When The Balancing Safety and Access report through MAPS Canada was released in early 2023, the intention we had was clear, to guide emerging psychedelic regulations toward a model that protects clients without restricting access. As both a registered nurse and a co-author of that report, I’ve lived through these same principles in my leadership journey at ATMA CENA Psychedelic Healthcare Solutions. My mission has always been to bring safe psychedelic-assisted therapy in Canada, not as an alternative to care, but as part of the continuum of care. The central challenge, then and now, is balance. Regulation must uphold safety, but it cannot come at the cost of access for those who need help most.
Expanding Access to Psychedelic Care Through Interdisciplinary Teams
One of the report’s core recommendations was to broaden who can prescribe or oversee psychedelic-assisted therapy. With only around 460 psychiatrists across Alberta, requiring psychiatric oversight for every treatment creates a serious bottleneck to care. At ATMA CENA, we’ve addressed this directly by building interdisciplinary psychedelic care teams that include nurse practitioners, physicians, registered nurses, psychologists, clinical social workers and therapists all collaborating under shared safety protocols under the accountability of our Medical Director. This model ensures that treatment remains medically sound and safe while expanding access through collective responsibility and team-based care. It’s how to access psychedelic therapy in Alberta and a living example of what the report envisioned as safety through collaboration, not limitation.
Creating Safe and Accessible Psychedelic Therapy Environments
Another key principle from Balancing Safety and Access is the importance of “set and setting.” Psychedelic care must consider environment and culture as much as medicine and monitoring. Our clinics are designed to feel safe, warm, and grounded, integrating trauma-informed design and compassionate staff presence. But we’ve gone further by partnering with community clinics, regulated practitioners and are still learning about Indigenous psychedelic healing practices to ensure access extends beyond urban centers. Healing shouldn’t depend on a postal code. By supporting clinics and practitioners across Canada through our national network, and co-care program, ATMA CENA is ensuring that the settings where people heal are safe and as diverse and accessible as the people themselves.
Building Competency: Training the Psychedelic Healthcare Workforce
The report emphasized that every professional from prescriber to therapist should have specialized psychedelic healthcare training and certification. That recommendation has become foundational at ATMA CENA. Through our clinical training pathway and emerging practitioner network, we provide structured education that combines medical safety, ethics, cultural humility, and integration practices. We believe competency must be lived, not assumed. We are building not just a workforce, but a community of practice that can safely deliver this work at scale.
Community Collaboration in Psychedelic Medicine: Ongoing Engagement
Finally, it was essential that ongoing feedback and engagement with patients, communities, and diverse providers, including those with lived experience, was identified. That commitment is alive at ATMA CENA. We partner with researchers, community-based psychedelic therapy and Indigenous leaders to shape an inclusive ecosystem for psychedelic care. Every collaboration reinforces a simple truth: safe access requires shared stewardship. As this field evolves, regulation must keep pace with listening to those who deliver the care and those who receive it.
From Policy Framework to Practice: The Future of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
In writing Balancing Safety and Access, I hoped policymakers would see that safety and accessibility are not opposites, but they are partners. We’ve begun to build a system of regulated psychedelic medicine in Canadian healthcare, where safety protects individuals without restricting care and access expands without compromising quality. For me, this is more than policy implementation, it’s personal. After decades in healthcare, I’ve seen how systems can unintentionally close doors based on varying levels of policy maker and provider risk tolerance. Our work now is to reopen those doors, responsibly and compassionately.
At ATMA CENA, we believe that advancing psychedelic-assisted therapy means holding both safety and access with equal care. Because when we balance the two, we create space for true transformation for individuals, communities, and the healthcare system itself.
Ready to Experience Safe, Supported Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy?
At ATMA CENA, we’re not just advocating for accessible psychedelic healthcare, we’re delivering it. Our interdisciplinary care teams, trauma-informed psychedelic treatment centers, and evidence-based protocols ensure that you receive compassionate, medically sound treatment grounded in the principles outlined in the Balancing Safety and Access report.
Whether you’re exploring psychedelic-assisted therapy for treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, end-of-life anxiety, or other mental health conditions, our national network of clinics and co-care program means healing is within reach, regardless of where you live in Canada.
Take the first step toward transformation:
Book a consultation to learn if psychedelic-assisted therapy is right for you.
Connect with our care team to understand your treatment options.
Explore our training programs if you’re a healthcare provider interested in this field.
Schedule Your Consultation Today or call us to speak with a member of our clinical team.
“Because when safety and access work together, true healing becomes possible.”
