Camila Pastor, LCSW

Camila Pastor, LCSW, SEP, is a licensed clinical social worker in New York City who offers ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, psychedelic integration and trauma therapy in English and Spanish. She is also a licensed natural medicine facilitator in Colorado, where she runs legal psilocybin sessions.

Approach

Pastor earned her MSW at New York University, after degrees in architecture and industrial design from Pratt Institute. Her clinical training includes advanced-level Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, Compassionate Inquiry, Internal Family Systems Level 1, the MAPS programme for MDMA therapy and ketamine training with Polaris Insight Center. She draws on Polyvagal Theory to help clients understand their nervous system. Originally from Peru, she facilitates ayahuasca and plant medicine retreats there.

Who it is for

Her clients include couples, families in conflict and young adults as well as individuals. Trauma, PTSD and dissociation are central to her work, alongside depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and grief. She describes ketamine work as suited to PTSD, OCD, anxiety, substance use disorders and depression that has not responded to treatment.

Practical details

Therapy sessions of 50 to 55 minutes cost $250, and she takes Aetna and Optum insurance in New York and Colorado. A one-to-one ketamine package, covering the dosing session and integration, costs $1,000, plus a $250 therapy intake, a $250 medical intake and about $200 for the prescription. Sliding-scale and pay-what-you-can fees are available. She works near Union Square and online through Doximity.

Care and safety

Before a first ketamine session, each client has two or more preparation sessions plus a virtual intake with a collaborating prescriber, renewed every six months. Pregnancy or nursing, heart problems, hyperthyroidism, psychosis, acute mania, recent brain injury and active substance abuse can rule ketamine out. The dose comes as a lozenge, and the guided part of a three-hour session lasts 60 to 75 minutes.