Amber Kerby, LMFT

Amber Kerby, a licensed marriage and family therapist based in Des Moines, Iowa, founded Non Ordinary Therapy, a practice built around ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems and psychedelic integration. She says no LMFT in Iowa offered ketamine-assisted psychotherapy in private practice before her, and she has done so since 2022.

Approach

Kerby holds a master’s in human services, specialising in marriage, couple and family therapy, from Capella University. She has completed levels one and two of IFS training, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy certification with the Integrative Psychiatry Institute and the MAPS training in MDMA therapy, and she co-leads the Iowa chapter of the Psychedelic Medicine Association. In her ketamine work the medicine is taken as a dissolving tablet under the tongue or as a nasal spray, with dosing set together with each client’s prescriber. She also trains other clinicians in this work.

Who it is for

She sees individuals, couples and families, for concerns from anxiety and trauma to parenting, relationship strain and spiritual questions. For ketamine-assisted psychotherapy she names PTSD, depression, anxiety, OCD, eating disorders, substance use, grief and unresolved childhood issues as concerns that may respond.

Practical details

Ketamine sessions run once a week for six to eight weeks, starting at 9am on a Monday, Wednesday or Thursday, and last two to three hours. Before the first one come an initial meeting and at least two preparation sessions of 45 to 60 minutes. Fees are listed at $100 to $200. She is licensed in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Care and safety

After an initial suitability check, a collaborating medical professional carries out the medical evaluation and writes the prescription. Every ketamine session takes place with a trained therapist and medical support present, and integration begins as the effects fade. She notes that ketamine is currently the only legal medication in Iowa for psychedelic-assisted therapy.