Oregon's Psilocybin Services Act (aka Measure 109) was groundbreaking in that it made Oregon the first jurisdiction anywhere in the world to create legal access to psilocybin outside of a clinical trial. But it comes with a lot of unique rules to navigate and sometimes confusing terminology, many of which are changing on a regular basis. Below we offer explanations for the most common questions we receive and how Synaptic Institute navigates these services.

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The Basic Steps:

1. Schedule a free consultation with a Synaptic Institute practitioner that includes Psilocybin under their name on our scheduling page​​​​​​

   • Call or text 971-403-0884 or email info@synaptic.care for help with scheduling

2. Schedule a medical screening or intake visit​

   • ​If you take one or more medications or have one or more medical conditions, we recommend you do a medical screening visit with one of our physicians (NDs) regardless of whom you choose to work with as your facilitator

3. Your practitioner will help you determine the appropriate amount of preparation sessions you need before your administration session​​

   • All sessions up to this point can be covered by insurance, depending on your coverage, and otherwise follows our normal pricing​

4. Your practitioner will schedule and invoice you separately for your psilocybin administration session at a partnering service center​

   • There is a fee that covers the facilitation and facility, and a cash-only payment on the day of your session to purchase the mushrooms themselves, these costs are never covered by insurance​

5. Schedule your integration session(s) at Synaptic Institute​

   • These sessions are typically one to seven days after your psilocybin administration session​

   • They can be covered by insurance

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Other Notes and Policies: Though the state only requires a minimum of one preparation visit, our policy is a minimum of two, though we often encourage, and practitioners might individually require, more than two before proceeding. We encourage, but do not require, that clients plan to do two psilocybin sessions for the best results. Integration is the process of embodying change that comes from these experiences, thus we encourage additional sessions if not with us, than your usual psychotherapist.

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The Nuance

If you are a nerd that likes to understand why things are the way they are, we offer the following explanations, but do not worry about needing to know the following information. Your practitioner will be able to answer any questions you may have.

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Terminology: "Services", "Facilitation", and "Therapy"

Oregon Psilocybin Services is considered an adult use program, meaning that it does not require a medical diagnosis to participate and is not regulated as a treatment/therapy for a condition. Thus, throughout the law and the administrative rules you will find the term services rather than treatment or therapy. However, data is showing that a clear majority of people are using these services as treatment for conditions like depression, anxiety, trauma, obsessive-compulsive disorder, chronic pain, and the like. This is perfectly acceptable so long as professionals involved adhere to their scope of practice.

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A scope of practice is what a certain type of professional is legally allowed to do according to the agency that regulates that profession within a given state. An Oregon psilocybin facilitator does not have the scope to diagnose or treat any condition. To become a licensed facilitator the state only requires (1) being 21 years of age or older, (2) passing a criminal background check, (3) a high school diploma, and (4) completion of an approved facilitator training program consisting of a minimum 160 hours. While there are many talented, knowledgeable, and experienced facilitators out there, the minimum requirement to become one is a rather low bar, and may be insufficient especially for those with more serious conditions.

 

Synaptic Institute only works with facilitators that are dual licensed as healthcare professionals who are able to diagnose and treat conditions.

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"Service Centers" Rather Than Clinics

The only place a psilocybin session is legally allowed to take place is at a licensed "service center". The law states in ORS 475A.305 (b) "A psilocybin service center is not a health care facility subject to ORS chapter 441." The Oregon Health Authority has interpreted this to mean that a clinic cannot also be a psilocybin service center, thus Synaptic Institute is not able to be the site of the actual psilocybin sessions, unfortunately. This is also complicated in our case by holding a DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) license to store controlled substances at our clinic which is necessary to provide ketamine therapy, and being a 501(c)3 non-profit. Because psilocybin is still a Schedule I substance according to the federal government, we would jeopardize our DEA license and our non-profit status which is regulated by the IRS (Internal Revenue Service). So until psilocybin gets rescheduled and/or the law in Oregon changes, we will have the present system in place.

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Differentiating Preparation/Integration from Administration Sessions

 In 2025, HB 2387 amended the program, and among other things, clarified that dual licensed practitioners can use any scope of practice they may have under another licensing board during preparation and integration sessions. However, it did not change the prohibition on the use of other scopes of practice during a psilocybin administration session. For this reason and because administration sessions must happen at a licensed service center, this service requires a self-referral and partnership. What does that mean? It means that you can see a dual licensed practitioner at Synaptic for your screening, preparation, and integration sessions where that practitioner can use their full scope of practice as a physician, psychotherapist, etc. and bill insurance for these visits. For the psilocybin administration visits themselves you will work with the same practitioner, but they are limited to being only a facilitator at those visits which will take place at a partnering service center. These are technically seperate businesses and thus payments must also be seperated for these respective visits, but don't worry we make this as easy as possible for you.