#197: Christi Myers: Restoring Well-Being with Ketamine Therapy & Psychotherapy

OVERVIEW:

Jason A. Duprat, Entrepreneur, Healthcare Practitioner, and Host of the Healthcare Entrepreneur Academy podcast talks with Christi Myers, MS, EMT-P, CEO, Director, and Founder of Flow Integrative. Christi highlights the steps she took to open her practice and also talks about why it’s important to focus on the patient experience.

 

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

• Christi has been a paramedic for the last 20 years and she’s been teaching for ten years.
• The mental health of her students and people in the healthcare industry motivated her to open her ketamine practice in Redlands, CA in November 2020. She recently moved her clinic to Encinitas in April 2021.   
• It was a five-month process for Christi to open her practice. She asked a physician to join her and everything unfolded during COVID. Her advice? Step in 100%!
• Christi credits the Ketamine Academy course for helping her understand the legal aspects of the business, as well as scope of practice. 
• She explains the difference between assisted psychotherapy and getting a low-dose ketamine infusion. The dosing structure depends on how people cope outside of therapy.
• People are struggling with depression and ketamine isn’t covered by insurance. So Christi created a nonprofit to help those who can’t afford treatments. 
• She credits Osmind and Caretaker for being great partners and helping her with the launch and operations of the practice. 
• Christi was able to source partners because of her working relationships as a paramedic. 
• Christi provides an overview of her services and what it’s like to partner with a physician.
• Her patient experience includes providing space for patients to release emotion - for the clinic and staff to offer an open space and heart. They also provide gravity blankets to help patients feel grounded. 
• The goal is to restore well-being using individualized, scientific-based therapeutic methods. 
• There is no blanket approach for treating patients - it’s an intimate experience for each person.  

 

3 KEY POINTS:

1. There’s a stigma about ketamine due to recreational abuse, but it can be beneficial for treating depression and anxiety—even PTSD—if given in small doses.
2. Christi hired an attorney to help her with the legal aspects of opening her practice. She then created two corporations, partnered with a physician, and utilized her knowledge in medicine and wellness.
3. Christi makes sure the psychotherapy sessions are not too clinical to ensure her clients feel safe and comfortable enough to help reach a breakthrough.

 

TWEETABLE QUOTES:

“It comes down to courage of trying something essentially taboo.” - Christi Myers

“[Starting your own practice] isn’t easy, but it isn’t challenging as long as you have pieces to rely on.” - Christi Myers

 

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