Ketamine-Assisted Therapy in Cary, NC

Some of the hardest struggles do not ease with talk therapy or medication alone. If you have worked at your depression, anxiety, or trauma for years and still feel stuck, ketamine assisted therapy may open a door that has felt closed.

Request your free consultation Call (919) 230-1446

At Prism Wellness, ketamine assisted therapy (often shortened to KAP) is exactly that: therapy. Prism is a therapy practice, not a ketamine clinic or an infusion center, and we do not prescribe or administer medication. What we offer is the deeper part of the work. Our KAP therapists guide you through preparation, the medicine sessions themselves, and the integration afterward that helps the work take hold. A licensed medical provider handles the prescribing and health screening separately. Your therapist holds the psychological process from the first conversation to the last.

This page is about whether KAP is a fit for you and how to begin. If you want the deeper background first, we also keep a full library of research, training, and resources on ketamine assisted psychotherapy.

What Is Ketamine Assisted Therapy?

Ketamine is a medication that has been used in medical settings for decades. At the lower, carefully managed doses used in this work, it can create a temporary shift in how you think and feel. It can soften rigid thought patterns and quiet the inner critic long enough for deeper therapeutic work to happen.

Ketamine assisted therapy pairs that medicine with structured psychotherapy. The medicine on its own is not the treatment. The treatment is what you and your therapist do with the openness it creates: the preparation beforehand, the steady support during, and the meaning you build afterward. That is the difference between KAP and simply receiving a dose.

Who KAP Can Help

KAP tends to fit people who have already tried other paths and want something more. You do not need to have exhausted every option first, though many of our clients arrive after standard approaches have taken them only so far.

People often explore ketamine assisted therapy for:

Depression that has not lifted

Many people first look into ketamine therapy for depression when medication and talk therapy have not brought enough relief. This work sits alongside our therapy for treatment resistant depression.

Trauma and PTSD

Trauma can be hard to reach with words alone. For some people, KAP can make it easier to approach painful material gently. Read more about ketamine assisted therapy for PTSD.

Anxiety and feeling stuck

Persistent anxiety, or the sense of being locked in patterns you understand but cannot seem to shift, also brings people to KAP.

KAP is not right for everyone, and it is not a quick fix or a cure. Whether it suits your history, your health, and your goals is something we work out together before anything begins.

How KAP Works at Prism

We keep the process clear and unhurried. It moves through three phases.

Preparation. You meet your therapist, share your story, and name what you hope to work on. We explain what to expect, answer your questions, and make sure you feel ready and safe. Separately, a licensed medical provider reviews your health to confirm ketamine is appropriate for you and manages any prescription.

Medicine sessions. During a medicine session, you settle into a calm, comfortable space with your therapist present the entire time. Many people rest with eyeshades and music and turn their attention inward while the medicine takes effect. Your therapist stays with you, grounding and supporting you throughout. These sessions run longer than a standard therapy hour, so nothing feels rushed.

Integration. This is where the work takes root. In the sessions that follow, you and your therapist make sense of what surfaced and translate it into how you actually live day to day. A single insight is only a beginning. Integration is how it lasts.

KAP vs. IV Ketamine Infusions

It is easy to mix up the options, so here is the plain difference.

IV ketamine infusions and Spravato clinics are medical settings. You receive intravenous ketamine therapy or a nasal spray, staff monitor you, and then you go home. The medicine is the service, and therapy usually is not part of it.

Prism works the other way around. We are a therapy practice, so the therapy is the point and the medicine supports it. We do not run infusions, we do not offer Spravato, and we do not operate as a ketamine clinic or prescriber. If an infusion is what you want, a medical clinic is the right place. If you want a skilled therapist to help you understand and use what the medicine opens up, that is KAP, and that is what we do.

Meet Your KAP Therapists

KAP asks for a lot of trust, so it matters who sits beside you. Our KAP therapists hold specialized training in ketamine assisted and psychedelic therapy, and they bring that depth to every session.

Lesley Kellogg

Lesley (Neifert) Kellogg

LCMHC, LCAS, NCC

Founder. Complex trauma, anxiety, KAP (only accepting clients for KAP)

Read Lesley’s background

You can meet the full team and read every clinician's background on our therapists page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is KAP different from IV ketamine or a ketamine clinic?

At an IV clinic, you receive intravenous ketamine therapy in a medical setting and then leave, usually without any therapy. Ketamine assisted therapy at Prism is the reverse. The psychotherapy is the treatment, and the medicine supports it. We are a therapy practice rather than an infusion center or ketamine clinic, and we guide you through preparation, medicine sessions, and integration.

Does Prism prescribe or administer the ketamine?

No. Prism is a therapy practice, not a prescriber or a clinic. A licensed medical provider handles the health screening and any prescription separately. Our role is the therapy that surrounds the medicine, which is where the lasting work happens.

Is ketamine assisted therapy safe?

Ketamine has been used in medicine for decades, and safety comes from doing this work carefully. A medical provider reviews your health first to confirm it is appropriate for you, and your therapist stays with you throughout each medicine session. KAP is not right for everyone. We talk through your history and any risks openly before you begin.

Does insurance cover ketamine therapy?

We accept Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Tricare, and United. Tricare and United plans are seen by our fully licensed therapists only. You can see which networks each clinician takes on our team page, and we will confirm your coverage before your first session. Coverage for ketamine assisted therapy specifically can vary from plan to plan and across the different parts of the process, so the clearest answer is to ask during your free consultation, where we will help you understand your options.

How do I get started with ketamine therapy in Cary?

It begins with a free consultation. We talk through what you are facing, whether KAP is a good fit, and what the process would look like for you. From there, if it makes sense, we coordinate your preparation sessions and the separate medical screening. Reach out to our Cary office whenever you are ready.

This is not a crisis line. If you're in immediate danger, call or text 988.

Start With a Free Consultation

The best way to learn whether ketamine assisted therapy is right for you is a conversation, not a search bar. If you have been looking for ketamine therapy near you in Cary, Apex, or the greater Raleigh area, begin with a free consultation. We will listen, answer your questions, and help you decide at your own pace, with no pressure in either direction.

Request your free consultation Call (919) 230-1446

Prism Wellness · 113 Edinburgh South Drive, Suite 130, Cary, NC 27511 · (919) 230-1446