Description
This DC project investigates the role of music and therapist behaviours in psychedelic treatments (PT). The doctoral candidate will contribute to analyses of a music-based preparatory intervention administered prior to psilocybin dosing, as well as the effects of a novel music program played during psilocybin sessions. These data have been collected as part of a randomized controlled trial examining PT for alcohol use disorder (n = 60).
The DC will also contribute to the analysis of therapy session recordings, focusing on therapist behaviours, meaning-making processes, and their relationship to treatment outcomes. In addition, the DC will analyse self-reported outcomes from this trial and from other psychedelic studies conducted at NOESIS, the Copenhagen University Clinic for Psychedelic Research at the University of Copenhagen.
The candidate will also be expected to contribute to ongoing data collection in studies at NOESIS. The role further includes ad hoc research tasks within the NOESIS research group and active participation in collaborative research activities and academic events.
Through this work, the doctoral candidate will develop expertise in clinical assessment, the clinical conduct of psilocybin-assisted therapy, qualitative and quantitative data collection, and the analysis and preparation of academic manuscripts.
The DC will join an established research environment at the University of Copenhagen while collaborating through two secondments with clinical researchers at Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal, and at Johns Hopkins University, United States, contributing to an innovative research program at the intersection of psychotherapy research and psychedelic science.
Location
Copenhagen University Clinic for Psychedelic Research, Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Supervisors
Assoc. Prof. Dea Siggaard Stenbæk
https://researchprofiles.ku.dk/en/persons/dea-siggaard-stenb%C3%A6k/
Prof. Vibe Gedsø Frøkjær
Vibe Gedsø Frøkjær – University of Copenhagen Research Portal
Secondments
Institute: Champalimaud Foundation (Lisbon, Portugal)
Supervisors: Dr. Carolina Seybert
Purpose: To study the ethical considerations and implications of current psychotherapeutic practices to inform ethical guidelines.
Institute: Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland, United States)
Supervisors: Prof. Frederick Barret
Purpose: To learn from other groups using innovative trial designs to study the impact of music and explore neurobiological correlates.
General eligibility criteria
- The position is open to candidates of any nationality (European and non-European) who fulfil the requirements set for the Doctoral Candidates (DCs) funded by Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions.
- Applicants must hold a Master’s degree in a relevant academic field, allowing enrolment in a PhD program at the hiring beneficiary.
- Applicants must not previously have been awarded a PhD degree.
- Applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country in which the DC project for which they are applying is based for more than 12 months in the 3 years prior to recruitment. This excludes short stays such as holidays, compulsory national service or time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention.
- Applicants must be willing to undertake secondments at another institute of the network during the DC project, including at institutes in other countries.
- Applicants must be able to demonstrate their ability to understand and express themselves in both written and spoken English at a level that is sufficiently high to fully benefit from the network training (C1/C2 level).
- Applicants are expected to be motivated to work in the field of psychedelic therapy.
- Applicants are expected to work independently, well-structured and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary consortium.
Additional eligibility criteria
Required for eligibility:
- Licensed medical doctor or psychologist with excellent collaborative skills.
Desirable but not required for eligibility:
- Knowledge of Danish, Swedish or Norwegian is helpful, but not an obligatory eligibility criterion. Danish is particularly an asset, as part of the work involves communicating with Danish patients in our trials.
- Previous experience with psychedelic research and mixed-method research.