The team behind Transcend.

Will Ratliff RN,LP is an Ex. Flight Medic/Nurse and one of the original founders of Transcend. He is a subject matter expert in all things Ketamine and functions as the clinic's Director of Operations.

Will designed the current clinics, helped develop the protocols and procedures, developed and improved the processes and systems, and has personally trained all the new staff members to operate to his and Dr. Cunningham's standard.

Will was a total Ketamine nerd prior to founding Transcend due to his experience administering the medication to patients in ambulances, emergency rooms, helicopters, in wrecked vehicles and on roadsides. At Transcend, Will has facilitated approximately 3,100+ Ketamine infusions working alongside our KAP therapists. That's a lot of time spent watching the real-time effects of Ketamine administration and dosing, in a multitude of settings, situations, indications and patient populations.

Will has been instrumental in Transcend becoming the renowned IV KAP clinic it has become over the years, being a vocal proponent that titrated IV Ketamine administration is critical for intra-infusion psychotherapy, and that intra-infusion psychotherapy is critical for significant efficacy in KAP, particularly for those with trauma.

Will is a believer that the function of administering Ketamine in treating mental health conditions is not for its chemical effects, but for its ability to accelerate the psychotherapy process and that most KAP providers have never fully ever seen this ability of Ketamine to do this, because they are not able to control the level of Ketamine well enough to see this effect. Most KAP is done by IM, or oral administration, and if done by IV it is usually a stead state infusion or gravity drip. These methods of Ketamine administration nearly always ensure that a patient is not at the correct level for psychotherapy unless achieved by total happenstance.

In the early days of Transcend's inception, Will recognized that if a therapist is trying to do therapy with a client under the effects of Ketamine, it is incredibly easy to dose the Ketamine too low or too high and ruin the process. Also, a patient's ketamine sensitivity is different every time they come in, and often changes constantly as the session transpires. So unless you are adjusting the level of the Ketamine in real-time, you are likely hindering the therapy more than your helping it. Will brought these findings to Dr. Cunningham and together they developed protocols for Ketamine administration specifically designed to help facilitate psychotherapy, not just be a wild ride or somewhat loosening. The way Transcend doses Ketamine is hands down the most advanced in the KAP industry and it is a direct consequence of what happens when two medical providers with as interesting backgrounds as Will Ratliff RN, LP and Dr. Cord Cunningham have work on a problem nobody has given any focus too.

Will still puts on his worn in pair of Transcend scrubs and helps facilitate KAP sessions, mostly focusing on medically complex cases, adolescents and elderly but he spends most of his time these days ensuring the ship is sailing in the right direction and training the next generation of Transcenders.

What makes Will most happy is sharing insights that he has learned from doing this work to our newer KAP clinicians, knowing that in sharing this knowledge, it can ripple out, save lives and have positive impacts far greater than what his own two hands could ever produce.

Samantha is a true OG Austinite (you can see her unicorn horn when you visit our office). She received her undergraduate degree in Organizational Communication at St. Edward’s University in Austin. She has spent most of her working life in administrative positions at some of Austin’s most loved companies, such as the Austin Chronicle, Whole Foods, and at one point she was even a sandwich artist at ThunderCloud Subs.

At the age of 40, Samantha decided to change things up and applied for graduate school to earn her Master’s in Mental Health Counseling. She is in her last year at Northwestern University and is looking forward to being a part of the resurgence of psychoactive therapy

She has a dog named Franklin Frances that she won’t shut up about, but, admittedly, we love him too. When Samantha is not working, or studying, or in class, or seeing clients, she loves to watch scary movies, make delicious vegan food and spread the word about Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy.

Courtney is one of Transcend's main full-time Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapists at our Austin location. Therapists with KAP experience like Courtney has are very rare. There are very few therapists out there that primarily do KAP as their full-time occupation. Most therapists that hold KAP certifications primarily do traditional talk therapy most days of the week and might do a few KAP sessions a week or month. Courtney has facilitated 1000+ KAP sessions with Transcend.

We joke at Transcend that Courtney specializes in treating teens... elderly... and every other age too. Courtney additionally specializes in helping those experiencing substance abuse issues, mood disturbances, acute and chronic suicidality, traumatic responses, and psychotic episodes. She also received specialized experience and training in ACT, CBT, DBT, and mindfulness approaches.

Courtney came to Transcend with a wealth of experience having provided care within psychiatric inpatient, residential, and intensive outpatient environments, but being in the KAP room full-time for years has seasoned her and made her even more versatile.

Courtney received her Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from The University of North Texas in 2017 after completing her undergraduate degree in Psychology at Baylor University.

Courtney’s approach to therapy is tailored to and shaped by each client she encounters. She appreciates the uniqueness and complexity of each client’s inner world, as well as the inherent dilemmas of being human. Courtney strives to meet you where you are, just as you are, and join with you as a fellow traveler in this journey of existence. She aims to encourage each client’s movement toward genuine self-understanding and a more authentic way of being.

