Margaret Ross Psy.D.
Dr. Ross PsyD MAPS, is a senior clinical psychologist at St. Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, specialising in Psychosocial Cancer Care and Palliative Medicine. Dr Ross has been actively engaged in both clinical and research capacities since 2001 and has had a distinguished career as clinical psychologist, educator, researcher, and advocate, whose groundbreaking work in psychedelic assisted psychotherapy and psychosocial palliative care is internationally recognised.
Dr. Ross pioneered Australia's first psychedelic assisted psychotherapy study for depression and anxiety in patients facing life-threatening illnesses. She has since emerged as a prominent figure in addressing refractory end-of-life distress through psychedelic assisted psychotherapy and was honoured by psychedelics.com as one of "The Most Influential People in Psychedelics" in Science. Dr Ross regularly trains clinicians using psilocybin assisted psychotherapy in clinical trials investigating its efficacy in treating anorexia nervosa, treatment resistant depression, persistent complex bereavement and substance addiction.
Beyond his professional endeavours, Diego is a passionate practitioner of martial arts, swimming, and meditation, reflecting his holistic view of health and well-being. His keen interest in Somatic and Transpersonal approaches to psychotherapy embodies his belief in a comprehensive approach to mental health.
Diego Pinzon Rubiano M.A.
Originating from Colombia and now deeply ingrained in the Australian psychedelic scene, Diego brings an international perspective and deep commitment to the field of psychedelic therapy. After moving to Australia in 2008, his dedication led him to earn a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Canberra, followed by a Masters in Transpersonal Psychology from Sofia University in California.
Diego has navigated the psychedelic landscape through significant roles in the non-profit sector and the esteemed Psychae Institute. His contributions to Australia's groundbreaking psilocybin trial for end-of-life depression and anxiety at St. Vincent’s Melbourne underline his commitment to this transformative field.
Always eager to delve deeper into the world of psychedelic education, Diego was among the first in Australia to complete the 12-month training program, Vital, from Psychedelics Today. Now, he harnesses his expertise as an instructor and coordinator for the program, guiding and inspiring the next generation of psychedelic facilitators.
Bios
Renee is also currently providing intensive clinical training in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy for other research teams across Australia, as well as providing supervision to trial therapists and contributing to developing research protocols. She also provides introductory courses in collaboration with Psychedelics Today. She is also currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Western Australia.
Martin Williams Ph.D.
Martin Williams, PhD is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University, and Adjunct in Computational Neuroscience at the Turner Institute at Monash. Martin’s research background is in Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and he is Executive Director of Psychedelic Research in Science & Medicine (PRISM) and Vice-President of Entheogenesis Australis (EGA).
Martin is a co-investigator on a number of Australian clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, including the St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne study of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in palliative care; the Monash PsiConnect neuroimaging study of psilocybin with mindfulness meditation; the Swinburne PsiloDep pilot study and 3PAP RCT of 2- vs 3-dose psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression; and several other studies of psilocybin, MDMA and other psychedelics for the treatment of a range of mental health conditions.
Martin has been an articulate advocate for psychedelic medical research and the evidence-based clinical translation of psychedelic-assisted therapies for almost twenty years.
He has co-authored several academic papers providing an Australian perspective on the subject, including a recent influential Perspectives paper in Frontiers in Psychiatry, and is co-editor of an upcoming special topic issue of Frontiers, Beyond Psilocybin: Exploring the Clinical Potential of Novel and Alternative Psychedelics. He presents regularly at conferences and symposia, and is a frequent commentator on psychedelic research and governance in Australian print and broadcast media.
Renee Harvey M.A. Clin.Psych.
Renee Harvey is a highly experienced clinical psychologist who relocated from the UK to Australia to develop training in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP). She has many years of experience as a lecturer, trainer, clinician and service developer within the mental health field. Her ideas on PAP training are featured in a recently published book chapter (Harvey, 2021) and in various talks and podcasts.
Prior to relocation, Renee was an Honorary Research Fellow and assistant guide in the Imperial College London trial researching psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression. She also facilitated the development of psychedelic interest groups and established and ran a psychedelic Integration Circle in Brighton.
Renee has worked as an assistant therapist on the psilocybin trials at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, aimed at the alleviation of depression and anxiety associated with life-threatening illness. She is also on the Clinical Advisory Board of Reset Mind Sciences, providing therapist training for their psychedelic research program. She also has a private practice in Melbourne with an emphasis on providing psychedelic integration.
