Technology leverages thousands of real psychedelic support conversations to prepare clinicians through voice-based roleplay and immediate feedback
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Fireside Project today announced the launch of Lucy, the world's first AI-powered simulation and training platform designed to prepare clinicians for psychedelic-assisted therapy. Developed by Fireside Labs, the new research and development arm of Fireside Project, Lucy enables trainees to safely and repeatedly practice the interpersonal skills required for psychedelic care, before ever working with patients.
Lucy draws upon Fireside Project's unique dataset of over 7,000 anonymized support conversations with individuals during and after psychedelic experiences. Through realistic, voice-based roleplays, the platform simulates challenging client scenarios—from managing anxiety during a psychedelic journey to integrating profound experiences weeks later—allowing practitioners to develop empathy, presence, and cultural humility in a safe, accessible environment.
"Lucy bridges the gap between classroom learning and real-world readiness for those preparing to provide psychedelic support," said David Esselman, Senior Advisor at Fireside Project. "It uses AI to strengthen what humans do best: cultivating empathy and authentic connection with one another."
The platform comes at a critical moment for the psychedelic field. With MDMA and psilocybin therapies expected to receive FDA approval within the next two years, over 1,000 ketamine clinics now operating across the U.S., and states like Oregon, Colorado, and New Mexico establishing regulated psilocybin services, the demand for qualified practitioners far exceeds current training capacity. Practicum sites will be limited, making simulation-based training essential for preparing thousands of new facilitators at scale.
"As psychedelic therapy becomes increasingly mainstream, we face a serious bottleneck in practitioner training," said Joshua White, Founder and Executive Director of Fireside Project. "Lucy transforms how practitioners learn to support people through these profound experiences. Instead of relying solely on lectures or limited role-play opportunities, Lucy provides on-demand practice scenarios that closely mirror real-world situations without putting actual clients at risk."
Built with guidance from leading experts at Stanford, UCSF, the University of Wisconsin, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Lucy represents a major step toward optimizing and standardizing psychedelic therapist training at scale. The platform brings together leading researchers in human-computer interaction from MIT, Stanford, Harvard, and the University of Geneva in a cross-disciplinary collaboration driven by a shared goal: to use technology not to replace human connection, but to deepen it.
"What's extraordinary about Lucy is that it allows clinicians to practice the subtle interpersonal skills of inquiry, curiosity, empathy, and containment over and over until they're ready to bring those same qualities into sessions with patients," said Andrew Penn, MS, PMHNP, of UCSF. "It's like a flight simulator for the therapeutic relationship."
Dr. Felix Schoeller, cognitive neuroscientist and AI engineer collaborating on the project, explained the technology's unique advantages: "Lucy is replicating the emotional nuances and unpredictability that make psychedelic support so challenging. By training on conversations linked to outcome data, Lucy can identify which practitioner responses are most effective and provide feedback accordingly."
The platform will offer certification modules with personalized feedback based on evidence from thousands of real support conversations. Each session with Lucy provides practitioners with immediate assessment and a comprehensive performance dashboard tracking their progress over time.
Lucy's emphasis on cultural competency and diverse communities addresses critical equity concerns in the emerging field.
"Lucy is supporting the development of cultural humility and emotional attunement across diverse communities," said Courtney Watson, LMFT, Founder of Doorways, a network for BIPOC psychedelic practitioners. "That's essential if psychedelic-assisted therapy is going to serve everyone, not just a privileged few."
"Lucy is a phenomenal training tool providing invaluable experiences on managing crises for new psychedelic practitioners," said Courtney Watson, LMFT, Founder of Doorways, an organization dedicated to serving queer and BIPOC communities in the psychedelic space. That's essential if psychedelic-assisted therapy is going to grow at the rate the field is projecting the need for the masses to be met."
The initial Lucy modules are free for university researchers and academic teams, drug development companies, and government training partners through an early access program. Early pilots are already underway with the VA's Social Neuroscience and Psychotherapy (SNAP) Lab and the University Psychedelic Education Program (UPEP).
"Lucy gives us a safe, evidence-based way to train clinicians for psychedelic therapy while maintaining fidelity to person-centered and trauma-informed care," said Christopher Stauffer, MD, Associate Professor at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and Director of the Social Neuroscience and Psychotherapy (SNAP) Lab. "The field is preparing to train thousands of psychedelic facilitators, and Lucy is a tool that will help standardize our approach to learning and practice."
Lucy will initially launch with modules focused on:
- Managing difficult psychedelic experiences
- Supporting integration after psychedelic journeys
- Addressing trauma that emerges during psychedelic sessions
- Working with specific populations, including veterans and people with neurodivergence
Fireside Project plans to position Lucy as a gold standard for evaluating competence in psychedelic care, with the expectation that certification through Lucy will become increasingly recognized by institutions, employers, and potentially insurance companies as the field matures.
For more information about Lucy or to request early access, visit firesideproject.org/lucy.
ABOUT FIRESIDE PROJECT
Fireside Project is a nonprofit organization providing free, confidential peer support to people during and after psychedelic experiences through the Psychedelic Support Line, available by phone or text at 62-FIRESIDE (623-473-7433). The organization also offers Fireside-Certified™ Psychedelic Coaching, a telehealth service providing preparation and integration support. Founded in 2020, Fireside Project is committed to helping minimize risks and maximize the benefits of psychedelic experiences through accessible support, education, and training. Fireside Labs is the research and development arm of Fireside Project, bringing together experts in clinical psychology, affective computing, and AI ethics to develop evidence-based training technologies. Fireside Project has received national media attention in Rolling Stone, Forbes, Esquire, Mashable, and more.
Media Contact
Brad Burge, Fireside Project, 1 6508636887, [email protected], https://firesideproject.org
SOURCE Fireside Project
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