About this course

Learning Objectives

• Present the couple’s pattern using clear language and integrate feedback to strengthen case conceptualization.
• Deliver brief, accurate psychoeducation about ketamine’s subjective effects and potential relational benefits.
• Establish dyadic (mind)set & setting and co-create relational intentions to be used during dosing session.
• Clarify boundaries and consent for touch/communication between partners and therapist, as well as review coping strategies to increase readiness for dosing.

Learning Levels

• Intermediate

Target Audience

Course Instructor(s)

• 

  Chandra Estelle Khalifian, PhD

  Licensed Clinical Psychologist

  Chandra Estelle Khalifian, Ph.D., is research faculty at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and the co-founder of Enamory– a clinic, training institute, and research center focused on psychedelic-assisted couple therapy. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and completed her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship (Advanced Fellowship for Women’s Health) at the VA San Diego / UCSD consortium. She completed a VA Career Development Award under mentorship of Dr. Leslie Morland studying the Treatment for Relationships & Saftey (TR&ST)-- a couple-based suicide intervention that she developed during her postdoctoral fellowship. She has been a co-investigator on multiple funded research trials including a MDMA-assisted couple therapy for PTSD trial. Her research is focused on developing novel couple interventions for relationship distress, PTSD, and suicide. She is particularly interested in enhancing evidence-based interventions with psychedelics. Within Enamory, Dr. Khalifian sees couples and individuals, supervises associate therapists, conducts research, and co-developed, with her colleagues, Dr. Kayla Knopp and Dr. Skylar Kelsven, the world’s first ketamine-assisted couple therapy training and certification program.

• 

  Kayla Knopp, PhD

  Licensed Clinical Psychologist

  Kayla C. Knopp, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and clinical researcher. Her research and clinical interests center around understanding the reciprocal associations between intimate relationship functioning and mental health, supporting diverse relationship types and structures, and using novel and creative methods to improve both access to and impacts of interventions for couples. Her current projects include technology-supported interventions for couples and psychedelic-assisted couple therapies. Dr. Knopp earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Denver and completed her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship (Advanced Fellowship for Women’s Health) at the VA San Diego / University of California San Diego consortium. She was awarded a VA Career Development Award under mentorship of Dr. Leslie Morland studying the OurRelationship program for veterans and their partners. Dr. Knopp co-founded Enamory, a clinic, training institute, and research foundation specializing in ketamine-assisted couple therapy. In addition to seeing a small caseload of couples and individuals, Dr. Knopp supervises associate therapists, provides training and consultation to therapists, and conducts clinic-based research. Together with Enamory’s co-founder Dr. Chandra Khalifian and training director Dr. Skylar Kelsven, Dr. Knopp is the co-developer of the world’s first ketamine-assisted couple therapy training and certification program.

Disclosure

References

• Campo, W. M., & Yali, A. M. (2025). Psychedelic use and psychological flexibility: The role of meaningful intention and decentering. Journal of Psychedelic Studies, 9(1), 31–44. https://doi.org/10.1556/2054.2024.00350
• Carhart-Harris, R. L., Roseman, L., Haijen, E., Erritzoe, D., Watts, R., Branchi, I., & Kaelen, M. (2018). Psychedelics and the essential importance of context. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 32(7), 725–731. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881118754710
• McAlpine, R. G., Sacchet, M. D., Simonsson, O., Khan, M., Krajnovic, K., Morometescu, L., & Kamboj, S. K. (2024). Development of a digital intervention for psychedelic preparation (DIPP). Scientific Reports, 14(1), 4072. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-41059-7
• Perivoliotis, D., Knopp, K., Remick, S., Kaigle, A., Stauffer, C. S., Khalifian, C., Wachsman, T. R., Chargin, B. E., Bismark, A. W., Alam, A., & Morland, L. (2025). Bringing MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD to traditional healthcare systems: Tending to set and setting. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 16, 1433999. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1433999
• Stockwell, G., Hoeh, N. R., Fogarty, F., Clayden, C., & Reynolds, L. (2025). Understanding the experience of ketamine-assisted therapy and the importance of context. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2025.2407629
• Watts, R., & Luoma, J. B. (2020). The use of the psychological flexibility model to support psychedelic assisted therapy. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 15, 92–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2019.11.004
• Khalifian, C., Rashkovsky, K., Mitchell, E., Bismark, A., Wagner, A. C., & Knopp, K. C. (2024). A novel framework for ketamine-assisted couple therapy. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 1376646. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1376646
• Drozdz, S. J., Goel, A., McGarr, M. W., Katz, J., Ritvo, P., Mattina, G. F., & Ladha, K. S. (2022). Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy: A systematic narrative review of the literature. Journal of Pain Research, 15, 1691–1706. https://doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S357994
• Jackson, J. B., Codecá, L., Miller, R. B., Simpson, J. E., O’Leary, A. M., & Renner, S. M. (2026). Empirically supported couple therapy models for couple relationship distress: A replication and update. Journal of Marital & Family Therapy, 52(4), e70162. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.70162