Erotic Transference & Countertransference in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
Embrace the Opportunity to Strengthen Your Clinical Presence
Working with transference and countertransference (T/CT) is an essential skill for effective psychotherapy. In the context of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), the experience of T/CT often becomes more amplified, challenging and complex.
Among the most challenging and least discussed of these dynamics is erotic T/CT: powerful feeling states that, when understood as clinical data and handled skillfully, can open doors to deep healing or, if mismanaged, can cause harm.
This 6-session supervision and study group offers a rare and intimate space to explore these themes with expert guidance. Together with Dr. Song and a small cohort of peers, you’ll examine case studies, foundational theory, and practical approaches to understanding and working with erotic T/CT and other intense feeling states in psychedelic contexts.
Gain Deeper Clinical Insight into Relational dynamics
This is not a passive course, but an interactive, collaborative group designed for clinicians, guides, and researchers who are ready to engage deeply with their own and others’ clinical material.
Over the course of the six sessions, you’ll:
- Participate in weekly supervision groups, which include 1–2 readings that weave together psychodynamic theory, clinical practice, and spiritual perspectives.
- Learn how psychedelics amplify implicit relational knowing and how this affects the therapy relationship.
- Hear and discuss real-world case studies from Dr. Song and fellow group members.
- Present your own case study or vignette for reflection and feedback in a supportive environment. However, your case does not have to focus on erotic T/CT or even PAT. Any clinical material involving intense feeling states is welcome.
- Build a developmental understanding of how erotic feelings express nonsexual needs and wishes, and how to work with them ethically and therapeutically.
In mastering this material, we will progress through the stages of mastery outlined by Nancy A. Bridges, a highly respected psychotherapist, educator, and author of Moving Beyond the Comfort Zone in Psychotherapy. As the weeks pass, we will transition from a concrete, external focus to a more complex, internal understanding, enabling a more nuanced and targeted response.
Testimonials from previous students
Step into the Right Setting to Transform Challenging Dynamics
This group is designed for:
- Practicing therapists, clinicians, and medical providers, currently working with or preparing to enter the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy.
- Licensed professionals with a foundational knowledge of PAT who want to deepen their confidence and skill in managing relational challenges and erotic T/CT.
If you’re ready to move beyond theory and confront the relational complexities that arise in this work, with guidance, community, and accountability, this group is for you.
The group is intentionally kept small to allow for depth, safety, and intimacy.
Please note: if the minimum of 8 participants is not met, the group will not run.
Meet Your Instructor
Dr. Pat Song
Pat Song, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, researcher, and educator practicing psychodynamic psychotherapy and conducting qualitative research on experiences of erotic transference and countertransference in psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT). She is a faculty member of ADEPT and has presented case studies and a psychodynamic model for working therapeutically with erotic feelings in PAT to practitioners and students in the US, Canada, and Europe. Recent presentations have been at the Columbia School of Social Work, Breaking Convention, Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research, ADEPT, Institute of Psychedelic Therapy, and a supervision study group for The OPEN Foundation. She has over 30 years of professional experience in a range of settings, including a Harvard cocaine addiction treatment research project, HIV prevention, a military college, and clinical training at a Harvard Medical School public health teaching hospital.
This Work Deserves Your Attention
Understanding and working with erotic T/CT is an essential, yet often overlooked, skill for anyone engaged in psychedelic-assisted therapy or related fields. This group provides a rare opportunity to explore these challenges honestly, ethically, and skillfully in the company of others who share your commitment to this work.
Develop the Tools to Navigate Erotic and Intense Dynamics
By the end of this group, you will be able to:
Explain how implicit relational knowing and psychedelics amplify T/CT.
Describe foundational psychodynamic concepts such as containment, defenses, projective identification, and the therapeutic frame.
Identify and work with erotic T/CT through a developmental, psychological, relational, and spiritual lens.
Recognize the many ways erotic energy can manifest in therapeutic relationships, and what it may indicate.
Describe how to contain and tolerate these dynamics, and respond in a way that reflects your stage of development as a clinician.
Understand the skills needed for working with erotic transference and countertransference.
Spot red flag behaviors in yourself and others, and apply strategies to reduce the risk of boundary violations.
Discover the practical details
This supervision and study group runs across six sessions, meeting on Wednesdays at 19:00 CET / 13:00 EST for 90 minutes each. The sessions are scheduled from February to March 2027 on the following dates:
- 3 February
- 10 February
- 17 February
- 24 February
- 3 March
- 10 March
| Pricing Tier | Price |
|---|---|
|
Early Bird |
€365 |
|
OPEN Community Member (Plus) |
€300 |
|
Non-Member / Regular |
€395 |
Early bird pricing is available to anyone who registers and pays in full before 31/12/2026, after which standard pricing applies.
It’s Your Time to Join
If you’re ready to deepen your clinical understanding, build confidence in managing complex relational dynamics, and connect with like-minded peers, we invite you to apply.