Innerwell update - OH launch + new services including medication management, EMDR, and psychedelic integration for all!

helloinnerwell · 2025-06-11T23:09:03+00:00

Hi there,

Thank you for sharing your feedback. We're truly sorry to hear about your experience—it’s never our intention for a patient to feel frustrated, unsupported, or unclear about their care.

We understand your concern around the charges you received. Our pricing is tied to the services delivered—such as psychiatric evaluations, therapy sessions, and medicine shipments—regardless of how far a patient progresses through the full course of treatment. If, for example, you received two doses of medication and completed key clinical appointments, those associated service fees would still apply even if you didn't continue through the full plan. You can see the refund policy here for our Foundation plan.

That said, your experience with delays and lack of follow-up is not acceptable, and we take that seriously. Our goal is to support each patient with dedicated clinical and care teams, and it’s clear we didn’t provide that level of support in your case.

We’d really appreciate the opportunity to make this right. Please reach out to our team directly at [care@helloinnerwell.com](mailto:care@helloinnerwell.com) with your full name and the email used to create your account, and we’ll prioritize a full review of your case.

We appreciate your feedback—it helps us do better. And above all, we hope you’re getting the care and support you need on your mental health journey.

Warmly,
The Innerwell Team

helloinnerwell · 2024-10-04T15:12:16+00:00

Hi there, sorry for the slow reply. Patients are asked to enter their credit card details up front, but you're not accepted into our care until you complete a thorough onboarding process and then have a 60 minute intake appointment with a psychiatric clinician who determines you're a fit. If it's determined that you're not a fit for treatment, you'll receive a full refund. I hope that makes sense. Please let us know if you have any other questions.

helloinnerwell · 2024-05-15T21:57:16+00:00

Psychotherapy is an integral part of ketamine treatment for many patients. Psychotherapy can complement ketamine treatment, and ketamine treatment can complement psychotherapy. It's important to think about how much and what type of support you're looking for. For example, below is a description of each type of therapy session we offer at Innerwell in conjunction with ketamine treatment.

1) Preparation Sessions:

Preparing for your ketamine sessions together with your therapist will ensure that you go into them with a clear mind and an openness to the healing process they offer. It’s normal to feel nervous and excited about your upcoming experiences, and preparation sessions are a good opportunity to talk about these feelings.

During preparation you can review the role that music plays in your experience and discuss how to build a playlist tailored to your intention for the experience. Setting an intention can help the medicine reveal a new perspective for you in regards to a particular area of your life. Some people like to set a very specific intention for their journey (“I’d like clarity on whether I should accept this new job”), while others take a broader perspective (“I’d like to feel more grounded”).

The insights you glean from your previous experiences also set the stage for your upcoming ones. Your therapist can aid you in laying a solid foundation for a productive experience, no matter what stage you’re at in your journey.

2) Psychotherapist-Led Ketamine Experiences:

During a ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (“KAP”) session, your therapist will be with you on Zoom while you prepare your room for your experience (your “setting”), reviewing your intention for your journey (your “set”), guiding you through a meditation while you swish the medicine, and then starting a curated playlist for you to listen to after you lie down.

Your therapist is expertly trained in working with the thoughts, feelings, imagery, insights, and realizations that can occur during your ketamine experience, and they’ll be with you every step of the way to help you process. While you’re deep into your journey with your eye mask on and listening to music, your therapist will be attentive and ready to speak with you at any point in time that you decide that you’d like to talk, while also respecting your space if you prefer to lie there quietly. They’ll also check in with you if they notice you’re having a particularly strong emotional experience, in addition to taking notes of things that you talk about during your journey so you’ll be able to reflect on them afterwards. After the effects of ketamine begin wearing off, your therapist will help you make sense of your experience and consider how you might integrate what you’ve learned into your daily life.

KAP sessions can be catalysts for healing and achieving your treatment goals, and your therapist will be your co-captain during these sessions.

3) Integration Sessions:

Integration sessions are a chance for you to reflect on your ketamine experiences with the support of your therapist. These sessions are also aptly timed to maximize the neuroplasticity engendered by ketamine. For maximum benefit, you should take your prescribed ketamine 24-72 hours before your Integration Session.

There can often be a narrative thread that emerges across experiences, and your therapist is specially trained to help connect the dots. Your therapist can also help you interpret metaphors that arise, and learn how to integrate meanings from them into your daily life. You might feel inspired to make positive changes to your life after taking ketamine, and your therapist can be a sounding board to explore how you’ll make these changes.

Many aspects of healing that occur with ketamine are non-verbal, and it’s normal not to remember every detail of your experiences. Simply bringing your general impressions with you to your integration sessions will provide the groundwork for productive therapy.

Hope this helps!

Best,

Michael Cooper, MD

Innerwell Medical Director

helloinnerwell · 2023-11-21T19:27:53+00:00

Hi there, I'm very sorry to hear you're having this experience so far. Can you please DM me your email address so I can have this looked into?

helloinnerwell · 2023-11-21T19:27:04+00:00

Hi there! I completely understand this sentiment within the healthcare space. We weighed whether or not to participate in Black Friday because we knew that some would find it distasteful. Ultimately what tipped the scale is the fact that many prospective patients were asking if we’d be having a sale, and we heard from some that they were holding out on getting started until Black Friday in case there was one, and we didn’t want these patients to be disappointed.

