Group Ketamine Therapy

Most ketamine-assisted therapy in Canada is delivered in an individual format. The published exception — and Canada's most established group KAT model — is Roots to Thrive in Nanaimo, BC, in partnership with Vancouver Island University and the Snuneymuxw Community Wellness Centre. Roots to Thrive runs 12-week cohorts integrating three IM or sublingual ketamine sessions with weekly community-of-practice group work, somatic and trauma-informed integration, and Indigenous wellness contributions. The model has now been published in peer-reviewed clinical-protocol form (Dames et al., Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2025) and has reported safety and tolerability data from hundreds of participants and thousands of KAP sessions. ATMA CENA's corporate clinics deliver KAT in an individual format; group integration sessions are offered at some member clinics (Mississauga's Port Credit Therapy Centre lists "Group Integration Sessions" alongside individual KAT). This article explains how group KAT works, when it fits a patient versus individual format, and where ATMA CENA sits in the landscape.

Key takeaways

• Roots to Thrive in Nanaimo BC is Canada's leading published group KAT model — 12-week cohort with 3 IM or SL ketamine sessions, weekly community-of-practice groups, and Indigenous wellness integration through the Snuneymuxw Community Wellness Centre partnership.
• The published clinical protocol (Dames et al., Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2025) and safety/tolerability data (Tsang et al., European Psychiatry, 2023) document the program's structure and outcomes across 750+ participants and 2,000+ KAP sessions.
• Group cost: approximately CAD $5,850 + GST for the 12-week program. Individual track at Roots to Thrive: $7,500 + tax for a 6-week, 3-session program.
• ATMA CENA's corporate clinics deliver individual-format KAT; group integration sessions appear at some ATMA CENA member clinics (e.g., Port Credit Therapy Centre, Mississauga).
• Group format trades privacy and individualized clinical attention for community connection, peer integration, and lower per-session cost.
• Group is generally not appropriate for patients with severe interpersonal trauma, active psychotic or bipolar disorders, or borderline personality disorder with marked instability — individual format is safer in those cases.

What is group ketamine-assisted therapy?

Group ketamine-assisted therapy delivers ketamine dosing within a cohort structure where multiple participants share preparation, integration, or — in the Roots to Thrive model — also the dosing experience itself. The group is not just a billing convenience; it is the therapeutic container. Community-of-practice work, peer process, and shared integration are part of the mechanism, not adjacent to it.

Two distinct group formats exist:

1. Group dosing + group integration (Roots to Thrive model). Participants are dosed in a shared room, supported by a multi-disciplinary facilitation team, with subgroup process work and community sessions across the cohort.
2. Individual dosing + group integration (some ATMA CENA member clinics, Sage Integrative Health in California). Patients receive ketamine in private dosing sessions but join group integration circles for post-medicine processing.

Both models trade off some privacy for community connection and (in Roots to Thrive's model) substantial cost savings versus individual KAT.

For background on the broader KAP framework, see What Is Ketamine Therapy?.

Roots to Thrive — Canada's leading published group KAT model

Published evidence

Dames S, Kryskow P, Tsang VWL, Argento E (2025). A clinical protocol for group-based ketamine-assisted therapy in a community of practice: the Roots To Thrive model. Frontiers in Psychiatry 16:1568017. Frontiers in Psychiatry full text. The published clinical protocol describes the program structure, facilitation model, screening, and integration framework.

Tsang VWL, Tao B, Dames S, Walsh Z, Kryskow P (2023). Safety and Tolerability of Intramuscular and Sublingual Ketamine for Psychiatric Treatment in the Roots to Thrive Ketamine-Assisted Therapy Program. European Psychiatry 66(Suppl 1):S605–S606. PMC. Reported safety/tolerability data: temporary blood-pressure elevations (~12% increase, all reversible); nausea in <13% of sessions; no serious adverse events documented across the data set.

The honest evidence picture: Roots to Thrive's program structure and safety profile are now in the peer-reviewed literature, which is unusual for a group KAT model. Long-term efficacy data and randomized comparators against individual KAT remain research-stage.

Group dynamics — what works and what is harder in group format

What group format adds

• Peer normalization. Many patients feel less alone in their experience when they are with others working through similar struggles.
• Community of practice. Skills practice — relating, regulating, sense-making — happens in a real social field rather than in 1:1 isolation.
• Witness and integration. Sharing experiences in structured group can deepen insight and reduce stigma.
• Cost reduction. Group format is typically substantially less expensive per session than individual.

What is harder in group format

• Privacy. Multiple patients in one room during dosing means others see your acute experience.
• Heterogeneity of experience. One participant's distress can affect others; experienced facilitation matters.
• Individualized clinical attention. Even with strong facilitator-to-participant ratios, clinical attention is less granular than 1:1.
• Complex trauma. Severe interpersonal trauma can be re-traumatizing in group; individual format is often safer.
• Comorbid conditions. Active psychosis, active mania, severe substance use, or borderline personality disorder with marked instability are generally exclusions for group format.

The screening conversation matters. Roots to Thrive's intake assesses readiness for group format; not every clinically eligible KAT patient is a group fit.

Where ATMA CENA fits

ATMA CENA's corporate clinics in Edmonton and Calgary deliver KAT in an individual format — preparation, dosing, and integration in a 1:1 (patient + therapist + medical clinician) structure. The clinical model emphasizes individualized pacing, dose titration, and trauma-sensitive privacy.

