Meet Erin Carpenter | Psychedelic Therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erin Carpenter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erin, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
After working in various mental health settings, I felt ready to move into private practice. This gives me the flexibility I need to meet my client’s needs as well as my own. After encountering therapeutic psychedelic work in my own life, I knew I wanted to add these powerful tools to my toolbox as a therapist. I enjoy building systems, leading teams, and improving my business. As a small business, I can implement changes quickly to improve services. In larger settings like hospitals and mental health centers, there are layers of red tape that get in the way.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I was humming along as a therapist and group practice owner when I was diagnosed with advanced cancer in 2019. I’m very happy to say that after 3 years of cancer treatment I am currently in remission. It was a giant surprise, and clarified my values both personally and professionally. I sought out psychedelic therapies when traditional methods and prescriptions did not help my mental health in my time of crisis. Psychedelics were a game-changer for me, and I grasped the potential they had in clinical practice. I made up my mind that, if I were to recover from cancer, I would learn more about psychedelic therapy and help others.

After selling my group mental health practice in 2021, I became certified in psychedelic-assisted therapy and started Psychedelic Growth. I started with ketamine-assisted therapy as a legal and powerful tool. I’m hopeful to be able to offer both psilocybin (mushroom) therapy and MDMA therapy in the coming years. My business is a clinically-focused alternative to traditional methods of talk therapy and prescriptions. I want cancer patients, moms, and anyone with mental health concerns to have a licensed and evidence-based clinic to turn to.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Love this question! I have lived in many areas of the city over the years. I love art and theater, so I would take visitors to the Denver Art Museum and the Center for the Performing Arts. I also love live jazz and would spend a night at Dazzle enjoying drinks and music. We would explore my favorite neighborhoods: Cheeseman Park, Washington Park, Capitol Hill and the Highlands. Then we would head to some of my favorite hiking spots: Three Sisters Park, Golden Gate Canyon State Park and El Dorado Canyon. After-hiking beers are always welcome. My favorite breweries are TRVE, Blue Moon and Cerebral.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’ve been lucky to receive support, guidance, and feedback from mentors, colleagues, friends and family. My husband is also an entrepreneur and we are always a team. He’s my biggest cheerleader (and I am his). My colleagues in the private practice community have always been collaborative and supportive. I gravitate towards people I admire. I also value and look for feedback from my employees.

Website: www.psychedelicgrowth.net

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-carpenter-lcsw/