Research with psychedelics has grown quickly, and so has the need for rigorous training for people who work in health care. With that aim, the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon (FMUL) created the course “Introduction to Psychedelic Therapy: Research and Clinical Practice”.
How it was introduced
The course director introduced the first edition in a video published on 5 December 2025, which described it as the first course in psychedelic therapy at the University of Lisbon and announced applications until 15 December. Introduction video on YouTube (in Portuguese).
Who it is for and how it works
According to the official FMUL page, checked on 8 October 2026, the course is aimed mainly at health professionals, and also at researchers and other candidates with relevant professional experience, and runs in a blended format, with in-person and live online sessions. The page lists 1.5 ECTS credits and a Coordinating Committee made up of the course director, João da Fonseca, Eduardo Ekman Schenberg, Rita Águila and Pedro Miguel Nunes Escudeiro, and describes the programme as “pioneering in Portugal” (our translation). It also states that the course does not qualify participants for clinical practice in this field. Course page on the FMUL website (in Portuguese).
The same page announces the 2nd edition, with applications from 1 October to 31 December 2026 and teaching between February and June 2027. Dates, places and conditions may change: the information published by FMUL always prevails.
Why training comes before treatment
A field with positive results and many open questions calls for training that brings together critical reading of the evidence, pharmacology, safety, ethics and the legal framework. Training professionals is not the same as offering treatments: many of the substances studied remain experimental and are not authorised as medicines in Portugal.
