Berkeley University

Data updated June 26, 2026

University of California, Berkeley, United States

UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics (BCSP), founded in September 2020 by a multidisciplinary faculty group including neuroscientist Michael Silver and author Michael Pollan, conducting psilocybin research into cognition, perception, emotion, and their neural bases in the human brain. BCSP's four pillars of basic science, journalism, culture, and community have established it as a leading interdisciplinary hub for psychedelic research and public engagement, producing The Microdose newsletter and a global clinical trials map.

ProfessionalHybridMid costAcademic programmeContinuing educationPsychedelic-assisted therapy trainingFacilitation trainingLicensed cliniciansFacilitatorsResearchersOther

Blossom’s read

BCSP sits at the academic end of the psychedelics field rather than the commercial retreat or coaching end: it is a UC Berkeley research centre with a strong public-education remit, and its training has been aimed mainly at established professionals. Its facilitation work appears well regarded for seriousness, cultural sensitivity and interdisciplinary depth, with notable lineage through UC Berkeley faculty, David Presti, Michael Pollan, and a broader teaching network that includes clinicians and tradition-informed practitioners. The trade-off is that it is not a broad consumer school, and much of its flagship facilitation programme has now concluded as a historical offering rather than an active, open enrolment track.

Who Berkeley University is for

Best for advanced health-care, spiritual-care and mental-health professionals, and for academically minded learners seeking fact-based foundational education. The facilitation training especially suited people already working in clinical, chaplaincy or related roles, rather than complete beginners.

Prerequisites

For the Psychedelic Facilitation Certificate Program, BCSP described the target group as advanced religious, spiritual-care and health-care professionals, including chaplaincy, ministry, medicine, nursing, mental health counselling, psychology, psychiatry and social work, plus some people with traditional plant medicine lineage and community support. The programme FAQ also indicates some practicum routes depended on professional background and licensure expectations, but the sources I found do not give a simple universal entry rule.

Accreditation & recognition

The facilitation certificate was approved as a Psilocybin Facilitator Training Program through the Oregon Health Authority and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission until 2027. I did not find evidence of general university accreditation beyond UC Berkeley’s institutional context, nor CME/CE credit on the sources reviewed.

Cost

For the online course, BCSP offered a free audit option and a paid Verified Track at a reduced price of $85, which included quizzes, extra resources and a verified certificate of completion. For the facilitation programme, BCSP noted that some practicum opportunities were optional and carried an associated cost, and that financial assistance was available to qualified applicants, but I did not find a single published tuition figure on the sources reviewed.

What you walk away with

Learners on the online course receive a verified certificate of completion if they choose the paid track, alongside broad conceptual grounding in the science, history and culture of psychedelics. The facilitation certificate was designed to develop specialised knowledge and professional preparation for psychedelic facilitation, including spiritual care, psychotherapeutic methods, ethics, justice, reciprocity and somatic awareness, with a pathway towards psilocybin-facilitator licensure in Oregon or Colorado via additional practicum hours.

Academic Research

0 papers

Published Papers

Trial Involvement

Distinct Focus Topics

Latest Publication

Unknown

Community Networks & Outreach Snapshot

Organization Model

Not set

Organization Status

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Psychedelic Focus

Not set

Last Verified

Apr 17, 2026

Engagement Channels

Engagement channels not set yet.

Audience Focus

Audience focus not set yet.

Verification

Verified

Jurisdiction

Not set

Coverage

Coverage not set

Verification Notes

Seeded from curated community.xlsx list; requires source-level verification pass. Wave 3 web verification (2026-04-17): detected terms [psychedelic, psychedelics, psilocybin, ayahuasca, ibogaine, mdma, community, collective, network, society] on https://psychedelics.berkeley.edu/.

Primary Community Link

Sources

Official website

https://psychedelics.berkeley.edu/