Do I Need a Referral for Ketamine Therapy?
You can contact us directly, with no referral. Here is why we still ask about your other clinicians, which records help, and what a first evaluation looks at.
No. You can request a consultation with Clear Ketamine Therapy yourself, without a referral from a doctor or therapist. With your permission, we coordinate with the psychiatrist, therapist or physician you already see, because ketamine therapy works best alongside ongoing care. Bringing records of your diagnosis, past treatments and current medications makes the first evaluation more useful, and that first conversation can happen by telehealth while you are in Florida.
Do you need a referral for ketamine therapy?
Not at our clinic. You can reach out directly, by phone at (656) 269-4567 or through the consultation form, and the first step is a conversation about whether ketamine therapy fits your situation. A referral letter is welcome if you have one, but you do not need one to get started.
Other providers set their own policies, so ask each clinic you are considering. Separately, some insurance plans require a referral before they will pay for specialist care. That rule matters when a plan is paying the bill, and since we do not bill insurance, it does not affect whether we can see you.
Why coordination with your current clinicians matters
Skipping the referral does not mean going it alone. With your permission, we share relevant information with your psychiatrist, therapist or primary care physician and listen to what they know about you. Ketamine therapy is meant to fit inside the care you already have, not to stand in for it.
Coordination is practical, not a formality. It supports:
- Medication safety: the FDA prescribing information warns that ketamine taken with opioids, benzodiazepines or other sedating drugs, including alcohol, can cause profound sedation and slowed breathing, so the full picture of what you take matters.
- Continuity: your therapist can help you make sense of anything that comes up during a course of treatment.
- An earlier warning: clinicians who see you regularly may notice changes in mood or health between sessions.
- Better decisions: when everyone works from the same information, choices about continuing, pausing or stopping treatment are better informed.
Records that help at your first visit
You do not need a stack of paperwork to begin, but a few documents make the evaluation sharper. Gather what is easy to get, and if you give permission, the clinical team can ask your other clinicians for the rest.
- A current list of every prescription, over-the-counter medicine and supplement, with doses
- Your diagnoses and roughly when each was made
- The treatments you have tried for your symptoms, how long you used each one, and what happened
- Recent visit notes or a summary letter from your psychiatrist, therapist or physician
- Relevant medical history, such as blood pressure readings, heart problems or recent lab work
- Names and contact details for the clinicians you would like us to coordinate with
What the first evaluation covers
The evaluation settles two things: whether ketamine therapy is medically reasonable for you, and whether you want to go ahead. A clinician reviews your symptoms and diagnosis, what you have already tried, your physical health, and every medication you take. Physical health gets real attention because, according to the FDA prescribing information, ketamine raises blood pressure and heart rate and should not be used when a significant rise in blood pressure would be a serious hazard.
Your consultation and planning conversations can take place at the clinic or by telehealth, as long as you are physically in Florida at the time, and we confirm your location at each televisit. If treatment is recommended, you see the recommended course and its full cost in writing before you commit. The ketamine itself is only ever given at our Tampa clinic, as a small injection under the skin, while a clinician monitors you.
Talking to the clinician you already see
If you are already in care, it is worth telling your clinician that you are looking into ketamine therapy, even though you do not need their permission. They know your history, they may have useful records, and with your permission they can be part of the picture if you start treatment.
If you are not in ongoing care, you can still request a consultation. The evaluation is a good moment to talk about the support around you, since ketamine therapy is intended as one part of continuing care. And if you are struggling right now, do not wait for any appointment: call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency.
Request a consultation
A conversation, not a commitment. Please don't include medical records, diagnosis details, or anything urgent — this form is not monitored for emergencies.
In person or by telehealth
You can be seen both ways. Consultations, planning conversations, and follow-up visits happen in person at our Tampa clinic or by telehealth — whichever works better for you.
Ketamine itself is always administered in person, at the clinic, with a clinician monitoring you throughout. We do not prescribe ketamine for use at home.
Telehealth visits require you to be physically located in Florida at the time of the visit.
How telehealth works here
- Telehealth is available to patients who are physically located in Florida, and the clinicians providing that care hold active Florida licenses.
- Your location is confirmed at the start of every telehealth visit. If you are not in Florida, the visit does not go ahead.
- Ketamine is never prescribed for you to take at home. It is administered only at our clinic, in person, with a clinician monitoring you throughout — a telehealth visit does not change that.
- You are seen in person before any treatment session, because every session happens at the clinic.
- A telehealth visit never guarantees that treatment will be offered, any more than an in-person evaluation does.
- Telehealth is not for emergencies. If you are in crisis or having thoughts of self-harm, call or text 988, or call 911.
Common questions
Yes. You can contact us directly, and no referral is needed. If you already see a psychiatrist, therapist or physician, we will ask whether we may coordinate with them, because treatment decisions are better informed when the clinicians involved in your care share what they know.
No. Coordination happens only with your permission, and you decide which of your clinicians we speak with. We ask because ketamine therapy is designed to work alongside your ongoing care, and the people who already treat you often hold information that makes your evaluation and any treatment plan more accurate.
Yes. Clinicians can call the clinic at (656) 269-4567, and our page for referring providers explains how coordination works. A referral opens the conversation and brings useful history with it, but the decision about whether treatment is appropriate still comes from our own evaluation of you.
Bring a full medication and supplement list with doses, your diagnoses, the treatments you have tried and how they went, and any recent notes or letters from your clinicians. Add the names of the people you want us to coordinate with. If the visit is by telehealth, have these within reach and be in Florida for the call.
Sources & further reading
- Ketamine hydrochloride injection: FDA prescribing information (label revised March 2026) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed 2026-11-02. Contraindications (significant blood pressure elevation), section 5.9 and 7.3 interactions with CNS depressants including alcohol, and section 12.2 cardiovascular effects.
- Help for Mental Illnesses — National Institute of Mental Health. Accessed 2026-11-02.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Accessed 2026-11-02.
Links point to external organizations. Clear Ketamine Therapy does not control their content.
Reviewed by Editorial team. Last reviewed 2026-11-02. Educational information only — not medical advice or a substitute for care from your own clinicians.
Keep reading
- Am I a Candidate?Candidacy for ketamine therapy depends on your diagnosis, treatment history, health, and medications. Learn the factors clinicians weigh — and the next step.
- What to ExpectA plain-language walkthrough of the full treatment process at our Tampa clinic — the evaluation, the sessions themselves, and the follow-up — including the parts that vary from person to person.
- For Referring ProvidersFor psychiatrists, therapists and physicians in the Tampa Bay area: how our clinic delivers ketamine therapy, how to refer a patient, and how we coordinate care with you.
- Insurance and Ketamine TherapyWhy many health plans decline to pay for ketamine therapy, what Medicaid and TRICARE publish about their own rules, and how paying works at our Tampa clinic.
Talk with our clinical team
A consultation is a conversation, not a commitment. Ask questions, share what you are comfortable sharing, and learn whether ketamine therapy may be worth considering for you.
Not for emergencies — call or text 988 or 911 if you are in crisis.