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Psychedelic Assisted Therapy: The expectations and role of the GP

Tracks
Meeting Room 3
Thursday, October 24, 2024
3:45 PM - 4:50 PM
Meeting Room 3

Details

Stream: BUILD UP CLINICAL KNOWLEDGE: Clinical skills and clinical updates across all domains of practice


Speaker

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Dr Anthony Bloch
Outgoing Chair. Member
AMAPP

Psychedelic Assisted Therapy: The expectations and role of the GP.

Abstract Overview

Legal community based Psychedelic Assisted Therapy is already happening in Australia and the numbers will rapidly grow over the next few years. This presentation and discussion will briefly define and describe the paradigm of psychedelic assisted therapy and it's role in the Australian context. I will introduce the medications involved, the pharmacology and mechanisms of action as well as a brief history. The anatomy of a PAT therapy regime will be explained with the importance of preparation, the medicine session itself and the integration sessions and how they effect change. The delegates will leave with an understanding of how these drugs came to this point, why they work, as well as which patients are likely to benefit most. They will be able to give their patients a basic understanding of what to expect from the process as well as how to refer, who to refer and what handover to expect from the treating team. The insight of the family practitioner into this process can play an important part in the healing journey of their patients and how they can support them during and after the process.

Biography

Anthony works as a Rural Generalist Senior Medical Officer with advanced skills in Anaesthetics and Emergency. He has worked in over 50 communities in Australia from the Torres Straits to South Australia and Sydney to Kalgoorlie. He is confronted every working day with the limitations of our mental health treatments to reduce the suffering of Australians from the cities to the remotest of Indigenous communities. The promise of Psychedelic Assisted Therapy (PAT) to address some of this suffering led him on a journey of learning. He completed a Certificate in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy in Australia in 2021 and then the Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research with the California Institute of Integrated Studies in 2022. In February 2023, with other psychedelic trained clinicians Anthony founded and is currently Chair of AMAPP which was formed to be the peak body for PAT in Australia providing education, governance and standards for practice.
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