Rosalind Watts
Clinical Psychologist
Clinical psychologist at Imperial College London who developed the ACER integration model and led landmark psilocybin for depression trials, among the most influential therapist-researchers in the field.
Biography
Rosalind Watts is a clinical psychologist whose work at Imperial College London's Centre for Psychedelic Research helped establish psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression as a scientifically credible intervention. Her research has spanned both the efficacy trials and the therapeutic process work that determines how psilocybin experiences translate into lasting psychological benefit.
Watts developed the ACER model (Accept, Connect, Embody, Restore) of psychedelic integration, a structured framework for the psychological support work that occurs before, during, and after psilocybin sessions. The ACER model has been influential in shaping how psychedelic therapists approach integration across the field, providing a practical and theoretically grounded alternative to less structured approaches.
Her work at Imperial College contributed to the landmark depression trials that produced some of the most widely cited evidence for psilocybin's therapeutic efficacy. She subsequently moved to Awakn Life Sciences to continue clinical work in psychedelic-assisted therapy. Watts has been vocal about the importance of the therapeutic relationship and psychological support in determining treatment outcomes, pushing back against purely pharmacological framings of psychedelic therapy that underweight the role of the therapist.
She has also been an outspoken advocate for attention to the psychological safety of patients in psychedelic research and therapy, raising concerns about the power dynamics inherent in the therapist-patient relationship in contexts involving vulnerability-inducing altered states.
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Why They Matter to the LearnShrooms Community
Watts' combination of landmark trial participation and practical integration model development makes her one of the most influential clinical voices in psychedelic-assisted therapy. The ACER model is widely used in training programs, and her advocacy for patient-centered therapeutic practice has shaped professional standards across the field.
