OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Alchemy Community Therapy Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides high-quality training and accessible psychedelic therapy to underserved communities, announced that Dr. Deidra Somerville has decided to step down as the organization’s executive director. The board of directors has unanimously appointed Greg Kearns, a member of Alchemy’s board since 2020, as interim executive director. He will also remain a member of the board.
Kearns thanked Somerville for her service. “On behalf of the board, I want to thank Dr. Somerville for her role in advancing the important work we do to serve the community and improve the mental health of our clients. Dr. Somerville supported the organization through a critical period in our continued growth and development, and we are incredibly grateful for her many contributions.”
“I leave Alchemy in the very capable hands of a phenomenal management team, growing staff and engaged board of directors,” said Somerville. “Alchemy has made its mark through its one-of-a-kind ketamine assisted therapy (KAT) public training program. The organization is committed to equitable access to psychedelic-assisted therapy for all Bay Area residents and emphasizes access to its training programs for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ therapists.”
Somerville continued, “I am proud to be part of this legacy and will continue to support the work of Alchemy as a trainer in the KAT public training program and as an advocate for access and equity in psychotherapy and psychedelic-assisted therapy.”
Throughout her tenure with the organization, Somerville has helped the management team further refine the organization’s offerings with the goal of sustaining the only nonprofit, sliding fee scale psychedelic-assisted therapy clinic in the Bay Area. During Somerville’s tenure, the organization trained more than 80 therapists, graduated two cohorts of trainees through its public training program, launched psychedelic-assisted therapy groups for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities, and provided affordable, accessible psychotherapy and psychedelic-assisted therapy groups and individual sessions to more than 500 individuals.
Kearns is a health care strategist with many years of strategy and business development experience in traditional, not-for-profit health care systems. He also advises start-ups in the psychedelic medicine space. As he steps into the interim executive director role, Kearns shared, “I am excited to partner with the management team and staff as we seek to build on Alchemy’s many accomplishments. I am committed to a smooth transition.”
In the coming months, Kearns will support Alchemy in revisiting its strategic plan and evaluating opportunities to further refine its operating model and management structure.
About Alchemy
The Alchemy Community Therapy Center is a sliding-scale clinic that offers psychotherapy and psychedelic-assisted therapy (as it becomes legal) to underserved communities in the Bay Area. The priority is to offer high-quality, accessible and culturally sensitive services to individuals from a diversity of backgrounds, cultures and lived experiences. Alchemy is a training clinic, providing rigorous educational programming in depth-oriented psychedelic-assisted therapy through a community-focused, social justice and trauma-informed lens. The organization places an emphasis on training clinicians who reflect the diverse identities of the communities it serves. Learn more.