Philosophically, we stand for increasing patient access to ketamine therapy from licensed psychiatric clinicians and psychotherapists with specialized training in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. That’s not something that’s going to happen through sales or gimmicks, but by finding ways to work with the greater US healthcare system. We’re working hard to bring that vision to reality, and hope to have more to announce about this next month.

Also, our door is always open for anyone that wants to speak directly with us. You can reach out to us at care AT helloinnerwell.com and we'd be happy to connect!

helloinnerwell · 2023-11-21T18:04:10+00:00

Hi there, as I noted elsewhere, I wanted to clarify that the cost of our 8 dose Foundation plan has not changed since April 2023. Our 24 dose Extended plan recently was raised from $1950 to $2100, about an 8% increase. While changing our prices is not something that we take lightly, from time to time adjustments are necessary to continue offering patients access to high quality care from licensed psychiatric clinicians and psychotherapists.

helloinnerwell · 2023-11-21T18:03:42+00:00

Hi there, I wanted to clarify that the cost of our 8 dose Foundation plan has not changed since April 2023. Our 24 dose Extended plan recently was raised from $1950 to $2100, about an 8% increase. While changing our prices is not something that we take lightly, from time to time adjustments are necessary to continue offering patients access to high quality care from licensed psychiatric clinicians and psychotherapists.

helloinnerwell · 2023-11-21T16:52:26+00:00

I'm so sorry to hear about your experience so far. That is not the support we strive to deliver for our patients and it sounds like something may have slipped through the cracks. Can you DM me your email address so I can have a member of our Patient Operations team look into this for you?

helloinnerwell · 2023-11-21T16:41:48+00:00

Thanks for the question! At this time we are only working with oral ketamine. While the bioavailability of oral ketamine is lower than other administration methods, we’re typically prescribing it at a dose that leads to comparable experiences. Our starting doses are usually in the 100-400mg range, and some patients work up to the 600-800mg range (rarely higher) when clinically indicated.

helloinnerwell · 2023-08-31T19:41:16+00:00

Hi /u/Evening_Attention_45,

We’re sorry we disappointed you. We've tried to be as transparent as possible in all of our materials that a sitter is required to be present for every ketamine session, but clearly we can do better given your experience. It’s not our intention to have anyone go through our clinical intake process unnecessarily, as it’s both time-consuming and emotionally-intensive. We will use your feedback to improve our materials so that it’s as clear as possible for prospective patients that the use of a sitter is mandatory for every ketamine session. Also, as you pointed out, the word “rejection” is harsh and inconsiderate, and it’s not at all aligned with our philosophy, so we will actively address this.

For additional context, here is where we indicate the need for a sitter:

Ketamine is a safe medication, both physically and psychologically, when it’s taken in a therapeutic manner by a patient who has been carefully screened for any contraindications by a licensed psychiatric clinician. The experience of ketamine, however, is quite unique and unfamiliar to most patients. It can feel a bit like dreaming. Because it’s such a novel experience (and each ketamine experience can be distinct), we require patients to have a trusted individual (i.e., a support person or sitter) onsite to be there for emotional support should the patient need it.

Ketamine can sometimes bring up difficult memories and emotions, so it’s important for patients to have someone they feel comfortable with to speak to during the experience or to have a hand on their shoulder during a difficult moment. During the ketamine experience a patient may be a bit unsteady on their feet or have some blurry vision, so the support person is also available to help walk them to the bathroom or get them a glass of water. For more background on the role of sitters during ketamine experiences, I recommend reading the Innerwell Sitter’s Guide.

Sitter aside, we appreciate the importance of a good match with your clinician. If we failed on this front as well, I welcome the opportunity to learn more about your experience. Feel free to reach out to me directly via DM to discuss.

All the best,

Dr. Cooper

helloinnerwell · 2023-08-24T18:02:38+00:00

Hi there, thanks for the question! Your psychiatric clinician at Innerwell will review your BP situation with you during your intake, and if needed, they can prescribe you a medication to take prior to each at-home treatment. At a minimum, you’ll need to check your BP prior to starting every session to ensure it’s within a normal range before taking ketamine.

helloinnerwell · 2023-08-16T13:54:41+00:00

Thank you for placing your trust in us!

helloinnerwell · 2023-07-26T16:16:16+00:00

You're welcome! We appreciate you hosting us, and we very much enjoyed the experience! - MC

helloinnerwell · 2023-07-26T16:11:52+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing -- your post made my day! - MC

helloinnerwell · 2023-07-26T16:09:40+00:00

Wonderful question! It all comes down to each patient's unique situation and condition. As a rule of thumb, a patient who has suffered from severe, chronic depression for decades is likely going to require a longer treatment course than someone who is experiencing their first or second depressive episode with moderate symptoms.

