Ciara Christensen, PhD

Ciara Christensen is a licensed clinical psychologist in Wisconsin who offers psychedelic-assisted therapy and integration, clinical hypnosis and psychological testing. She practises at Transcendence Therapy Group in Whitefish Bay.

Approach

She earned her PhD at Washington State University in 2012, holds a certificate as a psychedelic-assisted therapist from the Integrative Psychiatry Institute, and is an ASCH-approved consultant in clinical hypnosis. Her therapy is body-aware and experiential, drawing on person-centred work, ego state therapy, Internal Family Systems, CBT, hypnosis, breathwork and movement, and at times ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. She also carries out psychological assessments, among them ADHD, cognitive and pre-surgical evaluations. As a psychologist she does not prescribe medicine.

Who it is for

She works with adults, including young adults, who feel stuck with pain, poor sleep, anxiety, low mood or trauma, and names aviation professionals and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender clients among the communities she serves. She also speaks Danish.

Practical details

Sessions are in person at 155 East Silver Spring Drive in Whitefish Bay, or by telehealth in PSYPACT states. Fees are listed at $200 to $250, and the practice takes Cigna and Premera Blue Cross insurance as well as self-pay, with a sliding scale. A short call of about 20 minutes comes first. She is licensed in Wisconsin, Colorado, Idaho and Washington.

Care and safety

Psychedelic work follows four steps: a clinical intake and assessment to decide whether treatment is appropriate, a preparation session, the medicine session itself, and integration afterwards. Screening looks at mental health history, current state and contraindications, and clients are told about the substance, its effects and its risks before giving informed consent.