Held.
A Ketamine Assisted Therapy Retreat for Women
"You are allowed to need something. You are allowed to receive it.
**Founding Retreat to be announced soon**
What Held is
Held is a single-day ketamine-assisted psychotherapy retreat for mothers experiencing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders — depression, anxiety, grief, or trauma connected to the perinatal period.
It is therapeutically structured, medically supervised, and held within a small group of women who understand something about what you've been living. You will not be alone in this. You will be witnessed. And the medicine — both the ketamine and the connection — will be part of how you heal.
Who Held Is For
Held is for mothers. All of them.
You do not need to be in the postpartum period, have a specific diagnosis, or be in crisis to participate. If you consider yourself a mother — whether your child is a newborn or a teenager, whether your path to motherhood was straightforward or complicated, whether you are thriving in most areas and struggling in one — you are welcome here.
Depression, anxiety, grief, overwhelm, burnout, relational stress, identity disruption, the feeling that something in you needs tending and you haven't found the right support yet — all of it belongs here.
You may be a good fit if you:
Consider yourself a mother, in any season of motherhood
Are experiencing depression, anxiety, grief, overwhelm, or general emotional difficulty
Feel like you've been carrying something heavy — with or without a name for it
Are medically stable and able to participate in a full-day program
Feel ready to be in a small group of women — willing to be present, willing to be seen
A medical evaluation with our supervising physician is required before participation. The ketamine portion does require a qualifying diagnosis — this does not need to be anything complicated or specifically maternal. Standard depression, anxiety, and adjustment diagnoses are appropriate. If you're not sure whether you qualify, reach out. The answer is often yes.
How it Works
Before, During, and After
Held is not just one day. It is a three-part process designed to make the medicine session as safe and as meaningful as possible — and to make sure what opens during the day has somewhere to land afterward.
Preparation Session — approx. one week before
The Held cohort meets together before the retreat day. This group session is for building connection with the other women, setting intentions for the medicine session, and making sure everyone feels prepared and held going in. You won't walk into the retreat not knowing anyone — you'll arrive already part of something.
The Retreat Day
Morning — arriving, settling, and group connection: finding your footing with the other women in the room
Midday — the medicine session: ketamine administered in a safe, medically supervised setting, with Olivia, another therapist and medical doctor present throughout
Afternoon — rest, integration support, and gentle processing: no performing, no rushing, just space
Integration Session — approx. one week after
The medicine session opens something. The group integration session is where you come back together to make meaning of it — with the same women who were in the room with you. Processing alongside people who shared the experience is one of the most powerful parts of the Held arc. This is where a lot of the lasting change actually happens.
For FAQs about Ketamine go the Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy Page
For Referring Providers
Held was designed with referral partnerships in mind. If you are working with a postpartum or early-parenthood client who has not achieved sufficient relief through therapy or medication alone, Held may be an appropriate next step or adjunct to your existing care.
Appropriate referrals include clients who:
Are experiencing depression, anxiety, grief, adjustment disorder, relational stress, or general mood disruption in the postpartum period or early years of parenthood
Carry a qualifying diagnosis — this does not need to be a perinatal-specific diagnosis; standard mood and anxiety diagnoses are appropriate
Are medically stable with no active psychosis, mania, or uncontrolled substance use
Have engaged in some prior therapeutic or psychiatric treatment
Express interest in or openness to an experiential or medicine-assisted approach
A note on diagnosis: Held is intentionally accessible. Clients do not need a formal PMAD diagnosis to participate. Depression, generalized anxiety, adjustment disorder, and related presentations are all appropriate. If you are unsure whether a client qualifies, please reach out directly — Olivia is happy to consult before a formal referral.
For Referring Providers
Clinical Team:
Therapist: Olivia Mackley, MA, LMFT, PMH-C
A second clinically licensed Mental Health Therapist
Supervising Physician: Dr. Shawn Olson, MD, MPH, DipABLM, FAIHM
Setting: Catalyst Insight Collective, Saint Anthony, MN
To refer a client or request more information:
olivia@catalystinsightcollective.com
A professional referral one-pager is available upon request
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Whether you want to learn more, find out when the next program is scheduled, or you already know this is for you and just want to get on the list — reach out. There's no wrong way to start the conversation.
