Evidence-based treatment
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) Treatment for Depression
KAP combines the transformative effects of ketamine treatments with the support of psychotherapy to achieve meaningful insights.
Benefits of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy
Rapid therapeutic results
Experience faster breakthroughs than traditional therapy — many patients feeling improvement within days or weeks.
Safe exploration
Explore challenging thoughts and emotions that arise during ketamine sessions in a supported setting, with a therapist guiding the process.
Positive & lasting change
Gain insight from your ketamine experience to reframe old patterns, build new tools, and create lasting emotional relief.
Enhanced impact of ketamine treatment
Therapy is timed with the brain’s neuroplastic window, helping deepen and extend the effects of ketamine treatment.
How ketamine-assisted therapy works
KAP combines the neurological effects of ketamine with structured therapeutic guidance. Ketamine treatment allows thoughts and emotions to be accessed in new ways. It also promotes a process called neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to form new neural connections. This creates a window of opportunity for change.
In the days following treatment, KAP helps patients:
- Gain greater understanding of the insights triggered by ketamine treatment
- Process challenging issues
- Reframe old narratives
- Integrate changes into daily life
- Serotonin
- Dopamine
- Serotonin
- Dopamine
Ketamine-assisted therapy by the numbers
What to expect from ketamine-assisted psychotherapy?
- Attend 1–3 preparation sessions to clarify goals and build a strong therapeutic foundation.
- Set intentions and identify areas for growth with your therapist.
- Prepare mentally using journaling, mindfulness, or deep breathing exercises.
- Schedule sessions between your ketamine treatments.
- Process insights and explore emotional themes that emerged during the session.
- Reframe limiting beliefs and develop practical coping strategies.
- Translate insight into concrete behavioral steps to support lasting change.
- Continue ketamine-assisted therapy for 2–4 months to reinforce emotional and behavioral change.
- Consolidate new thought patterns developed during treatment.
- Strengthen emotional resilience and coping skills over time.
- Transition back to your primary therapist for continued care once the KAP phase is complete.
What our patients are saying
Treatment Timeline
Intake:
Medical & bio-psycho-social assessment
Preparation session
Set intentions with therapist
Ketamine infusion
2x a week
Integration therapy
1x a week
Ketamine infusion
Every 4 weeks, or according to your personalized plan
Integration therapy
As needed
Intake:
Medical & bio-psycho-social assessment
Preparation session
Set intentions with therapist
Nasal spray
2x a week
Integration therapy
1x a week
Nasal spray
1x a week
Integration therapy
1x a week
Maintenance
Every 1-2 weeks, or according to your personalized plan
Integration therapy
As needed
Meet Our Therapists
Yonit Malina, LCSW,
Clinical Director of Psychotherapy
Yonit Malina is a licensed clinical social worker with over 25 years of experience providing therapy across clinical, school-based, university, and private practice settings. She has held leadership roles in therapeutic programs and has extensive experience supervising clinical teams. Yonit currently serves as the Clinical Director of Psychotherapy at Keta Medical Center, where she oversees the therapy team and provides Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) to patients
Stacey Blume Frankel, LCSW, Psychotherapist
Stacey has a Master’s Degree in Social Work from UCLA and a BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan. She has extensive experience working with a wide range of mental health challenges including depression, anxiety, PTSD, addiction, general life transitions, spiritual emergencies and exploring the subconscious mind through dream analysis.
Hillary Eastman, LCSW, Social Worker
Hillary is a highly experienced LCSW with a wealth of expertise in mental health care. having worked in outpatient, inpatient and residential treatment settings in New York and Texas. She specializes in evidence-based approaches such as CBT, DBT and trauma-informed care, helping her patients navigate challenges like anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
Charlea Muñoz, LMSW, Psychotherapist
Charlea Muñoz, LMSW, is a thoughtful and experienced psychotherapist with a strong foundation in trauma-informed care and EMDR. She earned her MSW in clinical social work from Fordham University and has provided psychotherapy and crisis intervention support to clients across nonprofit, private practice, and integrated care settings.