Petra Skeffington Ph.D.
Associate Professor Petra Skeffington is a Clinical Psychologist in Private Practice, and an academic at Murdoch University in Perth. Her research and clinical expertise centres on psychological trauma and recovery, including resilience to trauma, prevention of post-trauma pathologies, and innovative approaches to treating psychological trauma. A/Prof Skeffington was one of the first Australians to achieve MAPS certification for MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy in early 2023, is a lead therapist on a clinical trial investigating MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy, and is part of the therapy team on a clinical trial investigating Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy.
James Bennett-Levy Ph.D.
James Bennett-Levy is a clinical psychologist, trainer and researcher, who has trained therapists in 27 countries and published 5 psychotherapy books that have been translated into 12 languages. He is currently Professor in Mental Health and Psychological Wellbeing at Sydney University’s University Centre of Rural Health (UCRH), based in Lismore. James’ primary research and training focus over the past 20 years has been on experiential training for therapists. He is Series Editor of Guilford Press’ Self-Practice/Self-Reflection Guides for Psychotherapists. Over the past 3 years, James has been involved in developments in psychedelic-assisted therapy in Australia, variously as trainer, therapist, chief investigator, researcher, and facilitator within psychology and health professional networks.
Dr. Stephen Bright
Dr Stephen Bright is a clinically-trained psychologist who has worked in the field for more than 20 years. He has been the chief principal investigator of multisite clinical trials and has published research on psychedelics, microdosing, psychometrics and drug policy. Currently, Stephen is principal investigator on a trial investigating MDMA for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and an associate investigator of a trial of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for treatment-resistant depression for which he is also the lead therapist. Stephen supervisors PhD and Masters students’ research at Edith Cowan University, where he teaches counselling skills and psychopharmacology. Dr Bright has given expert testimony to parliamentary inquest and court hearings. He was awarded Edith Cowan University’s Most Prolific Conversation Author in 2018 and 2019. In his spare time, Steve enjoys kite surfing along Perth’s beaches.
Kylie O'Brien
Kylie O’Brien is a clinical psychologist based in Byron Bay who has had over 20 years experience in the treatment of trauma and PTSD. She has a profound interest in attachment based therapy, with expertise in EMDR, EMDR 2.0 and attachment based EMDR. She is passionate about the human mind and experience individually and as a collective, taking an intuitive, historical and anthropological view on the human experience. She is also the director of the North Coast Centre for Clinical Psychology and the North Coast Health Collective.
Kylie is currently a clinician on the Swinburne Psilocybin for treatment resistant Depression Trial.
In addition to her clinical achievements. Kylie was a founding member of the APS Psychedelic Assisted Therapy Interest group, where her dedication to cutting edge, psychedelic related research and therapeutic approaches shines brightly. She held the role of Chairperson for the North Coast APS branch for four years.
Dr. Nigel Strauss
Dr Nigel Strauss, Consultant psychiatrist, has had a longstanding interest in psychedelic medicines and their application in the treatment of psychiatric illness.
He has been an investigator and psychedelic psychotherapist in several psychedelic trials in Melbourne and is a member of the Steering committee set up by the College of Psychiatrists to help with the implementation of these therapies into clinical psychiatric practice in Australia. He is currently also involved in non-therapeutic psychedelic research
Prash has a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (Honours) from Monash University in Melbourne, a Masters in Psychological Medicine from the University of Melbourne, and has written for a number of publications, including The Lancet and the Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. In 2018, Prash was awarded Young Executive of the Year by the Australia-wide Indian Executive Council.
Dr. Prash MBBS (Hons), M.Psych, FRANZCP
Prash, a medical doctor and former Neuropsychiatry Fellow at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, is one of Australia’s leading advocates for accessible psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. In this capacity, Prash is a clinical adviser to the Australian Psychedelic Society and is frequently sought for his thought leadership on the subject of the therapeutic uses of psychedelic substances. Prash is also the founder of pioneering digital currency brokerage Caleb & Brown, named “Fintech Startup of the Year” in 2018 by the Australian Stockbrokers & Financial Advisors Association. Caleb & Brown, Australia’s largest personalised cryptocurrency brokerage firm, widens the suite of traditional wealth management services through the provision of bespoke digital currency solutions.