About Therapy
Why go to therapy? Wouldn't it be easier to keep everything bottled up inside and NEVER let it out?
Well sure, but only in the short term. Choosing the way of avoidance and escape is exactly what keeps the old patterns repeating. In therapy, we do the work to…
Bring challenging emotions into awareness to work through them.
Uncover and rewrite internal rules and agreements made unconsciously.
Develop self-compassion and become your own greatest ally.
Transform internal pain into gifts.
Put simply, avoidance keeps things stuck.
Emotions are like messengers who knock at the door of attention. They have something important to tell us about life.
We often distract ourselves from emotions with work, screens, or other habits but emotions don’t disappear when ignored.
They knock even louder!
If we simply refuse to open the door they will eventually begin breaking windows and tearing holes in the wall, just to get our attention. The unaddressed emotional pain turns into symptoms.
Self-doubt, unsettling dreams, relationship struggles, or feelings of overwhelm are ways that our systems let us know that something needs attention
In therapy, I help you find the courage to open the door, hear what your emotions are telling you, and integrate their wisdom into your life. Meaningful change is not only possible, it’s just waiting to happen!
Authentic healing with a therapist who walks the path alongside you.
My approach is rooted in collaboration. Just because I’ve got a long list of training and experience doesn’t mean that I know your truth better than you. I’m here to help you reconnect with the wisdom you already hold, not teach you to think like me. While my training gives me tools to guide the process, your inner truth drives the work.
In Our Sessions:
We’ll practice tuning into what is really happening moment by moment.
When avoidance creeps in, I’ll help you pause and lean into what’s being pushed away. Not to overwhelm you, but to open to what’s asking for attention.
When your words and body tell different stories, we’ll explore the disconnect together.
When self-limiting patterns emerge, I’ll help you rewrite them with curiosity, not criticism.
My style of therapy is a holistic blend of science and art within which the specific tools and methods serve as colors in a palette rather than the entire picture. I do not copy & paste. Instead, I weave threads of theory and training into a personalized and unique client experience which is adaptable and actively responsive to feedback.
At the core your innate capacity to heal is the compass. I’m here to help you trust its direction, amplify its voice, and take bold steps toward the life you’re meant to live.
You’ll leave sessions with clarity to face hard truths, courage to embrace vulnerability, and practical tools to build a life that aligns with your deepest values.
About Me
Like you, I’m a human being doing my best to live a life that is true to myself.
My life-long commitment to growth, healing, expression, and service came as a result of my own search for wholeness. I’m devoted to doing the work, showing up, and finding the places where I still have room to grow. I chose the path of being a therapist because I get to do my own self-work and then offer the best version of myself to clients. I love that. As Ram Dass says “I can do nothing for you but work on myself, you can do nothing for me but work on yourself.”
Indeed I do lots of this work on myself in my own weekly therapy, supervision, men’s groups, and medicine sessions. In my free time I love to play guitar, rappel through canyons, backpack, read, and write. I once lived in a sprinter van for over two years as an expression of my desire for authenticity, self-expression, and adventure.
Why help others?
As a long-time meditator, I understand that my freedom is inherently wrapped up in that of other people. For me, service to others is the path to true happiness and fulfillment. Being a therapist is an expression of that.
Education and Training
I have a Bachelors in Psychology, a Masters in Social Work, and two State licenses. I was the first person in the country to obtain the Natural Medicine Clinical Facilitator license (NMCF) in addition to being a Licensed Social Worker (LSW). You can read more details below on this page.
I have worked in many different settings including: a mental health crisis center, a community mental health day center, a wilderness therapy program, a substance use treatment program, a psilocybin retreat center, and an in-home psilocybin service. Now I’m in private practice. I have seen and heard a lot of intensity over the years. While I feel strong emotion, not much throws me off center.
I have been trained in some truly amazing tools and techniques for practicing therapy that I myself use on a daily basis. My clients report that they particularly value the safe, supportive environment I create where they can explore their challenges without judgment. My deep reverence for each person's inner healing intelligence guides my practice, allowing me to adapt and attune to individual needs. I offer genuine human presence and compassion alongside professional expertise.
Ready to begin your journey?
