Training courses
Since the Institute for Substance-Assisted Therapy does not see the use of psychoactive substances as an enhancement (augmentation) of other therapies, but as a completely independent form of therapy, it has been organizing and supporting independent training courses in this form of therapy since 2018, in which everything that is necessary for the implementation of Substance-Assisted Therapy can be learned. This is where the Institute’s training courses differ from other courses.
Accordingly, neither a college degree nor a specialized therapy training is a prerequisite for this training.
Scientific knowledge and three decades of professional experience are incorporated into the training, giving graduates a solid foundation and enabling them to develop their own personal style.
Another distinctive feature compared to most other training programs in this field is that participants are not only given the opportunity for self-experience; rather, this is firmly integrated into the training and serves as a central focus. The training program has a modular structure and consists of seven modules, each lasting seven days and focusing on one or more key topics. Each module includes two substance sessions involving the various substances used in substance-assisted therapy, or combinations thereof. This allows participants to further develop their personal qualifications for conducting Substance-Assisted Therapy, as well as to gain a deeper, firsthand understanding of how Substance-Assisted Therapy works and what its potential is.
After completing the modules, participants will assist in substance sessions. The purpose of this assistance period is to allow participants to gain sufficient practical experience—without yet assuming full responsibility—until they feel confident enough to begin working independently. The number of assistance sessions therefore varies depending on individual needs.
The IST training can also serve those who had a more academic training in this field or who still feel somehow insecure to learn more experiencally and to deepen their skills with very experienced teachers in order to take advantage advantage of the full potential of the Substance Assisted Therapy.
Since most of the substances used in Substance-Assisted Therapy are prohibited in Central Europe, the training takes place in Portugal, where the use of these substances is decriminalized.
Three training courses have now been completed. These were all conducted in English, as participants came from various European countries and the USA. The next course is planned to be in German, provided there are enough participants with sufficient German language skills, else it will also be conducted in English.
To decide on such a training program, one needs to know what one is choosing—including which SUT method is being taught. For this reason, the IST offers a Preparatory Seminar where interested individuals can experience the method firsthand.
Testimonials:
Here’s my testimonial for the IST website:
My journey with IST has shaped the last eight years of my life, six of which were spent in training.
It’s a path that asks you to go as deep into yourself as you’ll ever invite anyone else to go.
Manuel and Sabine bring decades of experience. Manuel is direct and clear. Sabine meets you heart to heart. Together, they’ll support you as you meet your own depths and discover how they will shape the way you work.
These days I hold groups from my own lived experience, and I trust myself in a way I didn’t before IST. I’m still learning from Manuel and Sabine. If you’re considering training in this field, this course will prepare you thoroughly, and it will ask a lot of you.
I was part of the first cohort of this training, and have been certified for this work for a few years now. And to join that training was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Not only because the large amount of self-experience which is part of the training helped me to continue on my own path of healing, towards a more grounded, fuller life. Also, this training is based on the trainers’ decades of experience and at the same time on the scientific insights of the most recent years in this field. It follows a very hands-on approach with loads of practice, which really enables the participants to actually do this work, and do it in a good way.
It is difficult to convey with words how deep and well held this experiential training is.
The training has utterly transformed and changed me – more than I dared hope and in ways I wouldn’t have expected or appreciated at the outset. It has impacted my view on all areas of my life and informed my understanding of presence , trust and what it means to hold a space sacred.
It is intense, deliberate and well designed – and the trainers bring over 20 years each of experience to their offering. We all fundamentally need to be seen, to learn what this means for us and in turn what it means to see and meet another. This training is a place where this can happen.
