Cybin Inc. (NEO:CYBN | NYSE American:CYBN), a biopharmaceutical company focused on progressing “Psychedelics to Therapeutics®”, today announced the graduation of highly-skilled facilitators from its EMBARK Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy Training Program.
EMBARK is a leading-edge model of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy co-developed by Alex Belser, Ph.D., and Bill Brennan, Ph.D. The EMBARK model is currently being implemented in two clinical-stage trials, including Cybin’s Phase 1/2a trial evaluating the Company’s investigational deuterated psilocybin analog, CYB003, designed to be a faster-acting, shorter duration treatment for major depressive disorder (“MDD”).
“The support of these well-trained facilitators is integral to the ultimate success of Cybin’s CYB003 program. We expect the combination of EMBARK, together with the advantages of our CYB003 psilocybin analog over classic psilocybin, will ultimately lead to improved treatment options for patients suffering from MDD.”
Doug Drysdale, Chief Executive Officer of Cybin
EMBARK provides six clinical domains (Existential-Spiritual, Mindfulness, Body Aware, Affective-Cognitive, Relational, and Keeping Momentum). Additionally, EMBARK is built upon four care cornerstones: trauma-informed care, culturally informed care, ethically rigorous care, and collective care. Cybin launched the EMBARK Psychedelic Facilitator Training Program for study facilitators in October 2021. The program offers facilitators the foundational training needed to provide skillful and ethical care to work with psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy participants. The curriculum prepares facilitators for a range of experiences that may arise for participants in each domain and to ground their work in each care cornerstone. EMBARK has been described in a recent publication in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Psychology.
“There is a bottleneck of training in the field and a shortage of clinicians prepared to do this important work, and we are therefore pleased to provide high-quality training for psychedelic treatment. It’s inspiring to see the skill, compassion, and integrity these clinicians bring to their work with patients,” said Dr. Alex Belser, Cybin’s Chief Clinical Officer. “Importantly, these highly skilled EMBARK facilitators will play a critical role in Cybin’s CYB003 Phase 1/2a trial. We congratulate the graduates on completing the EMBARK training.”
As part of the training towards certification, facilitators completed 75 hours of curriculum on the EMBARK model, as well as training on clinical trial conduct. In addition, facilitators participate in peer consultation groups and will receive ongoing clinical supervision from members of EMBARK’s esteemed faculty experienced in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. For more information on the EMBARK program, including information on the EMBARK Faculty, please click here.
“The EMBARK training program integrates best practices in both the delivery of the information and the content provided. The depth and breadth of what is covered is unparalleled with any other training that I have done over the last 25 years. The authors of the manual created a program that offers a strong practice model, not just for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, but for psychotherapy in general. I feel grateful to have completed the training and know that it will be a foundation that helps to guide all aspects of my practice going forward,” said Nina Lerner, LCSW, EMBARK Facilitator Graduate.
Recruitment is currently ongoing for the CYB003 Phase 1/2a trial at Clinilabs in Eatontown, New Jersey, Cybin’s clinical research organization. EMBARK facilitators are actively supporting clinical trial participants with preparation, medicine, and integration sessions during their study participation. For more information on Cybin’s Phase 1/2a trial of CYB003 for the treatment of MDD, please click here.
About Cybin
Cybin is a leading ethical biopharmaceutical company, working with a network of world-class partners and internationally recognized scientists, on a mission to create safe and effective therapeutics for patients to address a multitude of mental health issues. Headquartered in Canada and founded in 2019, Cybin is operational in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Ireland. The Company is focused on progressing Psychedelics to Therapeutics by engineering proprietary drug discovery platforms, innovative drug delivery systems, novel formulation approaches and treatment regimens for mental health disorders.