Yes! We work with WCB and other extended health benefit plans, and offer flexible payment plans and financing options to help make your care accessible. Book a Free Info Call to get clarity on costs, coverage, and next steps. 

For training, we offer payment plans through Kajabi with 2-month and 3-month payment options. Book a call with a Student Advisor to learn more!

When you enroll in an ATMA CENA course, you have lifetime access to the learning materials.
You can return to the lessons and reference what you’ve learned for as long as the information remains part of our offerings. To receive a certificate of completion, students must finish the learning content within 12 months of enrollment. This ensures ATMA CENA certificates reflect current, relevant learning in a fast-evolving field.

If you need an extension to complete one of our advanced courses, cohort transfers are available for a fee.

ATMA CENA is both a training organization and an operating clinic network — which means the curriculum is built from the inside out, by practitioners who are actively delivering this work across Canada. Graduates of the Clinical Pathway can enter ATMA CENA’s CoCare model and practice within that network directly, so training doesn’t end at certification. The faculty includes recognized leaders in the field, the programs are accredited for CE and CME credits, and the cohort model is kept deliberately small to prioritize depth over volume. This isn’t a theoretical introduction — it’s preparation for actual practice.

Our Foundations course is completely self-paced, allowing you to complete it on your own time.

Each Advanced course includes live Q&A sessions and small group scenario work at set points, but the core curriculum is designed to fit around a full clinical practice. The Supervised Learning Lab runs as four weekly live sessions of two hours each — the most time-structured component in any pathway — and is capped at eight participants to keep the experience substantive. If you’re considering the Psychedelic Therapy Immersive, that program includes an in-person component in Calgary and requires dedicated time away.

Yes. The Immersive Experience is an optional experiential add-on available to graduates of any advanced pathway. It moves practitioners through the full arc of psychedelic-assisted therapy from the client perspective — intake, preparation, a medically supervised immersive weekend, and integration — in a small group cohort of maximum 10 participants. Clinical screening is required for participation. Spots are limited — speak with a student advisor to learn more.

Yes. ATMA CENA’s programs are accredited and eligible for CE or CME credits depending on your designation. The Clinical and Integrative pathways are CE-eligible; the Prescriber Pathway is CME-eligible. Credit counts vary by course — speak with a student advisor for details specific to your credential and province.

Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Foundations is the ideal starting point — a 14-hour, self-paced online course covering the history, science, ethics, and clinical application of psychedelic-assisted therapy. It’s designed to be accessible to any mental health or wellness professional and earns 14 CE credits upon completion. From there, you move into the advanced course for your specific pathway.

ATMA CENA offers three distinct training pathways depending on your role. The Clinical Pathway is designed for licensed therapists, psychologists, counsellors, and social workers preparing to deliver psychedelic-assisted therapy directly. The Prescriber Pathway is built for physicians, psychiatrists, and nurse practitioners who want to prescribe, oversee, or refer with confidence. The Integrative Pathway is for wellness professionals — coaches, addictions counsellors, and allied health practitioners — who want to show up informed and ethical in a collaborative care model. Every pathway begins with the same foundational course, so the entry point is the same regardless of your background.

ATMA CENA offers in-person psychedelic-assisted therapy in Edmonton and Calgary. You’ll need to be able to attend sessions at one of these locations.

Approval decisions typically take one to four weeks, though timelines can vary depending on your case and how quickly documentation is gathered.

You can share our referral form directly with your physician or therapist — we’ve made it simple for them to submit. If your doctor wants to speak with one of our clinicians first, we welcome that conversation too.

No. We work alongside your existing healthcare team, not instead of them. Your family doctor and therapist stay involved throughout your treatment.

Some private health insurance plans cover psychedelic-assisted therapy. If WCB approval isn’t granted, we can discuss what other coverage options may be available to you.

We can help prepare clinical documentation to support your WCB case manager’s review, coordinate with your existing healthcare providers, and ensure your treatment history is presented clearly. Our goal is to make this as straightforward as possible for you.

Yes. WCB clients need to go through an approval process before treatment begins. Our team will walk you through every step — from your initial information call through to clinical documentation — so you’re not navigating it alone.

WCB coverage for psychedelic-assisted therapy is assessed on a case-by-case basis. It is not automatically covered, but approval is possible — particularly for individuals whose recovery has plateaued despite standard treatment. ATMA CENA can help you understand the process and prepare your application.

While this question is challenging to answer, there are some measurable affects on the brain by psychedelics that indicate an “opening” or expansion of neural networks during psychedelic experiences. Brain imaging studies show that psychedelics can increase connections between parts of your brain that don’t usually communicate, creating fresh patterns of thinking and new perspectives on old problems. They temporarily dial down the part of your brain that keeps you thinking in habitual loops and maintains your sense of ego, which can let you see yourself and your life from completely different angles.

Research has documented real increases in psychological openness, creativity, and mental flexibility after psychedelic experiences. People often report lasting shifts in their worldview, values, and how they see themselves.

That said, these benefits don’t happen automatically just by taking a psychedelic. Without proper preparation, guidance, and time & support to integrate what you learned, the experience might just be confusing or overwhelming. The real mind-opening magic happens when psychedelics are combined with intentional therapeutic work that helps you translate insights into actual lasting changes.

Learn more or book a free info call with ATMA CENA to speak to our team about these experiences and learn what’s possible for you.

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer here since different psychedelics show promise for different conditions and work differently for different people. Some psychedelics have strong research backing for treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and the existential distress that sometimes comes with terminal illness. Others are leading the pack for PTSD treatment and is closest to getting full regulatory approval. Ketamine, while technically in it’s own category, is already legally available for severe depression.

The truth is, the best option depends on what you’re dealing with, your unique biology, any health conditions you have, and the therapeutic context. Research increasingly suggests that the quality of therapeutic support, your mindset, and your environment matter just as much as which substance you use. Any treatment should happen under professional guidance with proper screening, preparation, and follow-up integration support.

Learn more or book a free info call with ATMA CENA to speak to our team about these offerings.

Psychedelics aren’t safe for everyone, and certain people should definitely avoid them. If you or close family members have experienced psychotic disorders like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, psychedelics could trigger or worsen these conditions. People with serious heart problems need to be cautious since some psychedelics can affect heart rate and blood pressure. If you’re taking certain medications, especially MAO inhibitors, antidepressants, or other psychiatric drugs, there could be interactions. Pregnant or nursing mothers should avoid psychedelics since we don’t know how they affect development. Other conditions that require careful medical review (also called “contraindications”) include uncontrolled high blood pressure, seizure disorders, or serious liver or kidney disease. You also shouldn’t use psychedelics if you’re in an acute mental health crisis or don’t have access to proper therapeutic support. This is why proper medical screening before any psychedelic therapy is so important for your safety.

Learn more or book a free info call with ATMA CENA to speak to our team about psychedelic therapy.

Psychedelics fundamentally shake up how your brain normally operates by latching onto serotonin receptors, particularly ones called 5-HT2A receptors. This kicks off a domino effect where the part of your brain that keeps you thinking the same thoughts over and over, called the default mode network, quiets down significantly. At the same time, brain regions that usually work independently start communicating in brand new ways, creating fresh pathways for thoughts and feelings to flow. This surge in brain connectivity seems to make your brain more flexible and adaptable, potentially helping you rewire patterns that aren’t serving you well anymore. Brain imaging studies show psychedelics also change how your emotional processing center and decision-making areas interact. The result is a more fluid, interconnected brain state that might explain why these substances show so much promise for conditions where people feel stuck in negative loops, like depression, addiction, and trauma.