Evidence-based treatment that helps you identify and change the thought patterns driving addiction and mental health challenges. Used by every therapist at Valley Spring across all program levels.
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy is an emerging treatment approach that combines the controlled use of psychedelic or dissociative substances -- such as ketamine, psilocybin, or MDMA -- with structured psychotherapy to facilitate profound psychological healing. Research shows these substances can rapidly reduce treatment-resistant depression, PTSD symptoms, and addiction cravings by promoting neuroplasticity and enabling deep emotional processing. This represents one of the most promising frontiers in mental health treatment.
At Valley Spring Recovery Center, we stay at the forefront of emerging evidence-based treatments. While traditional psychedelic-assisted therapy requires specialized protocols and regulatory approvals, our clinical team is knowledgeable about ketamine-assisted approaches and psychedelic-informed care principles. Under the medical guidance of Dr. Michael Olla and clinical leadership of Henry Iwuala, we evaluate emerging therapies as they gain FDA approval and integrate appropriate approaches into our treatment offerings.
PAT is especially effective for people with co-occurring disorders -- those struggling with both substance use and mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, or PTSD. By addressing the thinking patterns that fuel both conditions, PAT creates lasting change from the inside out.
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy follows a three-phase protocol. The preparation phase involves multiple therapy sessions to establish trust, set intentions, and prepare psychologically. The medicine session is conducted in a controlled clinical environment with trained therapists present throughout, using carefully calibrated doses. The integration phase -- often considered the most important -- involves processing the experience through structured therapy sessions, making meaning of insights, and applying them to ongoing recovery.
The first phase of PAT focuses on awareness. Your therapist helps you recognize the automatic thoughts, cognitive distortions, and core beliefs that drive unhealthy behaviors. These might include catastrophizing ("everything is ruined"), all-or-nothing thinking ("if I slip once, I've failed"), or overgeneralization. At Valley Spring, this foundation is introduced in Week 1 of our Mental Health Program curriculum through dedicated PAT Introduction sessions.
Once you can identify distorted thinking, you learn to challenge it. Your therapist guides you through techniques like cognitive restructuring, thought records, and Socratic questioning to test whether your thoughts are based in reality or fueled by emotion and habit. By Week 3 of treatment, our curriculum progresses to Cognitive Flexibility -- helping you challenge distortions, examine core beliefs, and build more balanced perspectives that support recovery.
The final phase translates insight into action. You practice new behavioral strategies -- such as grounding techniques, behavioral activation, exposure exercises, and relapse prevention planning -- that replace old patterns with constructive responses. These skills become tools you carry beyond treatment, helping you navigate triggers, cravings, and stressors in everyday life with confidence and clarity.
At Valley Spring Recovery Center, Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy is a valued component of our comprehensive treatment approach. Our clinical team integrates PAT techniques into individualized treatment plans across all program levels, ensuring every client receives the benefits of this approach.
This means whether you are in Partial Care, Intensive Outpatient, Virtual IOP, or our Outpatient Program, you will receive PAT-informed treatment from day one. Our dually-licensed clinicians combine PAT with complementary modalities like DBT, motivational interviewing, and trauma-focused approaches to create a treatment experience tailored to your unique needs.
Under the clinical leadership of Henry Iwuala, Clinical Director, and Dr. Michael Olla, Medical Director, our team ensures that PAT is delivered with both clinical rigor and genuine compassion -- creating a safe space for the difficult work of changing deeply held thought patterns.
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy has strong clinical evidence for treating a wide range of substance use and mental health disorders.
Generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and panic disorder
Major depressive disorder and persistent depressive disorder
Post-traumatic stress from trauma, abuse, or critical incidents
Alcohol, opioid, cocaine, and polysubstance addictions
Obsessive-compulsive disorder and related conditions
Mood stabilization and managing manic-depressive episodes
Attention-deficit patterns, impulsivity, and focus challenges
Emotional regulation and interpersonal relationship patterns
Disordered eating patterns and body image distortions
Simultaneous substance use and mental health conditions
PAT is not limited to a single program -- it is a core therapy modality integrated into every stage of care at Valley Spring.
Intensive daily PAT sessions address acute thought distortions. Structured curriculum introduces PAT fundamentals, thought records, and cognitive awareness during the most critical stabilization phase.
PAT deepens with cognitive flexibility work -- challenging distortions, examining core beliefs, and building restructuring skills. Group PAT sessions reinforce individual progress with peer support.
PAT continues via telehealth with real-world application. Clients practice PAT techniques in their daily environment while maintaining therapeutic support and accountability.
PAT skills become lifelong tools. Alumni access ongoing CBT-informed groups and check-ins that reinforce healthy thinking patterns and prevent relapse long after primary treatment ends.
Decades of clinical research consistently demonstrate PAT as one of the most effective therapeutic approaches for addiction and mental health treatment.
At Valley Spring, our commitment to evidence-based care means we do not simply offer PAT as an add-on -- we build treatment plans around it. Our CARF accreditation reflects our adherence to the highest standards of clinical practice, and our therapists receive ongoing training to stay current with the latest PAT research and techniques. This dedication to clinical excellence is what makes PAT at Valley Spring not just a therapy session, but a transformative experience.
Speak with our admissions team to learn how PAT can be part of your personalized recovery plan.
Whether it is your first session or your fiftieth, here is what PAT looks like at Valley Spring Recovery Center.
Your first PAT session is designed to feel safe, structured, and collaborative. You will not be asked to dive into deep emotional territory right away. Instead, your therapist will:
Most clients describe their first session as "surprisingly comfortable." Our therapists are skilled at building rapport quickly and creating a judgment-free space for honest conversation.
As treatment progresses, PAT sessions become more focused and skills-oriented. You will move from awareness into active change:
In group PAT sessions, you will also benefit from hearing how peers apply these techniques -- often gaining insights that deepen your own understanding and accelerate progress.
Our admissions team is available to answer your questions and help you get started with treatment.