At Washington Interventional Psychiatry, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) is, first and foremost, therapy. Ketamine is the medicine and tool that opens a window; the therapeutic work done within that window is what produces lasting change. This distinguishes KAP from our other ketamine treatments, where the medication itself is the intervention. In KAP, the relationship between a patient and a skilled therapist is the active ingredient, and our role as psychiatrists is to make that work safe, deliberate, and clinically sound.
Ketamine is sometimes described as a psychedelic medicine, and KAP is a form of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy—but at WIP it is delivered within a structured psychiatric framework rather than as a standalone experience. We provide KAP throughout Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia for depression, PTSD, trauma, anxiety and other conditions that have not fully responded to conventional treatment.
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy combines the neurobiological effects of ketamine with structured psychotherapy. Ketamine can produce a temporary state of increased neuroplasticity and altered perspective. For a period of time, habitual patterns of thought loosen, emotions become more accessible, and material that is difficult to approach in standard psychotherapy can be examined with greater distance and less defensiveness.
That state, on its own, is not treatment. KAP pairs it with psychotherapy—preparation before the session, support during it, and integration afterward—so that what surfaces becomes something a patient can understand, work through, and carry forward. The medicine creates the opening. The therapy is what walks through it.
Patients describe the experience in different ways, but common elements include:
The quality of the therapist—and the trust within that relationship—matters more in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy than in almost any other treatment we offer. A ketamine session can surface a great deal. Whether that becomes meaningful or simply overwhelming depends on the skill of the person guiding it and the continuity of care around it.
At WIP, patients have two paths into KAP, and both are built around that relationship rather than around the medication:
Work with a WIP-affiliated KAP therapist. Our affiliated therapists are experienced specifically in ketamine-assisted work and are selected for their clinical training and alignment with our treatment model. They lead the preparation and integration that make the medicine worthwhile. Meet our ketamine-assisted therapists.
Bring your own therapist. If you already have a therapist you trust, we can provide the medical setting and psychiatric oversight while your therapist continues the work you’ve been doing together. This preserves the continuity of an existing relationship—often the most valuable thing a patient brings to treatment—rather than asking you to start over.
In both models, the therapist handles the therapeutic work and WIP psychiatrists handle evaluation, dosing, and medical safety. The two are coordinated, not blurred.
We provide ketamine-assisted psychotherapy in Washington, D.C., serving patients across the District, Maryland, and Virginia.
KAP at WIP follows a consistent arc, individualized to each patient:
The route of ketamine administration is chosen by the treating psychiatrist based on clinical indication, prior response, treatment goals, therapist input, and safety. KAP at WIP increasingly uses oral ketamine (troches), which suit the longer, more flexible sessions that therapeutic work often calls for. Intramuscular (IM) administration remains common for KAP as well, given its predictable profile. Intravenous (IV) and intranasal routes are used in selected cases. You can review our full range of ketamine treatments for context.
Troche-based KAP is offered in our supervised setting on an hourly basis. Supervised time is billed at $150 per hour, and you and your therapist decide together how much time a given session needs—from a single hour up to as many as the work requires. This lets the structure of treatment follow the therapy rather than forcing it into a fixed block.
Other routes are priced per session:
Therapist fees are billed separately and vary by the individual therapist’s rate. KAP is typically not covered by insurance, though coverage for psychiatric evaluation or medication management may vary by plan.
Every KAP patient is evaluated and managed by a WIP psychiatrist. Sessions are medically monitored, and a physician remains involved in care decisions throughout. This oversight is what allows the therapeutic work to proceed without the patient or therapist having to manage medical risk on their own.
Research into compounds such as psilocybin, MDMA, and ibogaine continues, but these are not currently FDA-approved for routine psychiatric treatment, and WIP does not offer them at this time.
KAP is most commonly used for depression and treatment-resistant depression, PTSD and trauma-related disorders, anxiety, OCD, and persistent distress that has not responded to conventional treatment. A psychiatric evaluation determines whether it is appropriate for your situation.
Yes. If you have a therapist you trust, WIP can provide the medical setting and psychiatric oversight while your therapist continues your work together. Alternatively, you can work with a WIP-affiliated therapist experienced in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.
It depends on the route. Troche-based sessions in our supervised setting are billed hourly, and you and your therapist decide how much time each session needs. Other routes are scheduled to fit the clinical and therapeutic plan.
Troche-based KAP in the supervised setting is billed at $150 per hour. Other routes are priced per session, from $250 to $500 depending on the route of administration. Therapist fees are billed separately.
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is typically not covered by insurance. Coverage for psychiatric evaluation or medication management may vary depending on your plan.
KAP at WIP is conducted under psychiatric supervision. Each patient is screened through a comprehensive psychiatric and medical evaluation, sessions are medically monitored, and a physician remains involved throughout care.
We provide ketamine-assisted psychotherapy in Washington, D.C., serving patients across the District, Maryland, and Virginia. To determine whether KAP is appropriate for you, schedule a consultation with a WIP psychiatrist. We will review your history, answer your questions, and—if KAP is a fit—help you choose between working with a WIP-affiliated therapist or bringing your own.