More About Me
Clayton S. Ickes, NMCF, LSW
Clayton Ickes is a Psychedelic Therapist, Licensed Clinical Psilocybin Facilitator, and Licensed Social Worker. He uses therapeutic tools and plant medicine to help struggling people live healthier and happier lives. He specializes in supporting those who continue to suffer from traumatic events and has served over 150 Journeyers through psychedelic experiences. Clay’s path of healing began at age 18 when a battle with substance use fortuitously led to his first psychedelic experience. This early encounter with mystery lit a seekers fire in his young heart which ultimately led him to trade addiction for a meditation practice and devote his life to the psychedelic phenomenon. For over 11 years he has walked in personal and professional relationships with psychedelics, actively working to form himself into a heart-led facilitator of compassionate, grounded presence.
In addition to a three-year ayahuasca apprenticeship, Clay has trained in Psychedelic-Assisted Somatic Therapy, Clinical Psilocybin Facilitation, Psychedelic Harm Reduction, Integrative Restoration (iRest), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). His interviews with luminaries in the field are published through Psychedelic Club, and his writings have appeared in Psychedelics Today and Reality Sandwich. He has held numerous service roles within the emerging psychedelic space, including: President of the National Board of Psychedelic Club, MDMA Study Night-Attendant, Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies Program Coordinator, Zendo Sitter, and Psilocybin Group Facilitator.
Trainings & Certificates
Experiential Psychedelic-Assisted Somatic Therapy - Innate Path
Clinical Psilocybin Facilitation - InnerTrek
Group Natural Medicine Apprenticeship - Sanctuary of Mystery
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Basic Training- (In Consultation) - EMDRIA Approved
Yoga Nidra Teacher Training- Sreedevi Bringi
Integrative Restoration (iRest) Level 1 - iRest Institute
Navigating Psychedelics For Clinicians & Therapists And Lessons on Self-Care & Integration - Psychedelics Today
Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Training
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Motivational Interviewing In Brief Consultations
ZENDO Psychedelic Harm Reduction x4
Wilderness First Responder - NOLS
Other Minor Trainings: Basic Principles of Somatic Experiencing, Cultural Competency for Behavioral Health Professionals, CSWE Policy Practice Certificate, Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED, QPR Suicide Prevention- Question Persuade Refer, CALM Suicide Prevention - Counseling on Access to Lethal Means, Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, CPI Nonviolent Crisis Intervention, Narcan - Opioid Overdose Reversal, CITI Certification in Human Research and Ethics, HIPAA & Behavioral Health
Lived Experience with Psychedelics and Harm Reduction
100+ personal experiences with Natural Medicines including Ayahuasca, Psilocybin, and DMT.
2-Week Shipibo Dieta - Inca Shipiba
Electric Daisy Carnival 2019 - Zendo Project - Sitter
Sonic Bloom 2019 - Groove Medical - Psych Team
Dead & Co. @ Folsom 2019 - Zendo Project -Sitter
Arise 2019 - Groove Medical - Psych Team
Sacred Solidarity 2020 - Zendo Project - Sitter
Burning Man 2022 x2 - Zendo Project - Sitter
Texas Eclipse 2024 - Zendo Project - Shift Lead
Cultural Resume
My father was adopted and I grew up with no true connection to culture, lineage, or tradition. At 30 years old I discovered through DNA testing that I am genetically 50% Ashkenazi Jewish, 30% Germanic, and 20% Northern European.
Childhood was marked by geographical, educational, and relational instability. My parents divorced when I was 8 years old and by age 13 I had moved ten times.
What you might not see looking in: lived experience with substance use, addiction, psychosis, the juvenile incarceration system, and relational trauma.
My upbringing was influenced by racism, sexism, homophobia, stigma, and consumerism. I am actively working to identify and repattern this conditioning.
My privilege: I am a White, cisgender male who is educated and a US citizen.
I acknowledge with profound reverence the ancestral wisdom keepers of the Americas and global Indigenous peoples who have, through generations of ceremony and sacred relationship, preserved the profound knowledge of healing plants and fungi that we now know as psychedelics and natural medicines. My knowledge, skills, and abilities to work with these medicines exists within a complex historical context of colonial violence, cultural appropriation, and systematic attempts to erase Indigenous ways of knowing. The ground beneath this work is Indigenous land and the deepest knowledge of these medicines flows from traditions that have endured despite centuries of persecution and forced displacement. As I engage with these sacred medicines, I carry the responsibility to:
Honor the living traditions and ongoing stewardship of Indigenous peoples.
Recognize how historical and present-day inequities shape access to these healing modalities.
Actively support Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination.
Amplify Indigenous voices, particularly in spaces where these medicines are discussed.
Maintain awareness of my position within these complex historical and contemporary dynamics.
Work to create pathways of benefit sharing and accessibility for historically marginalized peoples.
