WHAT IS KAP? | Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, TELOS

Meet Our Provider Scott Ross

(Not taking new clients until 2023)

Ketamine opens a door, one that talk therapy, spiritual and meditative practices, peak athletic performance, and immersive experiences in the natural world can open up, but often don’t. It’s not that any of these routes are lacking, but rather that intensive trainings can help in breaking through to more expansive states of consciousness in ways that more gradual practices less reliably do. Ketamine is one of those intensive trainings in consciousness expansion. It opens the door to face our grief, to fully love ourselves and others, to connect to the Whole Thing, to fully embrace and to fully let go.
What I offer as a practitioner of Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy is someone to compassionately hold space for you so that you can be completely honest and vulnerable with yourself. There are no taboos in the space I hold, no too much, or too weird. Engaging in this work is an opportunity to step outside of these cultural reinforcement mechanisms and to really find out who you are and how you want to live. I am responsive but not directive in my approach. This is your journey, and collaborating with me is collaborating with a travel companion who has spent quite a bit of time on these particular paths and learned to navigate them well. For some this is holding hands through the deepest darkest parts of the forest. For others it’s operating as “ground control” so that Major Tom can navigate space with the assurance that all is ok back on planet earth. People have different strengths and vulnerabilities, and in my work I seek to meet each person where they’re at and support them where support is needed. An integral part of this support is both offering intimate therapeutic connection and healthy interpersonal boundaries, and it is my priority to offer both of these well to my clients.

I’ve now offered over 150 ketamine-assisted psychotherapy sessions, and I feel honored to have been able to come alongside so many courageous individuals who have chosen to more deeply discover who it is they really are.

My training and interests include Jungian psychology, transpersonal therapy, Internal Family Systems, process-oriented psychology, relational psychoanalysis, existential therapy, and contemplative/mystical traditions. My degree is in mental health counseling, and I am also certified in chemical dependency counseling.

Meet our Medical Team

Rafael Gonzalez-Vizoso, MD

Dr. Gonzalez-Vizoso started his education at Brooklyn College where he earned his BA in chemistry while fulfilling his pre-med requirements, graduating Cum Laude. He completed his medical school education at Harvard Medical School where he also did a year of research in Tropical Medicine.

His internship was done at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, a Tufts University Medical School affiliated program, and his residency in Emergency Medicine at Boston Medical Center, a Boston University Medical School affiliated program.

He has been board certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine since 1996. He has been practicing Emergency Medicine in multiple settings -anywhere from Level 2 Trauma Centers in urban settings to small to medium rural hospitals- since his graduation from residency in 1994. He is currently the Medical Director for Emergency Services at a critical care access rural hospital in Eastern Washington. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Lightshine, a non profit organization dealing with the care of orphans -specifically in the setting of attachment disorder-, and has traveled extensively on behalf of this organization through Central and South America.

After arriving in Seattle in 1996, he taught Introduction to Clinical Medicine at the University of Washington Medical School as a clinical instructor for 5 years. He also engaged in outcomes research as the medical director of Health Research Associates, Inc. where he co-authored papers, wrote grants and lead studies for 10 years. For the past 18 months, he has been interested in Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy and has undergone all the appropriate training with The Ketamine Training Center, headed by Dr. Phil Wolfson, a leading authority on ketamine assisted psychotherapy (KAP) and has become certified in this treatment modality.

Dr. Gonzalez-Vizoso’s interest in KAP was sparked by the dearth of options available for mental health patients in crisis as well as people with addiction disorders. This induced him to delve into the latest research in the use of psychedelics for mental illnesses. He has used ketamine as an anesthetic in the emergency medicine setting as aid for painful procedures and rapid sequence intubation for over 25 years and is very familiar with the use and safety profile of ketamine. During his training for KAP, Dr. Gonzalez-Vizoso experienced firsthand the amazing effects of ketamine. In association with veteran, ketamine trained psychotherapists, he has become increasingly active in the field of applying psychedelics in the setting of mental illnesses and hopes to continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Besides his interests in medicine, Dr. Gonzalez-Vizoso holds two black belts in two different styles of martial arts, is an avid free diver and spearfisherman as well as an avid cyclist. He is an amateur historian and has serious spiritual and religious pursuits. He also writes poetry but is too afraid to show it to anyone yet.

If you are interested in future trainings or participating in KAT when alternative options become available you can send inquiries to scott.ross@salishseacounseling.com