The Transcend KAP Therapist Belt Ranking System: A Journey of Mastery

The Transcend KAP Therapist Belt Ranking System: A Journey of Mastery

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You might notice if you read through our therapist bios, we developed a ranking system for Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapists. Our belt ranking system is designed to acknowledge the progression and achievements of our therapists as they refine their skills, develop their styles, and make significant contributions to the psychedelic medicine industry. Our belt system was inspired by the JiuJitsu belt ranking system. 

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Here’s a breakdown of what each belt represents:

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White Belt: “Welcome to the Team”

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A white belt KAP therapist, has been trained in the basics of KAP and is now ready to start seeing patients. This initial stage is all about embracing the challenges and learning from every experience. Over the next year or two, you will face various situations that will help you build a solid foundation in KAP therapy. Remember, the journey will be tough, but it’s all part of the process. It isn't easy to get a white belt at Transcend, we don't hand them out to just anyone, most won't make the cut. 

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Blue Belt: Mastered the basics

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Achieving the blue belt signifies that you have generally mastered the fundamentals of KAP.  You are now highly effective in using all the skills we have trained you on. At this stage, you are not only capable of handling average cases but also special cases with a very good chance of success. If you received a blue belt from Transcend, it's official you are one of the best KAP therapists in the industry! 

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Purple Belt: Developing your own style

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A purple belt has moved beyond mastering the basics and has started to create their own KAP therapeutic style. They have developed specialties and are known for taking care of certain types of hard to treat diagnoses that others would find extremely challenging. 

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Brown Belt: Coming into your own

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Reaching the brown belt level means you have truly come into your own as a therapist. You now possess multiple therapeutic styles and can seamlessly switch between them based on the needs of the moment. Your versatility and adaptability are key strengths, allowing you to provide exceptional care in a variety of situations.

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Black Belt: Mastery and intuition

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“How long does it take the average therapist to become a KAP black belt? The average therapists never will”

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Attaining the black belt is a testament to your dedication and expertise. With over 10,000 hours of experience, you have developed something they call in JiuJitsu “Invisible JiuJitsu”, characterized by a high level of intuition and precognition. You can identify patterns before they emerge and anticipate patient needs before they become apparent. Your ability to provide timely and effective interventions is a hallmark of your mastery. Only another black belt can recognize if a therapist has developed “invisible JiuJitsu”, so only a black belt can award a black belt. 

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Only 3 therapists have reached this level of mastery so far!

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-Paul Daanen PsyD - Transcend's first KAP therapist and one of the founders, and previous Director Of Psychotherapy, Paul left Transcend in 2023 to focus on family but before he retired from KAP he trained 7 therapists in his conceptualization of KAP. We will be forever grateful for Paul's service to Transcend and its patients! 

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-Anna Campbell LPC - Anna developed Invisible Jiu Jitsu after 2 years of KAP experience, but we held out until 4 years experience to award her a black belt.  

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-Courtney Traber LPC- Courtney has spent more time in a KAP room than most KAP therapists ever will. She is our current Director of Psychotherapy and is now focused on mentorship of our new therapists. She recently belted Emily Satel LPC-A (blue belt), earning her her first stripe as a black belt. 

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Stripes: Recognizing Achievements

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White through Brown Belts: Stripes are awarded for lives saved, defined as bringing a patient from levels of distress equivalent to or higher than to the inpatient mean with suicidal ideation to subclinical levels of distress on the OQ.45 via KAP therapy. 

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Black Belts: There is no doubt as a black belt if you are a lifesaver, these therapists have proven this for years at this point. So black belts don't get stripes for lives saved anymore. Black belts are awarded for training other therapists (each belt they give to another therapist), mastering new psychedelic therapy modalities (such as MDMA or psilocybin), and creating new therapeutic innovations. 

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The Transcend KAP Therapist Belt Ranking System not only acknowledges progress but also encourages continuous growth and excellence in patient care. We hope this system is adapted more broadly in the psychedelic therapy industry.