Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Your daily dose of what matters in therapy, research, and practice.

A randomized, placebo-controlled trial just published in Nature Medicine found that a single intravenous dose of the short-acting psychedelic DMT, combined with talk therapy, significantly reduced depression symptoms in treatment-resistant patients -- with effects lasting up to three months. Unlike psilocybin sessions that require 6-8 hours of clinical supervision, DMT's 20-minute psychedelic window could make psychedelic-assisted therapy far more scalable. If you're tracking the psychedelic therapy pipeline, this is the strongest controlled evidence yet for a fast-acting compound.

5 min read | Nature Medicine

UnitedHealth Group has settled a class-action lawsuit alleging it wrongly denied coverage for residential mental health and substance use disorder treatment. A federal judge called the payout allocation "fair, reasonable and adequate," and the case reinforces that parity violations carry real financial consequences for insurers. For therapists whose clients have faced UHC denials for residential care, this is a meaningful precedent.

4 min read | Behavioral Health Business

Mental health provider platform Headway has acquired the team behind AI company Tezi, signaling a deeper push into AI-powered tools for the therapists on its network. The acquisition aims to improve both the patient and provider experience while developing AI "responsibly." If you're on Headway's platform, expect new AI-assisted features in the coming months -- and watch how this shapes the therapist-platform relationship.

3 min read | Fierce Healthcare

A new controlled feasibility study found that adding Mindfulness-Based Training to standard CBT reduced dissociative symptoms more effectively than CBT combined with guided physical exercise. With 104 participants, this is early but promising evidence that mindfulness can address a symptom domain where many clinicians feel under-equipped. Worth watching for trauma-focused practitioners looking to expand their dissociation toolkit.

6 min read | Frontiers in Psychiatry

The REAL (Reclaiming Experiences and Loss) group therapy model draws on Viktor Frankl's logotherapy and two additional meaning-making frameworks to address moral injury -- the deep distress from actions that violate one's moral code. For clinicians working with veterans, first responders, or healthcare workers, this provides a structured, theoretically grounded approach that goes beyond standard trauma protocols. The paper maps the clinical intervention to its philosophical foundations in useful detail.

7 min read | Frontiers in Psychiatry

An international study published in Archives of Sexual Behavior developed and validated a scale measuring how people in consensual non-monogamous relationships maintain their partnerships. The nine core practices -- including open communication about jealousy, resource sharing, and sexual health management -- also predicted relationship satisfaction in monogamous couples. Couples therapists: this offers an evidence-based framework for working with CNM clients beyond "just communicate more."

5 min read | Archives of Sexual Behavior

Dr. Michelle Perry joins Practice of the Practice to unpack a counterintuitive challenge: the empathy, patience, and people-reading skills that make someone an excellent clinician can undermine their effectiveness as a practice leader. The episode explores how therapists-turned-business-owners can recognize and recalibrate their default leadership style. Essential listening if you've ever felt like managing a team is harder than managing a caseload.

35 min listen | Practice of the Practice

Nearly 20 million Americans report at least one problematic gambling behavior in the past year, and the rapid expansion of sports betting and online gambling is accelerating the problem -- especially among younger populations. Yet treatment infrastructure remains largely built for substance use, not behavioral addictions. Clinicians seeing more clients with gambling-related distress should know that payers and investors are starting to pay attention, but the service gap remains wide.

5 min read | Behavioral Health Business

New York-based Jimini Health has raised $17M in seed funding for Sage, its clinical-grade AI tool that works within existing care pathways as a 24/7 behavioral health support companion. Unlike consumer chatbots, Sage operates within clinical context and integrates with provider workflows. Total funding now tops $25M -- another signal that the "AI copilot for therapy" space is heating up fast.

4 min read | Behavioral Health Business

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed a FOIA lawsuit against CMS seeking records about the WISeR Model, an AI-driven prior authorization demonstration program. The lawsuit highlights growing concern about algorithmic decision-making in coverage determinations -- the same systems that can delay or deny your clients' access to care. If AI is making coverage calls, therapists and patients deserve to know how.

3 min read | Fierce Healthcare

States are paying contractors like Deloitte, Accenture, and Optum millions of dollars to implement the One Big Beautiful Bill Act -- legislation that will strip safety-net health and food benefits from millions of Americans. For community mental health providers and therapists who serve Medicaid clients, this signals a coming wave of coverage losses that could directly reduce your client base and strain the safety net further.

4 min read | Fierce Healthcare

A randomized controlled trial published in GeroScience found that older adults who engaged in regular resistance training actively slowed down biological aging in their brains. The study used epigenetic "brain aging clocks" to show that strength training didn't just preserve cognitive function -- it turned back the molecular clock in measurable ways. A great reminder for clients (and therapists) that the mind-body connection runs deeper than we thought -- and that the gym might be one of the best things you can do for your long-term mental health.

4 min read | GeroScience

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