Can Out-of-State Practitioners Become Licensed Psilocybin Facilitators in Colorado? Rules & Requirements
- Shannon Hughes & Dori Lewis
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
With natural medicine services well underway in Colorado, many practitioners across the country have reached out to ask:
Can I get licensed to facilitate legal psilocybin mushroom journeys in Colorado when I don’t live there?
The answer is YES, and in this blog, we’re going to break down how natural medicine services in Colorado work for both out-of-state practitioners and clients – and what’s driving them.
Out-of-State Practitioners Can Become Licensed Psilocybin Mushroom Facilitators in Colorado
At Elemental Psychedelics, we’ve had practitioners from across the US join our Psilocybin Mushroom Facilitator Training: from New York to Nebraska, and California to Tennessee.
For most training programs (including our own), these students can study the online part of the program from wherever they are based, and travel to Colorado to be present at in-person experientials and practicum. For example, at Elemental, we require students to be in Colorado for our opening cohort weekend and two multi-day practice retreats. Most other training components can be completed virtually through our live class calls and asynchronous materials.
Why Get Licensed in Colorado if You’re From Out of State?
In our experience at Elemental, we’ve identified a couple of reasons for folks coming from out of state to undergo psilocybin mushroom facilitator training in Colorado.
Some practitioners who are working in an underground context in their home state are seeking formal training to support their skillset and ensure they’re keeping their clients and community safe. Training in a licensed program in Colorado gives all practitioners – whether above-ground or not – access to quality guidance, resources, and consultation, helping them become safe, ethical, and more effective facilitators.
Being part of a cohort also connects these practitioners with a wider community, helping them feel supported and accountable. This is something that can often be missing in an underground context where facilitators can operate in siloes without the necessary structures to guide them and hold them responsible for ethical practice.
Out-of-state practitioners who go through a formal training program in Colorado can also return to their home state to advocate for policy changes around psilocybin mushrooms with more information and greater credibility to support their advocacy.
Another group of folks who may find it valuable to complete a training program in Colorado are clinical professionals who hold mental health licenses in other states, such as Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs), Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs), or other equivalent licenses.
With a natural medicine facilitator license in Colorado, preparation and integration sessions may be completed virtually. For clients in nearby states, it might be reasonable for them to arrange travel to Colorado for the mushroom session itself, which must take place in a licensed healing center in the state.
If you are a licensed professional in another state, you have the choice to replicate your professional license with Colorado’s Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) or not. If you do obtain your primary professional license with DORA, then your natural medicine facilitator license would be considered a clinical license. Instead, if you decide to keep your professional license only in your home state and not bring it to Colorado, then you will have what DORA terms an “original” or non-clinical natural medicine facilitator license in Colorado.
There are certainly nuances to consider if you are practicing therapy in your home state and simultaneously working with mushroom clients traveling to Colorado for facilitated sessions. We suggest reviewing the specifics of your situation and the regulatory laws of your home state with an attorney to make sure you are setting yourself up for success.
Where Do I Work As a Licensed Psilocybin Facilitator in Colorado If I Live Elsewhere?
If you are an out-of-state practitioner looking to complete natural medicine training in Colorado, it’s important that you affiliate yourself with a healing center once you have your facilitator license. For example, Elemental’s partner healing center, Reflective Healing Center (RHC), has created a member directory of both Colorado-based and non-Colorado facilitators.
All of RHC’s current members have gone through Elemental’s Mushroom Facilitator Training and now maintain an affiliation through their membership to RHC so that they have a “home” healing center out of which to legally provide natural medicine services.
This means that when you come to Colorado to hold psilocybin mushroom journeys, you already have a relationship with a licensed healing center and understand the ins and outs of how they work, such as documentation systems and reserving journey rooms. If they are like RHC, they may also refer clients to you as long as the referrals fit within your scope of licensing. It’s fine to have your primary office for therapy, preparation, or integration sessions elsewhere – in Colorado or outside of Colorado – as long as you have an affiliation with a licensed healing center for your actual mushroom journey sessions.
Learn more about this process of setting yourself up as a licensed facilitator here.
What to Know About Psilocybin Mushrooms if You Are a Client from Out of State
If you are seeking psilocybin mushroom therapy or facilitation and you live outside of Colorado, there are a couple of ways you can access these services.
One way is to work with a licensed therapist or other healing practitioner in your state who has undergone natural medicine facilitator training in Colorado. This allows you to do your preparation and integration sessions with that practitioner in your state, and travel to Colorado for your mushroom journey sessions.
Another path to accessing these services is to work with a non-clinical natural medicine facilitator in Colorado. These are folks who work in adjacent fields (such as energy healers, doulas, or coaches) and do not have a professional license that limits them to providing therapy or counseling in their home state only. These practitioners can provide the preparation and integration sessions virtually from wherever you are, and meet you in Colorado in person for your psilocybin mushroom journey.
Find more information on the legislation surrounding natural medicine access and services here.
Even with these options for opening up access to mushrooms, we emphatically suggest that anyone seeking to engage in mushroom journey work first establish a solid relationship of safety and trust with your chosen facilitator. Just because you find someone who is willing to sit with you for mushrooms, doesn’t mean you should. Look for practitioners who are unhurried, taking their time to know you and ask good questions, and who can articulate their understanding of what mushroom work is and their approach to working with this medicine.
Evolving Natural Medicine Access in Colorado
It’s essential to remember that legal natural medicine services in Colorado have only recently begun to take shape and will continue to evolve as lawmakers, practitioners, and the public gain a deeper understanding of how to effectively implement this process.
At Elemental, for example, we would love to see a loosening of the requirements around healing centers, so they incorporate natural settings and retreat centers more easily. While healing centers don’t have to look or feel clinical – and in fact can be quite cozy and comfortable – nature-based journeywork and retreat-style group journeywork are deeply powerful ways to connect with mushroom medicine.
We are so proud of the work being done here in Colorado and deeply grateful to be part of shaping the legal psychedelic medicine space at such an exciting time.
If you are looking for a Psilocybin Mushroom Facilitator Training rooted in safety, ethics, and integrity, take a look at our program at Elemental Psychedelics. Applications are open now for our Spring and Fall 2026 cohorts.
