First Psychedelics graduates celebrate at Europe’s largest conference in Exeter

The first cohort of graduates from a UK-first programme in psychedelics will be celebrated when Europe’s largest and longest-running conference on psychedelic comes to Devon this Easter.

The first cohort of graduates from a UK-first programme in psychedelics will be celebrated when Europe’s largest and longest-running conference on psychedelic comes to Devon this Easter.

The conference, called Breaking Convention, takes place every two years, with more than 200 speakers presenting at the University’s Streatham Campus between April 17 and 19. It includes subjects encompassing medicine, psychology, anthropology, sociology, law, politics, and the arts – with the University’s own research on the bill, including philosopher Dr Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes, who is a co-director of the conference.

Among the attendees will be many of the first students to graduate from Exeter’s Postgraduate Certificate in Psychedelics programme, which was the first of its kind in the UK when it was launched at the festival two years ago. The programme aims to upskill and educate healthcare workers, therapists, and others from around the world on the emerging potential of psychedelics.

Graduating students praised the programme’s holistic approach, encompassing elements including medical science and neuroscience alongside the philosophy, culture, and history of psychedelic use. Graduates described feeling “privileged” to have world-leaders in their fields delivering talks and workshops to students.

GP Dr Sohere Roked, who is from Wales and works in London, said she was attracted to sign up to the programme because of an ongoing interest in the root cause of illness, along with non-conventional medical ways of treating people. “I used to be a psychiatrist before I became a GP, and I see with my patients that there’s a huge emotional and mental component to physical illness. As I started to learn about the medical potential for psychedelics, I really wanted to be on the forefront. A lot of the courses available were US-based, so I was delighted to see this offered from a UK-based Russell Group university. I thought I was signing up to another online CPD course – but it’s so much more than that. We had regular Zoom check-ins with our tutors and lots of opportunities to engage, and we formed a real community.”

“For the first time, I was studying philosophy and cultural aspects alongside the medicine and neuroscience which is more my comfort zone. It was a whole new insight that was hugely important. It’s beyond molecules … looking at complex ethics, and how people have been using psychedelics for many years. It’s changed the way I think, with more appreciation for how art and science meet, which has definitely had a positive impact on my practice.

London-based psychotherapist Emma Roselli signed up in order to be equipped for potential future changes in clinical practice to allow psychedelics to be used and has since secured a new job as a therapist with a clinic that facilitates clinical trials in psychedelics. “As a psychotherapist, I support my clients to explore what may be driving thoughts, feelings and behaviours, some of which may be outside their awareness. Exploring these deeper layers can take time and careful reflection. In a controlled clinical setting, the use of psychedelics alongside therapy, can serve as powerful aid and may accelerate this process. It can offer new perspectives, and bring up feelings and reflections that may not have been fully understood before, offering a chance to gain deeper insights into ourselves.”

The programme has now been expanded into both an online and on-campus MSc in Psychedelics: Mind, Medicine and Culture. The online programme enrolled its first cohort of students in January, the on-campus programme will welcome the first group of students in September 2025.

Programme lead Dr Andy Letcher said: “We’re delighted to celebrate the first graduates from our innovative Postgraduate Certificate in Psychedelics: Mind, Medicine, Culture. In many ways they’re pioneers, having studied the exciting new research that’s emerging from all aspects of psychedelics – including science, history, anthropology, and philosophy – and not least their potential health benefits. We’ve been so impressed with our students’ enthusiasm, their willingness to learn, and the expertise they’ve brought from different fields of life. Having the Breaking Convention conference in Exeter is an excellent opportunity for them to learn from the world’s leading voices, and to network at all levels. It’s testimony to how Exeter is leading the field in psychedelics research and education, which has led to us now developing new online and in-person Masters programmes in Psychedelics.”

The conference will also hear from Professor Celia Morgan another key member of staff involved in the programme, who is exploring how to make psychedelic therapies accessible to a wider group of individuals. Professor Morgan leads the MORE-KARE study, which is investigating whether ketamine-assisted therapy could help people with alcohol problems stop drinking, currently running a phase III trial. Professor Morgan is also leading clinical research using regulated forms of psychedelic drugs to treat conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder, delivered in collaboration with the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Devon Partnership NHS Trust.

The programme also includes academic presentations from Exeter academics Drs Leor Roseman, Andy Letcher and Emily Selove, as well as PhD students Eirini Argyri and Naina Gupta.

Visit the relevant programme pages to find out more about the University’s Postgraduate Certificate in Psychedelics, and the online and in-person Masters programmes.