for Psychedelic Practitioners
Community Newsletter
April 2026
Welcome to the April edition of the AMAPP newsletter. This month: a formal advocacy update on our TGA submission, a significant step forward with the AASW, our upcoming creative-arts webinar with Kylie Cooper, the remaining Supervision Series dates, and a warm welcome to our newest advisor.
From the Chair
A Word from Dr Lani Roy
Dr Alana (Lani) Roy
Chair · AMAPP
Psychologist · Social Worker · Advocate
⚡ Advocacy Update — TGA Submission
In December 2025, AMAPP lodged a formal stakeholder submission to the TGA seeking urgent clarification on the 'or equivalent' qualification standard under the Authorised Prescriber framework for MDMA and psilocybin. Approaching four months on, we are yet to receive a substantive response — and the delay is producing real, ongoing harm to clinically ready patients.
AMAPP has formally raised six human rights concerns with the TGA, including patients' right to access approved treatments, continuity of care with established therapeutic alliances, informed patient choice, and non-discrimination in access.
AMAPP will continue to advocate publicly and through stakeholder channels until this is resolved.
Contact the Chair ↗Sector Relationships & Standards
AASW — Inaugural PAT Meeting: A Significant Step Forward
Australian Association of Social Workers
We are pleased to share that the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) has held its inaugural meeting on psychedelic-assisted therapy — a meaningful and long-awaited step forward in recognising the vital role of social workers in this emerging field.
This milestone reflects growing momentum toward greater social work acknowledgement and representation within the PAT landscape. AMAPP warmly welcomes this development and looks forward to deepening our relationship with the AASW — ensuring social workers are recognised, supported, and included as skilled and valued members of multidisciplinary PAT teams across Australia.
AMAPP Calls for an Inclusive, Competency-Based PAT Workforce
In collaboration with PACFA — Psychotherapy & Counselling Federation of Australia
AMAPP has called on the TGA to adopt a broader, competency-based approach to psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in Australia. PACFA's College of Psychotherapy is closely involved with AMAPP, and PACFA contributed directly to this submission.
Currently, TGA guidelines require a minimum of at least one psychiatrist and/or clinical psychologist. AMAPP argues this narrow scope excludes highly skilled professionals with relevant expertise, limits workforce capacity, and reduces access for clients.
Our submission recommends eligibility based on:
Recognising additional practitioner roles
Clinical Governance & Accreditation
- Mandatory accreditation and ongoing professional development
- Regular supervision for all practitioners
- Sector-wide ethical and practice standards
Policy Advocacy Resources
Policy & Submissions
AMAPP TGA Submission Letter from PACFA — August 2025
A formal submission letter supporting policy clarity and professional inclusion in psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Open Resource ↗Expanding Clinical Recognition — MDMA & Psilocybin Authorised Prescriber Scheme
AMAPP policy submission addressing access, clinical recognition, and the authorised prescriber framework.
Open Resource ↗Public Response
Responding to Public Commentary on the Cannabis & Mental Health Review
Brief Position Statement · March 2026
Limited evidence is not the same as no evidence. Low-certainty evidence is not the same as evidence of no effect. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
Following the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists' (RANZCP) public framing of a recent cannabis and mental health review, AMAPP issued a brief position statement urging greater precision in scientific communication. Some of the commentary that followed risked overstating what the review does and does not show — a distinction that matters for clinicians, clients, and public trust in emerging evidence.
AMAPP supports rigorous scientific evaluation and careful interpretation of the evidence base. We continue to call for balanced discussion of available evidence, more formulation-specific research, and communication that reflects the real limits and strengths of what is known. A fuller position statement is in preparation.
Read the Full Statement ↗Upcoming Webinar
Creative & Expressive Arts for Psychedelic Integration
With Kylie Cooper · Artist & Writer
An experiential arts-based exploration of integration
Monday 18 May 2026 · 7:00–8:30 PM AEST · Online (Zoom)
Free for AMAPP members · $15 + booking fee for non-members
A multimodal, hands-on workshop using creative art-making processes for self-inquiry and meaning-making. Participants engage through felt-sense, image-making, and object arrangement. No prior artistic skill required.
