Alberta's First Full-Service Psychedelic Therapy Clinic Opens in Calgary, Ushering in a New Era of Hope to Deal with the Growing Mental Health Crisis in Canada
ATMA's Calgary Journey Clinic will house Canada's first palliative care program based on psychedelic-assisted therapy as it expands the use of legal psychedelic therapy in Alberta
CALGARY, AB, Feb. 16, 2021 /CNW/ - ATMA Journey Centers Inc. ("ATMA"), an Alberta-based company focused on delivering innovative psychedelic-assisted therapies internationally, announced today the official opening of the ATMA Calgary Urban Journey Clinic, a facility located in central Calgary featuring 5,000 square feet of healing, transformative and training space.
ATMA's Calgary Journey Clinic is Canada's first non-ketamine psychedelic therapy clinic, and
ATMA Journey Center in Calgary. (CNW Group/ATMA Journey Centers Inc)
ATMA Journey Clinics provide convenient access to psychedelic-assisted therapy in major Canadian cities. (CNW Group/ATMA Journey Centers Inc)
ATMA Journey Centers address mental health challenges using legal psychedelic-assisted therapy in Canada. (CNW Group/ATMA Journey Centers Inc)
Group therapy and psychedelic-assisted sessions will be offered through ATMA Journey Centers. (CNW Group/ATMA Journey Centers Inc)
ATMA Journey Centers provide a confidential, comfortable and peaceful space to heal and transform. (CNW Group/ATMA Journey Centers Inc)
will be home to the NationalPsychedelic Training Center where mental health care professionals from across the country will be trained to deliver leading-edge therapy services that incorporate the latest research, science and best practices.
David Harder, Co-CEO of ATMA, said: "Today is the result of years of passion, planning and commitment to a vision of bringing the potential of psychedelics into the Canadian mental health system. It is both humbling and exciting to see how the merits of psychedelic medicine are driving the acceleration of not just ATMA, but the overall psychedelic industry here in Canada and around the world."
ATMA was the first private company in Canada to conduct legal psychedelic-assisted therapy with psilocybin, the result of ATMA being selected by Alberta's first palliative patient to be granted a Section 56 Exemption by Health Canada to undergo the therapy.
Added Harder: "Being able to assist individual patients with psychedelic-assisted therapy at our Calgary Journey Clinic will help us directly impact the quality of lives of each individual undergoing therapy. Launching the National Psychedelic Training Center will also magnify the impact we can have even further by equipping Canadian therapists to provide this extraordinary solution across Canada as legal access to psychedelic medicine expands."
The company has already scheduled upcoming therapy sessions at the Calgary facility for additional patients that have received their own Section 56 Exemptions and continues to work with other leaders in the industry to maximize client access to therapy and support. Members of the ATMA Medical Team, including Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ravi Bains and Palliative Care Medical Advisor Dr. Lyle Galloway have been working with the company's palliative care patients in all aspects of medical oversight, pre-therapy preparation and counselling sessions.
The door to legal Canadian psychedelic medicine was opened in August 2020 when Dr. Bruce Tobin, a Victoria-based psychotherapist who founded the non-profit TheraPsil, was successful in assisting a palliative care patient to obtain the first Section 56 Exemption on record for psychedelic-assisted therapy. Since that watershed moment, his tireless efforts have led to the modern renaissance of psychedelic medicine across the country.
ATMA has recently opened an application process for Canadians who wish to apply for assistance in submitting a Section 56 Exemption to Health Canada. To date, Health Canada has limited the granting of Section 56 Exemptions to palliative care patients facing a terminal illness, but there is growing optimism that Health Canada will expand its scope of exemptions to include other pressing treatment-resistant conditions such as PTSD, depression, anxiety and addiction.
Any Canadian who meets the eligibility criteria may initiate the application process for assistance to obtain a Section 56 Exemption by visiting ATMA's website at www.atmajourney.com prior to March 12th, 2021.
ABOUT ATMA JOURNEY CENTERS INC. ATMA is a Canadian company focused on delivering effective and innovative healing and transformative experiences that leverage the potential of psychedelic medicine to awaken the inner healer and allow a deeper connection with self, with others and with the beauty of our world. ATMA was the first private company in Canada to conduct legal psychedelic-assisted therapy with psilocybin, one of the active hallucinogens found in 'magic mushrooms'. For more information, visit www.atmajourney.com.
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