Survey on Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Curricula in Higher Education
Challenge
Research is needed to gain insight into psychedelic-assisted therapy curricula implementation in U.S. higher education.
Psychedelic-assisted therapy is a treatment using psychedelic substances in which the drug's effects, both biological and psychological, play a significant role in facilitating a psychotherapeutic intervention. Understanding how the therapy is being taught will assist interested program administrators in exploring how they can add these types of curricular offerings to their current academic programs. Curricula related to psychedelic-assisted therapy include 1) course content, 2) courses, 3) entire program tracks and certification programs, or 4) any other training opportunities that include psychedelic-assisted therapy-related learning objectives, content, or instruction such as clinical experiences.
BrainFutures, a national nonprofit addressing barriers to the equitable access of evidence-based interventions supporting mental health and wellbeing, seeks to learn the current level of implementation of and interest in PAT-related curricula across various academic training contexts. In addition, BrainFutures wants to understand motivations for offering PAT curricula, factors that promote or hinder PAT curricula expansion, course content, and attitudes toward PAT in academia.
Solution
NORC will conduct interviews and an online survey to gather insights on PAT curricula implementation.
NORC will engage with academic leaders involved in PAT through two research efforts. First, we will conduct interviews with professors who are developing and implementing PAT curricula. Those findings will inform the second phase of the research project—an online quantitative survey administered to a large sample of program leaders and administrators in higher education.
Using data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), NORC will identify the target survey sample by institution, fields of study, degrees and awards, and academic leaders involved in PAT curricula. Faculty and administrators from disciplines such as psychology, psychiatry, social work, marriage and family therapy, counseling, nursing, and pharmacy will participate in the survey.
Result
Findings will provide insights on PAT adoption, course content, and certification in higher education.
NORC will analyze the data from the Survey on Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Curricula in Academia and produce comprehensive methodology and findings reports. BrainFutures will disseminate the study results to program leaders and administrators in higher education institutions.
Related Tags
Project Leads
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Karen Grigorian
Vice PresidentCorporate Oversight -
Erin Knepler
Senior Research DirectorProject Director -
Lisa Davidson
Senior Research ScientistPrincipal Investigator
Frequently Asked Questions
You were selected to participate in this important survey because BrainFutures, a national non-profit addressing barriers to the equitable access of evidence-based interventions supporting mental health and wellbeing, is interested in learning about psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) in higher education. You have been identified as an academic leader with knowledge of PAT academic programs at your institution.
Participants will receive a personalized link to the “BrainFutures Academic Program Leaders Survey” via email. The web survey is formatted so that it can be completed on any computer or mobile device. If you believe that you should have been included in this survey but have not received a survey link, please contact NORC by email at PATsurvey@norc.org.
The intent of the “BrainFutures Academic Program Leaders Survey” is to provide insights into psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) curricula in U.S. higher education institutions. This data will enhance our understanding of PAT academic programs, including course content, certification, implementation, and attitudes.
The “BrainFutures Academic Program Leaders Survey” will collect data on the adoption of PAT in higher education. Survey questions ask about the academic disciplines that offer PAT programs, if they exist at undergraduate or graduate levels, and if they are degree or certificate programs. The survey also gathers data on motivations for offering PAT curricula; resources that promote and barriers that hinder PAT expansion; course content; and attitudes toward PAT in academia.
Yes. The privacy of participants is critical. To make sure survey participants feel comfortable answering questions freely and candidly, all data will be completed and analyzed by NORC researchers. No one beyond NORC will have access to individually identifiable responses. No one at BrainFutures will know who responded to the survey or how anyone answered the questions. Individual identifiers will be kept by NORC under password-protected files or on a secure server with restricted rights and will not be shared with BrainFutures. Any results will be reported only in aggregate groupings so there is no method to identify individual participants or associate particular responses with any individual.
NORC will produce comprehensive methodology and findings reports for BrainFutures. All reported data will be in aggregate to protect respondent confidentiality, and no individual responses will be reported. NORC will also provide BrainFutures with a data file from the survey, but the file will contain no personally identifiable information, and NORC will take steps to mask the data so that responses cannot be linked with any specific individual through a combination of variables.
Your participation is encouraged but not required. Likewise, should you choose to participate, you may skip any questions that you do not wish to answer.
The survey should take about 20-25 minutes to complete. If you are unable to complete it in one sitting, the survey instrument will save your spot so you can return to it later.
BrainFutures, a national non-profit committed to improving mental health treatment options, is sponsoring the survey. They have contracted with NORC to administer the survey and collect and analyze the data.
NORC will prepare a findings report for BrainFutures, and BrainFutures will disseminate results from the study about the future of PAT academic programs to program leaders and administrators at U.S. higher education institutions.
NORC is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan research institution that conducts survey research in the public interest for government agencies, educational institutions, private foundations, nonprofit organizations, and private corporations. NORC collects data to assist policymakers, researchers, educators, and others with crucial issues facing the government, organizations, and the public. Past uses of NORC’s work have included shaping public policy, drafting laws, and determining how tax dollars and other resources are used. For more information about NORC, please visit our website at https://www.NORC.org.
If you have any questions or concerns pertaining to your participation in the BrainFutures Academic Program Leaders Survey, please contact NORC at the University of Chicago by email at PATsurvey@norc.org.
