Psychedelics Summit

Join the Center for the Arts and the Nowak Society in presenting an evening panel discussion with psychedelic experts.  We will explore ideas and current developments around psychedelic research and use for mental health.  The event will be a space to learn about modern advancements in therapy, advocacy and cutting edge research in the field. Tickets are donation based, please consider contributing if you would like to see more events like this in the future. There will be time before and after the discussion for professional networking and questions with the panel speakers, as well as local practitioners. 

The Nowak Society is a Colorado based 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to connect and organize psychedelic communities, and give voice to the essential values and pressing issues of the psychedelic movement.

The curated panel will include four experts in their respective fields ranging from advocacy/legislative initiatives, MDMA research, Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, and plant based medicine practices.  

Shannon Hughes, MSW, PhD (she/hers), Associate Professor, School of Social Work at Colorado State University and in the Colorado School of Public Health. Her research advances holistic, person-centered, and cutting-edge behavioral health alternatives founded in the synthesis of research evidence, innovative thinking, and community partnership. She develops education for non-medically trained professions on safety and efficacy of psychoactive substances used in mental health care, shifting paradigms of drug use, and roles of helping professionals in supporting empowered relationships with psychoactive substances. Dr. Hughes is a founding member of The Nowak Society, a Colorado non-profit providing community education around the pressing issues and essential values of the psychedelic movement. In her private practice, An Enduring Love, she blends spirituality with life coaching and psychedelic integration. With Elemental Psychedelics, she offers training to clinical and nonclinical practitioners seeking to respectfully expand their work to include psychedelics with transpersonal and psycho-spiritual lenses.

Bri Bendixsen, MA (she/hers) is a psychotherapist practicing Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) and psychedelic integration at Reflective Healing in Fort Collins, Colorado. She is also a MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) certified therapist on the Phase 3 clinical trials for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. Bri is a founding member of PRATI (Psychedelic Research and Training Institute) and previously served as a lead faculty member, teaching on ethics and integration, and helped coordinate trainings for hundreds of mental health professionals from around the country in the clinical application of KAP. She completed her own KAP training with Dr. Phil Wolfson and the Ketamine Training Center in 2019. Bri is a current Board Member with The Nowak Society, a volunteer-run non-profit committed to psychedelic education, advocacy, and community outreach. Aside from talking about psychedelics, Bri is fueled by practicing yoga, snowboarding, devouring books, and playing in nature.

Katie Klumb, MA, LPC (she/hers) is a transpersonal psychotherapist, psychedelic plant medicine advocate, and meditation instructor whose aim is to support individuals on their healing journey. The purpose of her work is to bring hope back to those who feel hopeless; to help individuals remember their own innate wisdom and ability to heal so that they may be reconnected to a life of peace and equanimity. Katie earned her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a concentration in Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling at Naropa University in Boulder, CO. She is the current board chair for the non-profit, The Nowak Society, whose mission is to connect and give voice to the psychedelic community. In addition, she teaches for Elemental Psychedelics and occasionally, as adjunct faculty, returns to Naropa to teach in the Graduate School of Psychology. You can find Katie enjoying her life in the natural beauty of Lyons, Colorado where she lives and runs her private practice, Awakening Peace Counseling.

Dylan Rivard, MA, LPC (he/his) was born in the forests of Indiana, and grew up playing in creeks, catching fireflies, and wondering whether or not dragons really did live in the leaves of the trees in his backyard. Raised in a spiritually eclectic household, Dylan developed a lifelong fascination with prayer, ritual, healing, and our connection to the divine and nature. This led him to pursue work in outdoor recreation, psychology, and spirituality, culminating in a MA in Transpersonal Psychotherapy with a Wilderness Therapy focus from Naropa University. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Colorado, as well as a Certified Hakomi Therapist. He has trained with the Psychedelic Research and Training Institute (PRATI), and assisted in the Integrative Psychiatry Institute’s Psychedelic Therapy Certification. He serves as faculty for trainings with both Elemental Psychedelics and The Congregation of Sacred Practices, as well as serving on the board of The Nowak Society; a Colorado based non-profit focused on psychedelic advocacy and public education. With over 10 years of experience in mental health, he now runs his own private practice where he serves clients working through trauma, grief, and spiritual growth. He lives in the foothills of Golden, CO, where he is grateful to share the land with his husband, their animals, and myriad turkeys, deer, and ponderosa pines.