Incannex Healthcare, Clarion unveil plans for psychedelic therapy clinic

Clarion Clinics, a new purpose-built psychedelic-assisted therapy clinic for people living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or treatment-resistant depression (TRD), is set to open in September.

With around 700,000 people living in Australia with PTSD or TRD, the clinic and therapy programs have been developed by three clinical professionals in psychedelic-assisted therapy — Dr Liknaitzky, Professor Suresh Sundram and Sean O’Carroll. They designed the clinic in collaboration with Australian biopharma company Incannex Healthcare Ltd.

The clinic aims to provide a specialised course of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT). Ahead of starting a course of treatment, which can involve around nine months of therapy sessions and two doses of psychedelics taken in the clinical setting, potential clients will be required to complete several stages of psychological and physical screening.

Clinic Co-founder and psychedelic therapy researcher Paul Liknaitzky said it was “important to recognise that this treatment may not be suitable for everyone, and thorough psychological and physical screening is essential to ensure both safety and suitability. We are aiming to enrol clients who are likely to benefit from this treatment,” Liknaitzky said.

“We want to provide better and long-lasting improvements in negative symptoms, quality of life and wellbeing for people living with PTSD and TRD, two debilitating mental illnesses. That’s why we’ve developed a tailored and extended model of psychedelic-assisted therapy, specifically designed to maximise benefits and improve safety,” Liknaitzky said.

Psychedelic substances within this treatment are used as a tool to augment a program of psychotherapy and are not delivered as a standalone medication. The clinic is taking expressions of interest ahead of its opening. To be eligible, potential clients must be diagnosed by a psychiatrist with one or both conditions, either through their own psychiatrist or a psychiatrist within the Clarion team.

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