NAMI Ask the Expert: A Research Update on Psychedelic Mental Health Treatments

Dr. Perivoliotis has been involved in mental health treatment and research for over 20 years, with a focus on developing innovative applications of evidence-based psychotherapy for improving functioning and quality of life in people with serious mental illness (SMI). He currently is a staff psychologist at the VA San Diego Healthcare System and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the UCSD School of Medicine. His primary research and clinical interest is psychedelic-assisted therapy. He oversees the design and implementation of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and other psychotherapeutic services at the VA San Diego Neuromodulation Program, a recovery-oriented clinic for Veterans with treatment-resistant depression and PTSD. Dr. Perivoliotis is a co-investigator and study therapist on a pilot study of MDMA-assisted brief cognitive behavioral conjoint therapy for Veterans with PTSD and their partners, the first of its kind at the VA San Diego (principal investigator: Dr. Leslie Morland). Previously, he served as Lead US Adherence Rater for the Lykos Therapeutics (formerly Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) Public Benefit Corporation) Phase III clinical trials of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. He also managed an award-winning psychosis clinic and psychosis training program at the VA San Diego. Along with Dr. Aaron T. Beck and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania, he co-developed a promising new approach to cognitive therapy for promoting recovery in people with SMI and co-authored the book, Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy for Serious Mental Health Conditions.