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 modalities
• Indigenous healing traditions and non-ordinary states of consciousness
• Mental health and wellness

If you are passionate about psychedelic facilitation and align with Beckley Retreats’ approach, we encourage you to apply!

What are the options for participation?

• Option A: Attend a Beckley Retreat program as a participant, completing the full 11-week program (including parking in 2 psilocybin ceremonies)

• Option B: Attend a Beckley Retreat program as a visiting observer, completing the full 11-week program (accompanying and assisting the team, including during 2 psilocybin ceremonies ~ not ingesting psilocybin)

Practicum Includes

Virtual

In-Person

• 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

• 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

“I have worked for decades in humanitarian health across the world as a public health doctor, working closely with all kinds of communities and managing complex processes and programmes. For years, I have also deepened my personal spiritual practice and growth, exploring several mindfulness and meditation traditions and through psychedelic explorations. Taking a psychedelic practitioner training felt like a smooth follow up from that experience and complementing it with my practicum with Beckley Retreats the best possible way to complete it.

I chose this practicum because of Beckley’s balanced focus on science-backed approaches and honoring traditional wisdom – a balance that suits my aspirations and that they clearly delivered – as well as their commitment to safety, professionalism and deep awareness of ethics.

What I didn’t anticipate was the extraordinarily warm welcome by the team, the way they integrated me in all activities, the many opportunities to learn on-the-job, their mentoring, or enjoying so many friendly moments with the team and participants. The team is outstanding, with many years of experience, an amazing balance of skills (covering breathwork, body work, ancient traditions, science, coaching and psychology, among others), great professionalism and a warm touch and respect for participants – they were even fun, when that fitted the situation! But what touched me the most was they demonstrated the kind of deep wisdom that sometimes can only be channeled without words.

The extraordinary power of their presence and awareness to communicate trust, safety and profound wisdom to colleagues and participants is perhaps the deepest lesson that I took from the Practicum at Beckley Retreats, in addition to the technical knowledge, the tools and the practice of preparation, ceremony and integration with all its details (and Beckley’s preparation and integration materials are, indeed, outstanding!).

My aspiration now is to deepen that presence in myself and take it with me as I venture in other experiences, as an apprentice, a facilitator, and as a person.”