Register ↗Supervision Series
Foundations of Effective Preparation
Lana Sciberras
Clinical Psychotherapist · Clinical Supervisor
Twenty-year private practice clinician trained in Gestalt therapy and process-oriented psychology, and in psychedelic-assisted therapy through MAPS. Lana currently participates in MDMA-assisted PTSD trials and psilocybin depression research, and has provided clinical supervision to hospital trauma teams for over a decade — including Reflective Practice groups at The Alfred.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Session 1 with Lana. Here are the remaining three sessions in the series — each one building on the last.
Free for AMAPP members · $15 + booking fee for non-members
Building the Container for Psychedelic Therapy
New Team Member
Welcoming Dr Amber Domberelli
Dr Amber Domberelli
AMAPP Advisor
Amber is a pharmacist, researcher, and advocate for evidence-informed approaches to substance use and mental health. She holds a PhD from RMIT University — where her doctoral research explored microdosing with psychedelics — alongside a Master of Pharmacy, Master of Medical Research (First Class Honours), and Fellowship of ANZCAP in Addiction Medicine and Research.
Amber brings expertise spanning clinical pharmacy, health policy, and translational research, having held senior roles with NSW Health and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. She currently serves as District Pharmacist with the Emergency Mental Health Addiction Assessment Response Team (EMHAART), is NSW State Lead for The Loop, a Director of Bluelight Communities, and a published author on the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. A warm welcome to the AMAPP team.
Advisor Spotlight
Our Advisors
We are proud to be supported by advisors advancing the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy in Australia and beyond. This issue we highlight two recent publications — AMAPP advisor Dr Anthony Helman on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in general practice, and a co-authored paper from AMAPP advisor Dr Martin Williams and Dr Simon Beck challenging overly restrictive eligibility in psychedelic clinical trials.
Dr Anthony Helman
GP · GP Supervisor · Psychedelic Psychotherapist · AMAPP Advisor
Dr Helman's new paper — published in the Australian Journal of General Practice — provides GPs with a practical, evidence-informed guide to psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in the Australian context: what to expect, when to refer, and the GP's vital role supporting patients through this treatment.
Helman A. Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy: The Australian and general practice perspective. Aust J Gen Pract 2026;55(1–2):41–47.
Read the Article ↗Eligibility for psychedelic therapy: Clinical trial medical exclusion criteria and their implications for hospital practice
Williams ML, Hitchcock K, Miller AH, Beck SA. General Hospital Psychiatry 2026;98:116–125. An open-access paper arguing that overly stringent medical exclusion criteria in clinical trials may be unnecessarily limiting patient access to psychedelic therapies.
Read the Open Access Paper ↗
Dr Martin Williams
Executive Director, PRISM · AMAPP Advisor
Senior Research Fellow at Swinburne's Centre for Mental Health and Executive Director of PRISM (Psychedelic Research in Science & Medicine). A co-investigator on Australian psilocybin trials and a long-standing advocate for evidence-driven psychedelic medicine.
Dr Simon Beck
Secretary, Australian Psychedelic Society
MD and psychedelic harm-reduction advocate based on Gumbaynggirr Country, NSW. Secretary of the Australian Psychedelic Society (APS), bridging community-based practice with clinical rigour — including prior work on wood-lover paralysis.
Partnered Event
Frontiers & Edges: Ethics in the Emerging Psychedelic Ecosystem
In Partnership With MHPN
A grounded, practice-informed conversation on ethics in a rapidly evolving field
Dr Sandra Dreisbach
Psychedelic Ethicist & Philosopher
AMAPP Advisor
Dr Lani Roy
PAT Therapist
AMAPP Chair
Wed 6 May 2026 · 11:00 AM–1:00 PM AEST · Online (Zoom)
Hosted by MHPN's Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy and Plant Medicine Mental Health Network. Free to attend.
A practice-informed exploration of the ethical complexities emerging at the intersection of clinical care, community practice, regulation, Indigenous knowledge, training, and leadership. Rather than abstract theory, this session focuses on real-world dilemmas, lived experience, and case-based discussion — supporting ethical discernment with clarity, humility, and care. Suited to clinicians, PAT practitioners and trainees, researchers, educators, policy professionals, community facilitators, and students.
RSVP via MHPN ↗Volunteer Opportunities
Four ways in.
AMAPP is recruiting for three volunteer roles and offering supervised placements for students. All remote, all flexible, all open to anyone whose skills and values align.