That said, group integration sessions are offered at some ATMA CENA member clinics. Port Credit Therapy Centre in Mississauga lists "Group Integration Sessions" alongside individual KAT in its published services. ATMA CENA's coordinated care model can also support patients who do their dosing through the network and their integration through a community group elsewhere.

For patients specifically interested in the Roots to Thrive group model, the practical pathway is:

• The ATMA CENA intake call discusses whether group or individual format fits your indication and screening profile.
• For BC-located patients, Roots to Thrive in Nanaimo is the most published option. ATMA CENA can support coordination via coordinated care where appropriate.
• For non-BC patients, ATMA CENA's individual KAT plus group integration at member clinics is the closest analog.

For BC-area context, see Ketamine Therapy in Victoria BC (which discusses Roots to Thrive accessibility from Victoria).

When group fits versus when individual is safer

The honest framing: group format is an excellent fit for some patients and a poor fit for others. This is a screening conversation at intake, not a marketing question.

Cost comparison

The financial differential is meaningful. For patients who screen as group-appropriate, the cost reduction can make a multi-session course accessible that an individual course would not be. For full pricing context, see Ketamine Therapy Cost in Canada.

Frequently asked questions

What is group ketamine-assisted therapy? A treatment model where ketamine dosing happens within a cohort structure, with shared preparation, dosing, or integration. Roots to Thrive in Nanaimo BC is Canada's leading published group dosing model; some ATMA CENA member clinics offer group integration alongside individual dosing.

Where can I do group ketamine therapy in Canada? Roots to Thrive in Nanaimo BC is the most established published Canadian program. Some ATMA CENA member clinics offer group integration sessions alongside individual dosing.

What does Roots to Thrive cost? Approximately CAD $5,850 + GST for the 12-week group cohort program; CAD $7,500 + tax for the 6-week individual track.

Does ATMA CENA offer group ketamine therapy? ATMA CENA's corporate clinics in Edmonton and Calgary deliver KAT in an individual format. Group integration sessions are offered at some member clinics, including Port Credit Therapy Centre in Mississauga.

Is group format as effective as individual? Roots to Thrive's published clinical protocol and safety data document outcomes consistent with KAP literature broadly. Randomized head-to-head trials of group versus individual KAT do not exist at scale yet. The honest answer: both formats can work; the right fit depends on screening, indication, and patient preference.

Who is not a candidate for group KAT? Generally: patients with severe interpersonal trauma, active psychosis, active mania or recent hypomania, borderline personality disorder with marked instability, active substance use disorder, recent severe trauma disclosure, active suicidality, or complex medical comorbidities requiring close monitoring. Individual format is safer in these cases.

Do I see other people while I'm dosing? In Roots to Thrive's group dosing model, yes — participants share the dosing space with subgroup support. In group integration models (some ATMA CENA member clinics, Sage Integrative Health), dosing is private and only integration is in group format.

What's "community of practice"? A 12-week cohort framework — weekly large-group and small-group sessions structured around themes — where participants build relational and integration skills together over the program arc. Roots to Thrive's clinical protocol describes this as central to the therapeutic mechanism.

Is Indigenous wellness integration relevant only to Indigenous participants? The Snuneymuxw Community Wellness Centre partnership and Elder involvement at Roots to Thrive serves all cohort participants. The Indigenous Reconciliation Fund specifically supports First Nations cohort participation.

Can I drive home after a group session? No. The 24-hour no-driving rule applies regardless of group or individual format. Arrange a designated driver, rideshare, or transit.

What if I'm in BC and interested in group KAT? Roots to Thrive in Nanaimo is the practical option (~115 km from Victoria via BC-1; ferry-accessible from Vancouver). The ATMA CENA intake call can help orient you to the screening, registration, and (where appropriate) coordinated care coordination. See Ketamine Therapy in Victoria BC.

Sources

1. ATMA CENA — coordinated care: https://psychedelic.healthcare/find-care
2. Roots to Thrive: https://rootstothrive.com/
3. Dames S, Kryskow P, Tsang VWL, Argento E (2025). A clinical protocol for group-based ketamine-assisted therapy in a community of practice: the Roots To Thrive model. Front Psychiatry. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1568017/full
4. Tsang VWL, et al. (2023). Safety and Tolerability of IM and SL Ketamine in the Roots to Thrive Program. Eur Psychiatry. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10660891/
5. Vancouver Island University — Roots to Thrive partnership: https://giving.viu.ca/roots-thrive
6. Indigenous Reconciliation Fund — Snuneymuxw / Roots to Thrive: https://irfund.ca/en/snuneymuxw-first-nation-collaboration-and-reconciliation-with-roots-to-thrive-program/
7. Port Credit Therapy Centre (ATMA CENA member clinic): https://psychedelic.healthcare/
8. Sage Integrative Health — Ketamine-Assisted Therapy Integration Circles: https://sageintegrativeherapy.org/ketamine-assisted-therapy
9. Swainson J, et al. (2021). CANMAT racemic ketamine task force recommendations. Can J Psychiatry. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33174760/
10. Society for Psychotherapy — Best Practices in Psychedelic-Assisted Group Psychotherapy: https://societyforpsychotherapy.org/best-practices-in-psychedelic-assisted-group-psychotherapy/

Related articles in this cluster

• Ketamine Therapy in Canada
• What Is Ketamine Therapy?
• Ketamine Infusion Therapy
• Intravenous Ketamine Therapy
• Intranasal Ketamine and Spravato
• Ketamine Therapy Side Effects
• Ketamine Therapy in Victoria BC
• Ketamine Therapy in Mississauga
• Ketamine Therapy Cost in Canada
• Find care near you

Last updated: 2026-05-06