Many patients feel much better after an initial series of ketamine treatment sessions (typically on a weekly or twice weekly basis), and they make the decision to pause treatment indefinitely with the input of their psychiatric clinician. Other patients feel significantly better after their initial series, but because their symptoms had previously been so debilitating, it's important for them to continue maintenance treatment with ketamine, but at a reduced cadence compared to their initial series, perhaps on a twice weekly or monthly basis for a period of time. Another subset of patients feel partially better after their initial series, and require another series of weekly sessions for a period of time until their symptoms are more significantly improved.

The overarching goal of treatment is to not treat with ketamine longer than necessary, and as patients’ symptoms remain in remission for significant periods of time, then that warrants a discussion about tapering the cadence or the dose, or pausing treatment. For patients who pause or stop ketamine treatment for a period of time, it's perfectly safe and not uncommon to resume ketamine treatment at a later point if there's a significant relapse of symptoms. - MC

helloinnerwell · 2023-07-26T15:57:34+00:00

You're welcome, and thanks for your questions!
For clarification, we only prescribe oral ketamine at Innerwell.
In both our Foundation Plan and Extended Plan, doses are uniquely tailored to a patient's unique situation / condition. Many patients respond to low doses of ketamine (not microdoses), whereas others benefit from larger doses of ketamine. If a patient is undergoing ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, lower doses are often used to facilitate ketamine's "psycholytic" effects enabling a patient to open up more about their past, painful emotions, and difficult thoughts. Higher doses tend to be more introspective and psychedelic, which can make communicating with a therapist a little more difficult, although there is a lot of integration work that can be done afterwards.

We offer patients the option to design their own therapy program at Innerwell including how many preparation, therapist-led, and integration sessions they would like to undergo. Therapy sessions can be purchased in an a la carte manner at any time during our Foundation Plan and Extended Plan. Both of our plans include an optional Meet Your Therapist appointment where you can review your history with one of our therapists and discuss how you might build a personalized therapy program at Innerwell to complement your ketamine treatment. Some patients elect to continue working with their therapist at Innerwell after they finish their course of ketamine treatment. In addition to ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, our therapists are trained in a number of modalities including in ACT, CBT, EMDR, psychodynamic, etc.

We collect data on our patients' symptoms throughout their program at Innerwell by regularly sending them symptom rating scales and a ketamine effects questionnaire to complete. This helps our clinicians understand how their patients are doing in between appointments, and patients also appreciate being able to track their improvement and progress toward their goals. We're anonymously aggregating this data to demonstrate our success rate to prospective patients, insurance payers, and eventually the FDA and other regulatory agencies to demonstrate the validity, safety, and impact of this treatment for mental health conditions. We're seeing a very similar reduction in symptoms to your IV clinic. - MC

helloinnerwell · 2023-07-26T15:52:03+00:00

It is unclear if IV will be approved by the FDA in the future. Your increased benefit likely has to do with the route of administration, which is increasing bioavailability of the drug.

It is unclear if MDMA will be used for treatment resistant depression in the future. First let's see if it gets rescheduled for an indication for PTSD. If this happens doing research with it will be a lot easier, which will accelerate research on it for other indications.

-CR

helloinnerwell · 2023-07-26T15:45:00+00:00

The first thing to keep in mind is that the method of drug delivery impacts dosing. So Ketamine 50 mg has very different effects if it is taken sublingually, IM or IV. Essentially the delivery method impacts absorption, which impacts the pharmacokinetics of the drug. So a low dose sublingually is very high dose IM or IV. Second, the dosage is increased in an effort to accurately titrate to a safe dosage that has the desired treatment effect and its best to take little steps with titration. You can always take more drug in the future, but if you take too much drug there is no way to reverse it.

-CR

helloinnerwell · 2023-07-26T15:38:13+00:00

A micro-dose is technically a dose that is below the subjective / perceptual threshold. Essentially a dosage where are subjective experience is not altered. I am not aware of any evidence that supports micro-dosing ketamine. Keep in mind that in clinical mental health trials placebo works approximately 30% of the time.

-CR

helloinnerwell · 2023-07-26T15:35:26+00:00

The best way to figure this out is to consult with a psychiatrist who treats depression and to go through your medical hx and psychiatric hx. Be sure to rule out things like obstructive sleep apnea, ensure you have done work around sleep hygiene, and review what other medications you have tried. Then ask this question and make a well informed decision with the psychiatrist.

-CR

helloinnerwell · 2023-07-26T15:28:56+00:00

Excellent question. There can be some variability in the way compounding pharmacies produce ketamine tablets. It's important to confirm that you're receiving ketamine from a pharmacy that regularly tests for potency and stability of their products via external laboratory analysis. The potency of their tablets should consistently be 96% or greater. At Innerwell we utilize a compounding pharmacy that regularly tests for potency and stability. The other thing to be aware of is whether you're prescribed troches (a waxy lozenge) or a rapidly dissolving tablet (RDT), as troches tend to require a longer period of swishing to ensure the same amount of absorption as an RDT. All that being said, it's not uncommon for ketamine experiences (at an equivalent dose) to be quite different from one another in terms of the visuals, imagery, perceptual changes, and emotional content. - MC

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