Volunteer Secretary
Support governance, meetings, membership operations, and ACNC-aligned record keeping across the board.
Board Treasurer
Safeguard AMAPP's financial health, oversee ACNC and ATO compliance, and guide sustainable revenue strategy.
Grants & Funding Volunteer
Identify and draft funding applications to resource First Nations membership, community education, and research translation.
Student Placements
Supervised placements across psychology, social work, psychotherapy, art therapy, public health, comms, and more.
Our Mission
Peer Support · Advocacy · Trust
Our mission is to create a trusted and ethical space for psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) practitioners to thrive. By providing peer support, advocacy, educational opportunities and resources, we strengthen a movement that honours healing, integrity, and the useful role of psychedelics in helping address mental health problems and the maintenance of a healthy society.
PEER SUPPORT
Nurturing a connected, multidisciplinary PAT community that honours professional expertise and lived experience — through mentorship, leadership, and a strong foundation of support.
ADVOCACY
Championing equitable, safe, and ethical PAT — promoting awareness, access, and harm reduction, supporting client rights to best-practice care, and protecting practitioners.
TRUST
Integrating research into real-world practice with scientific rigour, wisdom, and openness — advancing PAT free from stigma to instil trust in our members, clients, and wider community.
AMAPP Membership
Why Join AMAPP?
JOIN AUSTRALIA'S PEAK BODY FOR LEGAL PSYCHEDELIC-ASSISTED THERAPY
Memberships for every stage of your journey
AMAPP is the only peak multidisciplinary body in Australia dedicated exclusively to ethical, legal psychedelic-assisted therapy. Whether you are a student, a seasoned clinician, a researcher, or an advocate — your membership directly strengthens the movement for safe, equitable, evidence-informed PAT in Australia. Memberships are kept deliberately affordable so that practitioners at every stage of their journey can participate fully.
COMMUNITY
Connect with a thriving, multidisciplinary network of psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, counsellors, nurses, GPs, researchers, and advocates across Australia.
ADVOCACY
Add your voice to AMAPP's national advocacy — from TGA submissions and workforce reform to shaping competency standards alongside PACFA and AASW.
LEARNING
Free access to expert webinars, peer supervision sessions, and a curated research database — keeping you at the leading edge of a rapidly evolving field.
CREDENTIALLING
AMAPP is developing a credentialling framework for PAT practitioners — giving the public, employers, and referrers confidence in your training, ethics, and competence.
Member Benefits
- Free supervision sessions
- Free webinar access
- Practitioner directory listing
- Research database access
- Peer support & mentorship
- Advocacy & policy updates
- Educational opportunities
- Members community (Mighty Networks)
- Discounts on global programs
- Access to AMAPP member badge
Credentialling Framework
AMAPP is developing a national credentialling framework for PAT practitioners — a rigorous, transparent, and publicly accessible record built in collaboration with PACFA, AASW, and sector experts to reflect genuine multidisciplinary competence.
Learn More & Join ↗Support a Cause You Believe In
AMAPP is a registered charity run largely by volunteers. Every dollar you give goes directly into advocacy that matters — TGA submissions, workforce reform, credentialling standards, free supervision and education for the PAT community, and protecting safe, ethical, equitable access for clients who need it.
Donations over $2 are fully tax-deductible. Whether it's $5 or $500, your contribution strengthens the movement — and you can claim it back at tax time.
Donate to AMAPP ↗Resources
Databases & Key Documents
Practitioners Database
Search for qualified psychedelic-assisted therapy practitioners across Australia. AMAPP members can list their services and connect with clients and peers.
Browse Directory →Research Database
Access curated peer-reviewed research, clinical guidelines, position statements, and emerging evidence to deepen and support your practice.
Explore Research →KEY DOCUMENTS
Mission Statement Comprehensive Position Statement (2025) Response to RANZCP — Cannabis & Mental Health Critical Analysis — MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Guideline TGA Authorised Prescriber Submission (MDMA/Psilocybin)It is a genuine privilege to walk this path with such a dedicated, compassionate, and multidisciplinary community. Thank you for everything you bring to this work — whether you are joining for the first time or have been part of AMAPP from the beginning.
We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events. Please reach out anytime at info@amapp.org.au or chair@amapp.org.au.
Warm regards,
The AMAPP Team