If you enroll in a group KAP session, Courtney facilitates our group KAP sessions.

Individual KAP sessions with Courtney are $699.

Dr. Cunningham, MD, MPH, FACEP, FAEMS is Texas native and a board-certified emergency medicine physician with a sub-specialty board certification in emergency medical services (EMS). Dr Cunningham has been using Ketamine in his hospital-based emergency medicine practice for procedural sedation since 2003 and began administering it for chronic pain conditions in the hospital setting for the past 10 years.

He has researched and published on Ketamine use in the military pre-hospital setting for its pain properties. In addition to his emergency room practice and military pre-hospital practice Dr. Cunningham has routinely managed behavioral health conditions outside of emergent decompensation in the military as a unit physician. This experience which is unique for most physicians sparked his interest in the use of Ketamine as an adjunct or replacement for many of the currently prescribed medications that often have undesirable side effects. Dr. Cunningham worked closely with his clinic partner Dr. Daanen while in the military. He also has worked closely with paramedic and flight nurse Will Ratliff in his civilian practice.
 
Colonel (US Army Reserves) Cord Cunningham’s commitment to serve others began wih his active duty career when he was commissioned as a second Lieutenant in the Signal Corps upon graduation from the military academy at West Point in 1995. He served as a platoon leader and executive officer in B Co, 112th Special Operations Signal Battalion, Signal Detachment Commander, and S-1(Personnel Officer) of 2nd Battalion/7th Special Forces Group at Ft Bragg, NC. He attended the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences attaining his medical doctorate and trained in emergency medicine at Brooke Army Medical Center from 2003-2006, as well training in EMS with Colonel (ret) Bob Mabry (Silver Star recipient from 1993 Battle of Mogadishu) as his fellowship director from 2013-2015.
 
Dr. Cunningham served as the Battalion surgeon for 2nd Ranger Battalion and surgical resuscitation team member for U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) deploying as direct and pre-hospital medical support of special operations forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Dr. Cunningham also served as a flight surgeon and medical director for a 15 ship Army medical evacuation unit and 3,000 person aviation brigade at Fort Hood as well as the medical director for the Army’s critical care flight paramedic program. Dr. Cunningham is a graduate of the US Army ranger school, a dive medical officer, senior rated flight surgeon, and master rated parachutist.

After serving over 20 years on Active Duty, Dr. Cunningham is currently in the US Army Reserves with the Army reserve element for USSOCOM. He also performs duties as the chairman of the joint trauma system committee on en-route combat casualty care. In addition, he is faculty for the DoD pre-hospital and disaster medicine fellowship. Dr. Cunningham is also still a full-time practicing emergency medicine physician.  

Before Bob was a therapist, he served 12 years in the Army as an infantry medic. Bob is our primary therapist at our San Antonio clinic.

One of the principles of KAP that is nearly always true is "the obstacle is the way". Bob is the type of therapist that will support you through ANYTHING that might need to be faced along your KAP journey with no holds barred.

Bob can be as gentle as a client needs him to be when that is the best approach, but for those who are really ready... Bob is your guy.

Bob doesn't believe in doing therapy for years and years. His aim is to get you better quickly and his approach to KAP is geared that way. Bob likes to hold his patients accountable, help them get to the core of the issues, and help his clients finally experience the life that they know deep down they deserve, but maybe do yet think is possible.

Bob came to Transcend with significant experience as a therapist, and he has taken to our KAP approach rapidly. At Transcend we are data driven, and Bob has some of the highest success rates, and quickest outcomes per client we have seen.

Bob earned his master of science degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2016 and has worked in a number of settings including home-based care, community care, group, and private practice therapy.

Bob’s passion is working with people that come from difficult places, and Bob has experience working with children, adolescents, teenagers and adults that come from traumatic beginnings. Bob enjoys working with clients and helping them to overcome the myriad of conflicts they deal with in today’s society. Bob has received extensive training in trauma-informed approaches to care and is always refining his knowledge base and approach to care.

Bob believes every person deserves support, encouragement and the opportunity to grow into the best version of themselves. Bob uses different strategies to encourage client health and success to include; mindfulness, muscle relaxation, and Polyvagal theory to establish physical and emotional regulation. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy is one of Bob’s strongest tools in the toolbox, and he looks forward to helping all his clients find the peace and stability they deserve.

Individual KAP sessions with Bob Stead LPC are $375.

Amanda, our Nurse Practitioner, has been working in the healthcare field over 14 years starting at the age of 19 working as an EMT. From there she worked as both a Registered Nurse and Paramedic.

