ATMA And Cena Life Announce Joint-Venture to Support Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in Canada

CALGARY, AB, Oct. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - ATMA Journey Centers Inc. ("ATMA"), a forefront leader in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Training globally, is excited to join forces with Cena Life, a licensed provider of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in Alberta with a strong focus on improving accessibility to safe, regulated, and innovative care aligned with emerging evidence focused on Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy treatments . Together, we are working to establish industry standards for the psychedelic sector that will assist practitioners and clinics in the regulations to come, which align with Alberta's Psychedelic Drug Treatment Service Standards and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta Accreditation Program.

This marks the beginning of a crucial initiative aimed at establishing the necessary infrastructure to enable the standardized delivery of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy across Canada.

This strategic partnership comes in response to Alberta's January 2023 legislative changes surrounding Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) has introduced a comprehensive accreditation program anticipated  to be mirrored nationwide. The partnership of ATMA and Cena Life is poised to guide prescribers, practitioners, and clinics through this evolving regulatory terrain.

Key highlights of this venture include, (Services Here):

Support Ecosystem: Establish a support ecosystem that connects patients with practitioners who wish to offer Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy through interdisciplinary resources and access to a network of vetted facilities. This approach ensures that both patients, practitioners, and prescribers receive comprehensive support, guaranteeing the highest safety standards and optimal therapeutic efficacy in the delivery of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy.

Increase Accessibility: While current accessibility mainly relates to Ketamine-Assisted psychotherapy (KAP), Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy and MDMA-Assisted Therapy individually approved under the Special Access Program (SAP), this initiative aims to lay the groundwork for a nationwide infrastructure aligned with the upcoming legalization of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in an environment where regulatory standards have yet to achieve uniformity. This new model for clinical work in the field of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy represents a significant advancement for patients, practitioners, prescribers, and clinics that lack the infrastructure to provide these types of treatments independently.

The current landscape of the psychedelic therapy industry, combined with the forthcoming regulatory changes, raises concerns about the limited opportunities available to prescribers, practitioners and clinics to offer Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy treatment to patients in need. Many prescribers, practitioners, and clinics, dedicated to their existing practices that serve millions of Canadians seeking mental wellness may be hesitant to transition into specialized Psychedelic Therapy clinics. Recognizing this challenge, ATMA and Cena Life are diligently constructing a standardized framework that spans Canada, with the explicit goal of facilitating the involvement of practitioners and clinics eager to contribute their professional services to this industry. This extensive pool of practitioners and clinics, providing a viable route to engage in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy, represents a tremendous opportunity to enhance accessibility and expand services for individuals in urgent need. This endeavor encompasses the establishment of both corporate-owned clinics and collaborative partner clinics across Canada, ensuring accessibility for independent practitioners and their patients alike.

Community Engagement: With ATMA's community of 650+ alumni in its psychedelic-assisted therapy training program in Canada alone, the majority of whom may not choose to transition to full-time roles within licensed psychedelic clinics. Nevertheless, they remain enthusiastic about contributing to this field. ATMA's unwavering commitment has always centered around enhancing accessibility for its community of practitioners and now aims to support this goal through the creation of infrastructure, including an extensive clinic network, to bridge regulatory gaps.

In alignment with this vision, Cena Life and its leadership brings a wealth of knowledge concerning the Canadian healthcare landscape; advancing and optimizing practice, program development; and service delivery across the country, and a decades-long track record of advocating for improved patient care within the system. The invaluable expertise in the evolving regulatory landscape that Cena Life brings to this collaboration with ATMA is pivotal to the realization of this transformative initiative.

Cena Life will be providing operations lead for the clinics, starting with two licensed clinics in Alberta (Calgary and Edmonton), as well as a handful of network clinics across Canada by the end of 2023. 2024 appears to be well aligned to begin expanding the Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy practitioner and clinic network across the country in anticipation of the legalization of MDMA-Assisted therapy. 

Vu Tran, CEO of ATMA, emphasizes, " Psychedelic Therapy will need to find a path of integration into the healthcare system if it is to be legalized and widely accessible. Cena Life brings a wealth of knowledge of the Canadian healthcare industry that will certainly help bridge that integration. ATMA is very fortunate to have found such a complimentary partner in the industry as we help build this industry brick by brick."

Reverdi Darda, CEO of Cena Life, shares, "At Cena Life, we've always championed progress and innovation in healthcare. Joining forces with ATMA amplifies our capability to expand our mission exponentially. Together, we aim to streamline a nationwide network of clinics committed to safety, regulatory alignment, and excellence. We are not just increasing access to therapies like Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy and Ketamine-Assisted Therapy, but we're also opening doors for therapists across the country to be a part of this monumental movement. We are aware that in the past individuals have had to seek support on the underground. Our aim is to ensure that there is access to care in regulated programs based initially on the standards in Alberta and compliant across the country as the regulatory landscape evolves.

We care about improving the lives and practices of mental healthcare professionals.

ATMA is pioneering a healthcare practitioners-centered business model for the psychedelic industry. Through education, training, clinical trials, support services and developing a network of clinics, we are building and supporting the largest community of psychedelic practitioners in adopting psychedelic-Assisted therapy. Our philosophy to begin with the healthcare provider, will lay a foundation for higher participation, increased accessibility, advanced clinical care, and safe effective delivery of psychedelic assisted therapy.

Melding science with nature's wisdom, Cena Life has reimagined mental health care by providing transformative alternatives that champion holistic well-being. Their clinics spotlight the potential of evidence-based psychedelic therapies, honoring traditional healing practices ensuring reconciliation between what science, tradition, and culture all contribute to wellbeing. This dual embrace of nature and evidence is supported by a passionate interdisciplinary team, ensuring each patient embarks on a tailored healing journey. Beyond mere treatment, Cena Life's vision is to elevate the mental health landscape, ensuring that groundbreaking and quality therapies are within everyone's reach.

SOURCE ATMA Journey Centers Inc