Estefania Molina Bracamonte, Psychotherapist
Estefania Molina Bracamonte, holds a Master’s Degree from Columbia University and a BA in Psychology from Long Island University. She has experience providing Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (K.A.P.) as well as utilizing other modalities. Throughout my career, She has worked with individuals facing various mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (P.T.S.D.). She is deeply committed to combating mental health stigma, and assist individuals in overcoming trauma and achieving healing.
Care you can trust
Spravato is an FDA-approved, evidence-based treatment.
Designed specifically for you, based on your mental health history, your needs, and how you respond in each session.
Experienced ER doctors and nurses oversee every treatment session.
Is Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy right for you?
Here are the basic guidelines, but the real answer comes from a conversation with our doctors.
- Have been medically cleared for ketamine treatment.
- Want to work with a therapist trained in guiding ketamine-related insight and emotional processing.
- Are open to exploring therapeutic material that emerges during ketamine sessions in a structured setting.
- Want to extend and sustain the benefits of their ketamine treatment.
Curious if ketamine-assisted psychotherapy can help you?
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy treatment & integrated care beyond medication
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy works powerfully on its own, but it works even better as part of comprehensive care.
Complete care options
If you need caring, timely support for your Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy treatment, our experienced in-house psychiatrists are here to guide you.
We offer PRISM, a groundbreaking, noninvasive, FDA-approved therapy designed specifically for patients with PTSD.
Not sure yet?
Explore research and clinical insights to better understand ketamine therapy.
Or explore our blog for research, clinical guidance, and answers to common questions to help you make confident, informed decisions.
Research
Below are several studies about the effectiveness of esketamine in treating depression, PTSD, and anxiety. Ketamine-based therapy is a subject of ongoing research and is frequently covered in both mainstream media and scientific journals.
FAQs
Yes, when administered under medical supervision by trained physicians, ketamine therapy is safe. At Keta Medical Center, our team is led by emergency medicine physicians with extensive training, ensuring that every treatment adheres to the highest standards of medical safety.
Insurance coverage for ketamine assisted psychotherapy depends on the type of treatment you receive:
- Spravato® (esketamine) is FDA-approved and covered by Medicare and most commercial insurance plans, when patients meet clinical criteria. For these patients, therapy will also be covered by insurance. Keta Medical Center will work with your insurer to complete the required prior authorization and provide documentation of your treatment history.
- IV Ketamine is considered an off-label treatment, so most insurance plans do not cover it. Therefore, it is typically an out-of-pocket service.
The Keta Medical Center team can help you review your benefits, understand your coverage options, and determine the best financing plan to suit your needs and budget. Unsure? Schedule a consultation and we can help you understand.
Yes, we collaborate closely with patients’ existing therapists and psychiatrists to create a coordinated, personalized plan that integrates ketamine treatment with ongoing psychotherapy or medication management.
Ketamine assisted psychotherapy helps patients process challenging issues more easily, identify self-limiting beliefs, and translate insights into lasting change. Ketamine alone can provide rapid symptom relief, while KAP uses guided integration to deepen therapeutic gains and increase the likelihood of sustained emotional improvement.
Ketamine promotes rapid neuroplasticity, creating a time-limited window when the brain is more able to form new connections and learn different patterns. Scheduling ketamine assisted psychotherapy and integration work within that window (typically within 24–48 hours) helps solidify new perspectives and behaviors so therapeutic gains are more durable.
We encourage our patients to continue working with their longstanding providers, and our KAP therapists will coordinate care with them (with signed consent). Many patients also find it valuable to complement their current therapy with KAP-specific support from one of our therapists, as we are specifically trained in this area. That said, seeing one of our KAP therapists is not required to receive Spravato or IV treatment.
Not sure yet?
Explore the resources on our site to find out how ketamine treatment can help you heal.