The Frontier Institute for Hope and Wellness

09/09/2026

I haven’t posted in awhile we have been busy!!

Building what social work field education could ✨and should✨look like in the psychedelic space can feel a little overwhelming.

There are conversations happening everywhere 🙌🏼research, policy, clinical practice, Indigenous knowledge, ethics, community healing, workforce development, and legislation moving faster than education can sometimes keep up.

I’m trying to stay tuned into all of it. Not because I think I have the answers, but because we have a rare opportunity to ask the right questions before the system is fully built. 🤘🏼

What do future social workers actually need to know? Where do we belong in this work? How do we honor the Indigenous roots of these medicines? How do we protect people, prepare students, and make sure social work values have a seat at the table?

Some days it feels like we’re building the plane while flying it.✈️ Don’t worry, I’ve done this before. Systems level reform is my jam!

Listen. Learn. Stay curious. Build thoughtfully. Document what works. Change what doesn’t.

We don’t need to rush to define the field. We need to help build it well with reverence and reciprocity ✨

08/08/2026

✨ 8•8 ✨

There are days that feel like an invitation to pay closer attention to our energy, our intentions, and the way we are choosing to move through this life.

Walk with intention.
Speak with intention.
Love with intention.
Create with intention.
Be mindful of what you are feeding with your energy.

We spend so much of our lives rushing toward the next thing that sometimes we forget to ask the bigger question:

Why did I come here?

Not just to work, achieve, accumulate, or survive.

We came here to experience. To love. To learn. To create. To heal. To serve. To become. To leave something a little better because we were here.

Maybe the portal isn’t something we need to find or walk through. Maybe it’s simply a reminder that we get to choose, again and again, who we are becoming.

So today, dream bigger. Release what no longer belongs to you. Be grateful for how far you’ve traveled, and get very clear about where you’re going.

Your life is happening now.

Remember why you came.
✨🤍♾️🪬🧿

08/04/2026

Everyday 💫

07/26/2026

Healing happens in community 🫶🏼

Love is our most precious and abundant resource, too often love is withheld or weaponized 🤍 love your people.

Basking in the regulation of my nervous system.

Aho 🌬️🪶🐸💫🧿

07/22/2026

There’s a tendency to focus on the ceremony, but the real work begins long before you sit with the medicine.

The weeks leading up are about intention. Slowing down, creating space, and taking an honest inventory of your life.

This might look like setting aside time to journal your thoughts and emotions, reducing doom scrolling so your mind can settle, simplifying your diet to support clarity, and prioritizing rest so your body can soften and restore. Reflect on what you’re carrying, what you’re ready to release, and what you hope to understand, without expectation.

This work isn’t about chasing an experience. It’s about entering into relationship with yourself, your guides, your community, and the wisdom that unfolds in its own time.

Preparation shapes how you show up. The conversations, boundaries, habits, questions, and practices you bring all become part of the medicine.

The ceremony may last a day, but healing begins before and continues long after.

Approach it with humility, curiosity, and gratitude.The intention you carry in becomes the foundation for what follows.

2 years later, returning to where it all began. Mama I’m coming home 🤍✨🌬️🪶

07/15/2026

In June, MSW practicum student Lauren Dudark presented at the Oklahoma Psychedelic Symposium alongside University of Oklahoma social work faculty member Trina DuVall. The presentation highlighted the university's commitment to preparing the next generation of social workers to thoughtfully engage with emerging areas of research and practice through ethical education, interdisciplinary collaboration, and respect for Indigenous knowledge and traditional healing.

This work extends beyond a single practicum or research initiative. It reflects a broader commitment to creating meaningful pathways for students to engage with emerging scholarship, contribute to critical conversations, and develop the competencies needed to navigate a rapidly evolving field. Opportunities for students to present alongside researchers, clinicians, community leaders, and advocates demonstrate the essential role of field education in bridging classroom learning with real-world practice.

Lauren's professionalism, curiosity, and willingness to engage in this pioneering work exemplify the values of the Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work. As the landscape of behavioral health continues to evolve, the university remains committed to fostering innovative community partnerships and experiential learning opportunities that prepare graduates to become ethical practitioners, researchers, and policymakers.

By investing in students, strengthening community collaborations, and advancing interdisciplinary dialogue, the University of Oklahoma is helping shape the future of social work field education in Oklahoma and beyond.

07/13/2026

On September 14th, FDA will host a public hearing at its White Oak Campus in Maryland to explore 'considerations for potential future therapeutic use of psychedelics'.

Announced today alongside a request for comments, the agency says the meeting aims to "obtain feedback and perspectives on issues associated with the potential future therapeutic use of drug products containing a psychedelic drug substance in supervised and supportive settings."

Registration and requests to present oral comment, both virtual and in-person, can be made via the agency's website.

Learn more via our reporting, live now on our website.

07/03/2026

A week ago, I had the incredible privilege of sharing my story publicly for the first time at the Open Plains Psychedelic Symposium while also presenting the work we're building to prepare the next generation of social workers for ethical, interdisciplinary field education in psychedelic-assisted therapies. 🤍

It feels surreal to reflect on how deeply personal this journey has been. What began through profound grief has become a path filled with purpose, healing, and an unwavering commitment to serving others.

Standing in a room with researchers, clinicians, Indigenous leaders, students, and advocates reminded me that meaningful change is never created alone, it is built through relationships, trust, and a shared vision.

I am deeply grateful for every person who has encouraged me, challenged me, opened a door, shared their wisdom, or simply believed in the work before it fully existed.

Thank you to those who have walked beside me and to those who continue to create opportunities for collaboration and learning.

The road ahead is still being built, but for the first time I can truly see it.

I'm honored to be part of this movement and excited for what comes next as we continue developing social work field education grounded in ethics, collaboration, humility, and respect for Indigenous knowledge and healing traditions.

My heart is full. Onward. ✨

06/30/2026

What an amazing weekend full of community and education ✨ if you were able to attend please complete the survey in the comments 💫

06/22/2026

Come learn how we’re building an infrastructure to support this work in Oklahoma- from education to application 💫

Speaker Spotlight: Trina Duvall

Trina Duvall is a social work educator at the University of Oklahoma and a PhD student whose work explores trauma, grief, social systems, and the therapeutic potential of psychedelics.

Drawing on more than 20 years of experience in child welfare and social services, Trina is passionate about creating space for diverse voices in psychedelic conversations—including students, non-clinical facilitators, and Indigenous perspectives—while helping bridge the worlds of research, practice, and lived experience.

We’re excited to welcome Trina to the Oklahoma Psychedelic Symposium on June 27.