MAPS Psychonaut Training

The problem

As psychedelics entered the mainstream, the lack of accessible, standardized harm reduction education created a significant safety gap for the general public. We needed to transform informal underground knowledge into a scalable, evidence-based, 12-lesson curriculum without compromising safety or cultural integrity, while simultaneously managing high-stakes stakeholder expectations and organizational growth.

Approach

I orchestrated a full R&D lifecycle for MAPS Psychonaut Training. At the start of the project, I developed a training program for course developers using Kern Curriculum Development for Medical Education, teaching the six iterative steps: problem identification, needs assessment, objectives, strategies, implementation, and evaluation. From there, I designed, deployed, and analyzed a 5,000-person needs assessment to ground the curriculum in real learner demand. Working with a large team of subject matter experts across therapy, law, harm reduction, and psychedelic research, I helped shape a 12-lesson framework and then ran and reviewed multiple live Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) pilot cycles. I performed course feedback analysis across those runs, integrated findings into successive pilots, and led the platform decision from an initial Articulate 360 authoring path to Moodle as the scalable LMS for public delivery.

Process

1. 1

   Developer training (Kern framework)

   At project kickoff, developed a training program for course developers using Kern Curriculum Development for Medical Education. Taught the six iterative steps: problem identification, needs assessment, objectives, strategies, implementation, and evaluation, so the authoring team shared a common instructional design process before building lessons.

2. 2

   Discovery & needs assessment

   Designed, deployed, and analyzed a 5,000+ response survey to validate market demand, segment learners by experience level, and identify specific pain points around risk management, integration, and legal rights.

3. 3

   Interdisciplinary framework design

   Developed a rigorous 12-lesson curriculum framework in partnership with MAPS leadership, external consultants (TWHS), and a large multidisciplinary SME team spanning therapists, lawyers, harm reductionists, and researchers to ensure scientific and cultural accuracy.

4. 4

   Pilot program execution (VILT)

   Ran and reviewed multiple 15-hour Virtual Instructor-Led Training cycles for 155 participants, facilitating live sessions, observing delivery quality, and capturing real-time qualitative feedback to refine lesson arcs across successive pilot runs.

5. 5

   Data synthesis & iteration

   Performed course feedback analysis across pilot cycles, processing 20,000+ qualitative data points from feedback forms and NPS surveys. Integrated findings into subsequent pilots, leading to significant re-sequencing and re-scripting of complex scientific modules.

6. 6

   Content production & LMS integration

   Evaluated Articulate 360 for early module authoring, then shifted to Moodle as the production platform for asynchronous delivery. Built the scalable course environment there with video production, assessment design, registration flows, and interactive learning modules.

7. 7

   Institutional stakeholder governance

   Managed continuous review cycles with high-level MAPS internal and external stakeholders, including Rick Doblin and the advisory board, balancing creative vision with legal compliance and organizational goals.

Outcome

Built the gold standard for psychedelic literacy, delivering 12+ hours of structured content to 155 pilot participants, generating 20,000+ data points for curriculum optimization, and establishing a replicable framework for global public education.

Stack & services

• • Product management
• • Instructional design
• • Risk management
• • Operational strategy
• • Stakeholder review coordination
• • Learning platform deployment