Who We Are
Starting as a small team, we are working to build a collective.
Alissa Bazinet, PhD
Co-Founder, Director of Research & Development, Board President, and Therapist
Dr. Alissa Bazinet (she/her) is a clinical psychologist and researcher. She is the Associate Director of the Social Neuroscience & Psychotherapy (SNaP) Lab at OHSU and the Portland VA, and serves as the Vice President of the National Psychedelics Association. As a clinician, she specializes in the treatment of co-occurring trauma and addiction, utilizing somatic-oriented and mindfulness-based approaches. She believes in a holistic approach to treatment that takes into consideration the biological, psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual aspects of a person and the environments and experiences they are exposed to throughout their lifetime. For the past six years, she has been an outspoken advocate for the emerging field of psychedelic therapy and is trained to provide MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. She is a longtime lead volunteer for the Zendo Project, an organization that provides psychedelic peer support and harm reduction services at music festivals and events.
Brian Hannah, LCSW
Co-Founder, Director of Clinical Operations, Board Treasurer, and Therapist
Brian Hannah (he/him) is a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist. Prior to graduate school, he found a passion in serving others while working with adults struggling with chronic homelessness, substance abuse, and severe mental health issues. After completing his master's degree in social work, he fell in love with working in hospice and palliative care, providing therapy and bereavement counseling to individuals with chronic and life-limiting illnesses and their families. After many years of wonderful work in hospice and palliative care, he opened his private practice so that he could provide psychotherapy with a breadth and depth that was not possible in the hospice and palliative care model. Since that time, Brian has been trained in MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, somatic therapies, psychedelic harm reduction, and more, allowing him to practice with a wide range of tools in order to skillfully serve the Portland community.
Sara Sentell, ND, LAc
Physician
Dr. Sentell (she/her) is a Naturopathic Doctor and Licensed Acupuncturist in Portland, Oregon and co-founder of The Ren Clinic which offers trauma-informed integrative medicine. Her clinical training began in Social Work and this has heavily influenced her whole-systems approach to investigating the roots and branches of health and wellness. She has a special emphasis on integrative psychiatric approaches for patients with eating disorders, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and trauma including the use of mindfulness and somatic interventions, acupuncture, herbal medicine, medication management, and psychedelic assisted treatments. She is in the 2021-2022 Integrative Psychiatry Fellowship with the Integrative Psychiatry Institute; completed her Ketamine training through Polaris Insight Center, and is in the 2022 cohort of the MDMA Therapy Training Program with MAPS
Chris Stauffer, MD
Board Member and
Medical Trainee Supervisor
Chris Stauffer, MD (he/they) is a psychiatrist and Director of the Social Neuroscience & Psychotherapy Lab (www.chrisstauffermd.com) housed at the Oregon Health & Science University and the Portland VA. Dr. Stauffer’s clinical work has focused on addiction and PTSD among Veteran and LGBTQIA+ populations. Their research aims to maximize the benefits of therapeutic alliance and psychotherapy through the adjunct administration of social psychopharmacology, including oxytocin, MDMA, and psilocybin. Current studies include psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for Veterans with methamphetamine use disorder and MDMA-assisted group therapy for PTSD. Dr. Stauffer is a member of the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board, a supervisor and assistant trainer for MAPS’ MDMA Therapy Training Program, and an advisor and instructor with Alma Institute.
Julio Iñiguez, LMFT, CGAC-II, CADC-I
Board Member and Therapist
Julio Iñiguez (he/him) is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Oregon. He completed his education in Marriage and Family Therapy at Lewis & Clark College in 2014. Julio has held multiple positions in the mental health and addictions field including direct service counseling in agencies, program development and management, as well as clinical supervision of direct counseling staff. He is the clinical consultant for the residential and outpatient problem gambling treatment programs at Bridgeway Recovery Services and serves on the Latino Advisory Committee for the Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling in Washington state. He is trained in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and assists in training other practitioners. He is studying with the Integrative Psychiatry Institute to become a certified psychedelic-assisted therapy practitioner focusing on ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin assisted therapies. Julio brings a systemic, culturally-responsive, and trauma-informed perspective to his work with individuals and couples in his private practice.