As a nurse she has worked in several settings including the ICU, ER, and progressive care. As a paramedic she has worked both rural and inner-city EMS. After completing her master's Amanda started working as a nurse practitioner in the ER as well as at Transcend.
 
When she’s not at Transcend, working in the ER, or doing schoolwork you can find her playing tennis or practicing martial arts. Amanda has always been interested in mental health and herself practices yoga and meditation. Amanda is passionate about lifestyle modifications, especially dietary choices; she’s been vegan over 10 years and is happy to answer any questions about plant-based diets.  

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Emily is one of Transcends full time KAP therapists that sees clients at both the Austin and San Antonio clinics.

Emily has experience working with individuals with substance abuse issues, PTSD, personality disorders, mood disturbances, suicidality, and neurocognitive disorders. She believes in the importance of tailoring her approach to the unique needs of her clients. Her varied experiences and knowledge of different therapeutic modalities enables her to work with her clients to create a treatment plan that effectively meets their needs.

Before coming to Transcend, Emily worked in a residential setting, with survivors of severe complex trauma. Throughout this time, she gained training and experience in many trauma-informed modalities including DBT, ACT, and CBT. She also learned of the importance of a holistic approach to therapy; therefore, she often incorporates somatic approaches, mindfulness, and IFS techniques in her sessions.  

Emily also has the unique experience of working as a neuropsychometrician for 5 years. In this position she works with individuals suffering from neurocognitive disorders such as dementia and Parkinson’s disease and with individuals recovering from strokes and brain injuries.

Emily received her Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from The University of Texas at San Antonio and her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Texas Tech University.

When Emily isn't crushing it here at the clinic, she enjoys camping, hiking, yoga, thrifting, and loooves traveling.

Emily Satel, M.S. LPC-Associate is supervised by Venus Rouhani-Rafiei, M.A., LPC-S, LMFT-S

Anna is a Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy trained therapist at our Austin clinic with 1200+ sessions.

Anna was the first therapist that Transcends founders chose to train how to do our model of KAP. The Transcend founders chose Anna because she had a beginners mind and as luck would have it... Anna turned out to be a freakin' natural. Transcend has some of the best KAP therapists in the Ketamine space but Anna is one of the most naturally inclined and intuitive KAP therapists we have trained, and is very likely one of the best KAP therapists in the psychedelic medicine space (she is too humble to admit that though)

Anna helped the founders of Transcend to continue to develop our methodologies and has provided significant input as our clinic has grown, personally training every staff member, from admin to medical, in Trauma Informed care.

Before coming to Transcend, Anna received her Master of Arts in Counseling from St. Edward’s University in 2017 after completing her undergraduate degree in Psychology at Louisiana State University. Anna has accumulated 3 years of experience in a psychiatric inpatient hospital setting both as a pre-graduate practicum student and as a post-graduate clinician providing psychotherapeutic care to humans in crisis. Thanks to her background in this high acuity setting, Anna is very familiar with what it looks like to truly join a client in their darkest hour. This setting has also benefitted Anna’s professional development by providing extensive training in suicidality risk assessment and management, trauma-informed psychotherapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) methodologies.

Today, Anna brings her expertise as a trauma-informed psychotherapist as well as lived experience as a yogic practitioner into her work at Transcend by providing a form of therapy that focuses on the mind-body connection. Anna’s approach incorporates a framework of Polyvagal Theory, Somatic Experiencing, Attachment Theory, and CBT to highlight the neurobiological underpinnings of what “safety” means to us and how a lack of safety can affect our relationships, beliefs about ourselves, and beliefs about the world.

In session with Anna, you can expect her to bring a sense of realness and genuine warmth to the room, which she believes is integral for healing and growth. Without a sense of safety with another, one can't be expected to be vulnerable, and it's only in moments of vulnerability that growth occurs. She has been known to roll out a yoga mat and get on the floor with clients to join them in preparatory breathwork or somatic exercises pre-infusion. This down-to-Earth approach makes Anna a great fit for working with adolescents and young adults, which is a population she specializes in at her private practice outside of Transcend.

With Anna by your side during a KAP session, you will FEEL safe, and when one really feels that deeply, the important content and emotional experiences tend to emerge intrinsically without much work needing to be done. No issue feels too big or too small to talk with Anna about, she's just got it.

Individual KAP sessions with Anna Campbell LPC are $699 each.

Kelly joined the Transcend team with over 16 years of experience as a registered nurse.

She spent over a decade of her career at one of the nation’s top hospitals, New York Presbyterian-Columbia, working in critical care and the cardiac cath lab.

Driven by an insatiable curiosity and an unyielding passion for exploring novel avenues of healing, her journey led her into the realm of mental health. She strives to create a safe and nurturing environment where patients can explore the depths of their consciousness, unburden themselves from mental strife, and find the path toward healing and growth.

In her free time, she loves spending time with her family and her dog, as well as traveling, reading, and being on the water.