Aion Clinic

Aion Clinic is a private, CQC-registered ketamine-assisted therapy clinic in Islington, London. It runs one fixed programme of eight weeks, combining talking therapy with four ketamine sessions, for people whose mental health or addiction problems have not responded to other treatment.

Approach

The talking therapy follows Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), with one allocated therapist. Ketamine is given as individually tailored intramuscular doses in two-hour sessions with that therapist, and each is followed the next day by a therapy session to work through what came up. Consultant psychiatrist Dr Matthew Liveras, formerly medical lead at Awakn’s London clinic, heads a team of psychologists, psychotherapists and a lead nurse.

Who it is for

Treatment is limited to people with a clinical diagnosis of anxiety, depression, PTSD, an eating disorder, alcohol use disorder or another substance disorder. They must already have tried more than one kind of treatment, such as medication, therapy or rehab, and carry a low neurological and physical risk.

Practical details

The programme costs £5,000 per patient and covers a medical assessment and more than 16 hours of treatment. Weeks one and two hold two therapy sessions, weeks three to six pair four ketamine sessions with four therapy sessions, week seven is a break and week eight ends with a review. Therapy and the assessment can be remote; ketamine sessions are held at the clinic on City Road, near Angel station. The clinic says treatment can begin within two weeks.

Care and safety

After an online referral, the clinical team reviews risk factors and eligibility and obtains the patient’s GP Summary Care Record, with consent. Patients must stay registered with an NHS GP throughout treatment. A 90-minute assessment with the consultant psychiatrist confirms whether treatment goes ahead. A nurse and the consultant psychiatrist attend every ketamine session.