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A Missing Voice? Peer Support Workers' Perceptions of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in Australia: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Aloysius Amos Lau, Shalini Arunogiri, Boen Raner-Galutera, Siegfried Lichtwark, Sarah J Catchlove

Brain and Behavior June 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.71521 (opens in new tab)

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AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Mixed methods design with cross-sectional survey and semi-structured interviews Qualitative Peer reviewed
Population Peer Support Workers in mental health and substance use treatment
Topics Psychedelic-assisted therapy
Keywords Attitudes Mental health Peer support Psychedelic‐assisted therapy Substance use disorders
Citations 1
Key findings Peer Support Workers express strong support for psychedelic-assisted therapy and willingness to recommend it, but have concerns about client safety, psychoeducation, stigma, and accessibility.

Abstract

Peer Support Workers (PSWs) in mental health and substance use treatment draw on their lived experience (LE) to support clients through mutual understanding and trust. Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is emerging as a mental health and substance use treatment modality. As interest grows, understanding PSWs' perspectives on PAT is critical to inform safe and effective implementation, and the potential role PSWs can play in models of care. This study examined factors shaping PSWs' perspectives toward PAT and perceived barriers to its adoption and implementation. A mixed methods design was employed. A cross-sectional survey informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) captured PSWs' perceptions of PAT and potential barriers to its use. This was followed by semi-structured interviews with five survey participants. Interview transcripts were analyzed to provide a qualitative description and identify topics and patterns to enrich and contextualize the survey findings. Survey responses indicated strong PSW support for PAT, with most participants expressing willingness to recommend it to clients. Qualitative findings expanded on this interest, highlighting concerns around client safety, psychoeducation, stigma, and accessibility. The qualitative description of interview results identified key influences on PSWs' attitudes toward PAT, complementing survey results and aligning with existing literature.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on psychedelic-assisted therapy, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Patients’ Accounts of Increased “Connectedness” and “Acceptance” After Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression Patients with treatment-resistant depression enrolled in an open-label trial of psilocybin 2017 Qualitative study n = 20
LSD-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with a life-threatening disease: A qualitative study of acute and sustained subjective effects Patients with anxiety associated with life-threatening diseases 2014 Prospective follow-up with qualitative content analysis n = 10
Patient Experiences of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Adults aged 22 to 69 with clinically elevated anxiety associated with a cancer diagnosis 2017 Qualitative study n = 13
Psychedelic therapy for smoking cessation: Qualitative analysis of participant accounts Participants who completed a psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation pilot study 2018 Qualitative follow-up study using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis n = 12
The hidden therapist: evidence for a central role of music in psychedelic therapy Patients undergoing psychedelic therapy with psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression 2018 Qualitative study n = 19

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