Practicum Experience for Experiential Learning
Practicum Experience
The Beckley Retreats Practicum Program offers a unique, directly learning experience for individuals seeking deeper insight into retreat facilitation, integration practices, and transformational experiences. This program provides virtual and in-person training to support participants in developing essential skills while immersing themselves in Beckley Retreats’ approach to facilitation that prioritizes safety, ethics, and positive impact.
Who is the practicum for?
This practicum is designed for students and alumni of psychedelic-assisted therapy, psychedelic guide, or facilitation programs, as well as individuals with deep experience in holistic modalities and space-holding proactices.
We welcome applicants with backgrounds in:
- Mindfulness, meditation, and breathwork facilitation
- Somatic therapy, trauma-informed care, and integration coaching
- Yoga, bodywork, and energy healing
- Indigenous healing traditions and non-ordinary states of consciousness
- Mental health and wellness professions with an interest in psychedelic facilitation
Practicum Option A: Team Assistant
Observe and Assist on a Beckley Retreat
- No prerequisites; must apply through our standard application process.
- Experience the full 11-week non-clinical preparation-immersion-integration experience from the perspective of a facilitator, as observer/assistant.
- Engage in a direct experience in a legal psilocybin retreat setting to inform your personal and professional development.
- Preparation: 12+ hours
- Retreat: 5 nights in Jamaica or the Netherlands
- Integration: 18+ hours
- Any additional requirements per your educational institution/training organization
- Available Dates: See website for upcoming program dates.
- Investment: $2,250 (shared room) / $3,000 (single room). All prices are in USD.
- Pre-requisites:
- Previous facilitation of transformational group work (psychedelic ceremony, group therapy, breathwork, meditation) and/or existing
- mental health practitioner certification/licensing Facilitation skills (presence, participant-centric attitude, self-regulation, humility, empathy, space-holding, group attunement)
- Uncompromising commitment to ethics, safety, and diversity, inclusion and belonging
- Ability to work effectively in a team, take feedback, and step aside into an observer/assistant role despite potentially extensive qualifications/experience.
Please note:
- Practicum Participants do not formally serve as retreat facilitators.
- Practicum Participants will not consume psychedelic/psychoactive substances during the retreat.
Practicum Option B: Direct Experiential
Join a Beckley Retreat
- Enroll in an 11-week Beckley Retreat program as a participant. See website for program guide and details.
- Engage in a direct experience in a legal psilocybin retreat setting to inform your personal and professional development.
- No prerequisites; must apply through our standard application process.
Commitment:
- Preparation: 12+ hours
- Retreat: 5 nights in Jamaica or the Netherlands
- Integration: 18+ hours
- Any additional requirements per your educational institution/training organization
- Available Dates: See here for upcoming program dates.
- Investment: Standard program cost plus student discount.
Please note:
- Our retreats are attended by a wide variety of participants (not just those participating in a practicum learning experience).
- Our 11-week program will support you as you prepare for, are immersed in, and integrate, our signature retreat experience. This is not a training program and we do not provide a curriculum for psychedelic-assisted therapy/facilitation.
Practicum Includes
Virtual
Access to facilitator onboarding/support materials (safety protocols, code of ethics, community agreements, program facilitation guidelines)
Attendance and participation in one (1) 90-minute Team Prep Session
Access to participant program app/online platform
Attendance at two (2) 90-minute cohort preparation sessions (virtual)
Attendance at four (4) 90-minute cohort integration sessions (virtual)
One (1) Mentoring or Q&A session with Beckley Retreats Leadership Team Member or Facilitator (per availability & depending on areas of interest: safety and ethics, retreat operations, ceremony facilitation, etc.) with an opportunity to provide programmatic feedback
In-Person
Participation in on-site team preparation day
Participation in daily team tag-ups, daily yoga and meditation, nature excursions, meals and free time
Observe and hold space during two group breathwork sessions and two group psilocybin ceremonies (practicum participants do not consume psilocybin)
Observation/Co-facilitation of integration circle pod breakouts
Participate in four group circles/in-retreat integration sessions
Informal mentoring by diverse facilitation team
Hear From a Practicum Participant
“Being immersed in Beckley’s retreat environment offered a rare blend of humility, attentiveness, and authentic human connection. It was a meaningful step in my development, guided by a team whose quiet strength and deep care left a lasting imprint.”
Linda Vazin
“As a public health doctor with decades of global experience, I was deeply impressed by Beckley’s immersive, hands-on approach and their multidisciplinary team who mentored with warmth and wisdom. Their rare blend of deep wisdom, ethical integrity, and heartfelt connection laid an unforgettable foundation for my path as I deepened my path as a facilitator.”
Carlos Navarro Colorado, PhD, MD
“The Beckley Retreats practicum was the perfect culmination of my psychedelic practitioner training—rooted in science, tradition, and profound wisdom. What stayed with me most was the team’s extraordinary presence, which radiated trust, safety, and deep humanity.”
2024 Practicum Participant
