Course: Diversity, Culture and Social Justice in Psychedelics 2025

This course is a partnership between Chacruna and University of Ottawa, School of Psychology.

This course, taught by leading experts and the first of its kind in the psychedelic field, will teach students to consider the cultural, social, historical, and economic context that influences the so-called “psychedelic renaissance.” Students will be introduced to basic concepts around psychedelics and justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion (JEDI). The goal of the course is to explore the ways in which psychedelics influence and are influenced by factors such as social justice, privilege, and diversity and to better understand their reciprocal influences on psychedelic science, therapies, and praxis. Topics include: anti-racism, implicit bias, queer aspects, intersectionality, cultural humility, social identity, power and privilege, healing the racial divide, uses of Indigenous plant medicines, and challenges around their mainstreaming and globalization. This course is intended to be intellectual, personal, and experiential. We will examine structural issues that act as systemic barriers to JEDI efforts. Students will also be challenged to think critically and confront aspects of themselves, their beliefs, behaviors, and needed areas of growth, such as their individual, familial, and group legacies of privilege and disadvantage, their personal commitments to social justice, advocacy, and social change in the psychedelic community and the world more broadly. These perspectives are crucial for deepening our understanding of the expanding future of psychedelic medicine in ways that are equitable and just.
Price $700 USD

Price $320 for CE credits
CE Credits Offered: 16 total

To read more on our recording policy for our trainings and answers to other frequently asked questions, please view our .

At the end of the program, participants will be better able to…

1. Discuss Liberation Psychology and Cultural Humility at the philosophical and practical levels
2. Critique the current therapeutic and research paradigms and approaches through the lens of Liberation Psychology and Cultural Humility
3. Analyze how crime and drug policies impact minoritized peoples in the US
4. List and explain terms frequently used in the study of race/ethnicity
5. Analyze how racism impacts the mental health of people of color
6. Explain the potential for psychedelics to relieve racial stress and trauma
7. Discuss intersectionality theory and praxis
8. Discuss the importance of intersectional cultural humility in psychedelic-assisted therapy and research
9. Compare and analyze the different elements of traditional uses of sacred plant medicines versus the modern Western practice of psychedelic-assisted therapy
10. Explain and analyze misconceptions related to the notions of set and setting and integration often discussed within the psychedelic field
11. Discuss the history of psychedelic treatment of gay people in psychedelic therapies designed to alter their sexual or gender identities
12. Analyze the current challenges sexual and gender minorities may face when seeking psychedelic therapy
13. Explain core issues surrounding the mainstreaming and globalization of psychedelics and the way they affect marginalized groups
14. List ways in which non-Indigenous folks can honor Indigenous knowledge and practices and give back to Indigenous communities
15. Explain how the War on Drugs has negatively impacted communities of color, low-income populations, and individuals with mental health and substance use disorders
16. Discuss alternatives to incarceration and ways the US can shift away from a system of punishment towards a paradigm of accountability and healing

• CE credits for psychologists are provided by the Spiritual Competency Academy (SCA) which is co-sponsoring this program. The Spiritual Competency Academy is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Spiritual Competency Academy maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
• The California Board of Behavioral Sciences accepts CE credits for LCSW, LPCC, LEP, and LMFT license renewal for programs offered by approved sponsors of CE by the American Psychological Association.
• LCSW, LPCC, LEP, and LMFTs, and other mental health professionals from states other than California need to check with their state licensing board as to whether or not they accept programs offered by approved sponsors of CE by the American Psychological Association.
• SCA is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN Provider CEP16887) for licensed nurses in California. RNs must retain their certificate of attendance for 4 years after the course concludes.
• For questions about receiving your Certificate of Attendance, contact [email protected]
• For questions about CE, contact Spiritual Competency Academy at [email protected].
  

• Student must be in attendance with their camera on for the entirety of the class session
• Student must be actively participating in the class session (asking questions, contributing to discussion, etc.)
• Student must fill out an evaluation and assessment form at the end of the course, which will be provided by Chacruna
• Collective CE credits will be awarded at the end of the course given that all of the above requirements are met

*please note that you must purchase a ticket for CE credits on Eventbrite in order to receive CE credits

*please note that if you miss a class, you will not be awarded any CE credits for the entire course and cannot be refunded for the CE cost – you must attend all classes in order to receive CE credits

*please note that the first and last class do not count towards CE credits

At the end of the course, students will have the option to receive a certificate from Chacruna for the completion of this course. In order to receive this certificate, students must complete one of the following options:

A. Submit a final individual paper of 1,800 to 2,000 words, following Chacruna’s Chronicles Guidelines (the best papers will be selected to be published on the Chacruna site) *please note that the 2,000 word count should include footnotes and references; papers that go beyond 2,000 total words will not be accepted.

B. Submit a final group paper consisting of 2,000 words per person (i.e. if there are two people writing the paper, it should be a total of 4,000 words; if there are three people writing the paper, it should be a total of 6,000 words) *please note that the 2,000 word count per person should include footnotes and references; papers that go beyond 2,000 total words will not be accepted.

C. Submit a paper with internal reflection of what you have learned throughout this course

D. Pitch another specific proposal to submit (i.e. mini-documentary, video lecture, creation of a podcast.)

E. Students will have the option to do an art project related to the contents of the course

F. Students will have the option to conduct a “Family History.” This would consist of the student interviewing their family members to contextualize their life and experience, to understand their roots, and also talk about their local community/ lands/ social environment where they came from and/or are located

*Students will also have the option to opt out of receiving the certificate

*The project submitted must be unique and created specifically for the course – you cannot submit a project that you created previously or submitted elsewhere

Recordings of the lectures will be sent to the students a week before the class is scheduled to take place.

Lecture slides from the classes may be provided to the students at each professor’s discretion. We encourage everyone to come to each class in-person and on time as we cannot guarantee providing these resources in all circumstances.

You can find more information to Frequently Asked Questions .

• Students will watch the lecture on their own time
• There will be a live 1.5 hour discussion on Zoom with the professor the following week
  

Event Venue

Online