Alyssa Gursky,
LPC associate
Research Assistant and Therapist
Alyssa Gursky (she/they) is an LPC associate in the state of Oregon. They are the owner and operator of Psychedelic Art Therapy LLC, which aims to utilize the creative process throughout the psychedelic healing journey for structural healing and insight. Their background in research includes working as a night attendant of Phase II and III of MAPS’ study using MDMA to treat PTSD. Additionally, she worked at a Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience lab that researched topics including meditative cognition, emotion regulation, and social interaction. She is a trained Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapist and is in progress of completing her training as an MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapist. As a queer person, she is devoted to offering psychedelic therapy to members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Veronica Vargas, LPC
Therapist
Veronica Vargas (she/her/ella) is an LPC in Oregon, and her formal training is in counseling psychology with an emphasis in depth-psychotherapy. She finds beauty in witnessing the unfolding of human potential, and cultivation of meaning. In her work as a licensed psychotherapist she assesses the whole person or family system by looking at relational and cultural systems; spirituality; personal and intergenerational trauma; systems of oppression; personal values and how they are or aren't reflected authentically in the person's life. She's been in a personal sacred relationship with plant medicine for about 15 years, where she's found profound value in their healing qualities. She attended a training course through Lewis & Clark on Entheogen Assisted Psychotherapy and Integration, and she received training in ketamine assisted therapy through Synaptic Integrative Care and Training Institute. She has a private practice in Portland, Oregon where she offers psychotherapy, dream work, psychedelic harm reduction and integration. She also works in leadership and consultation for a local non-profit.
Zach Skiles, PsyD
Therapist
Zach (he/him) is a doctor of psychology and former marine, having invaded Iraq and navigated combat operations, which ultimately led to a transformative journey as a psychotherapist. When helping develop the first PTSD clinic for veterans and family members of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army, Zach developed an interest in community-based care and traditional healing modalities. Starting in the US as a peer counselor for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, he trained as a clinical psychologist with the Northern California VA and Northern Arizona VA Health Care Systems, while also facilitating psychedelic-assisted therapies for individuals and groups of US Special Forces communities in Central America. As an educator with the Center of the Science of Psychedelics at UC Berkeley, his focus aligns military and veteran culture with traditional medicine practice. Currently continuing clinical trials in the veteran community, Zach works as a facilitator and scholar for the Social Neuroscience and Psychotherapy (SNaP) lab at the Portland VA.
Lesley Burke, LPC, ATR
Board Member
Lesley Burke (she/her) is an art therapist who has been in the mental health field since 2006, and a licensed psychotherapist since 2011. Learning about MDMA assisted psychotherapy and the MAPS trials in 2003 was one of the driving forces behind her decision to seek out graduate training in counseling after obtaining a BA degree in visual arts. She currently offers counseling and art therapy in private practice within the Haven arts community where she is also a resident artist. Her practice focuses on treating PTSD and anxiety using EMDR, art therapy, and somatic approaches, as well as individual and group psychedelic integration support. Lesley’s training includes completing the MAPS MDMA Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD program, as well as ketamine assisted psychotherapy, EMDR, somatic, and mindfulness based approaches to therapy. As an advocate for drug policy reform and harm reduction, Lesley has worked with the Zendo Project, White Bird, and others offering psychedelic harm reduction at events. Lesley is looking forward to a future of access to plant medicines and psychedelics for everyone who can benefit from them, and using visionary art as a method for integrating these experiences.
Allison Holmes, BSW
Intake Coordinator
Allison Holmes (she/her) is a community organizer in Portland, OR and the Intake Coordinator at Sequoia Center. While studying Social Work at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, Allison co-founded the first Students For Sensible Drug Policy chapter in the state. After graduating college, she moved to Oregon to further her activism in drug policy reform and community engagement. Allison works on the Board of Directors as the Volunteer Coordinator for the Portland Psychedelic Society. She is skilled in active listening, intentional communication, and meeting people where they’re at. She is well versed in the process of introducing and exploring conversations about expanded states of consciousness, and psychedelic-assisted therapy with folks in all different phases of their healing journeys.
