisted therapy into your practice?
Learn more about the CoCare™ Program or book a consultation to explore next steps.
