In this post:
- A Journey from Emergency and Hospice Care to Mental Health
- A Hands-On Approach to Treatment
- Building Trust in a Vulnerable Process
- Addressing Common Ketamine Concerns
- Committed to Collaborative Care
- More Than a Provider—A Partner in Healing
Ketamine therapy can feel like a leap into the unknown for many patients. At Avesta Ketamine and Wellness (Avesta), Sam Griffith, a Nurse Practitioner and Regional Clinical Lead, ensures that every ketamine patient feels informed, supported, and safe throughout the process. His expertise in both emergency medicine and hospice care has shaped his unique, hands-on approach—one that blends deep clinical knowledge with genuine compassion.
Here, Sam shares how he builds trust with Avesta patients, helps them navigate concerns about ketamine safety and ensures each IV therapy session feels supportive, controlled, and effective.
A Journey from Emergency and Hospice Care to Mental Health
Sam’s clinical career started in high-pressure environments. As an ER travel nurse in Los Angeles and Baltimore, he learned to think fast and stay calm under pressure. Later, Sam moved into hospice care, where he guided patients and families through some of life’s most challenging moments.
Both roles shaped Sam’s ability to meet patients where they are. Whether in crisis or need of comfort, he knows how to listen, reassure, and guide.
“Hospice taught me a lot about presence,” Sam says. “The job wasn’t just about medical care. It was about making people feel seen and supported.”
Sam’s patient-centered perspective took on a new dimension when he struggled to get support for his own mental health challenges. After facing a major depressive event and navigating the impersonal world of conventional treatments, counseling, and medications, Sam realized how many people lacked access to compassionate and effective care.
“If I had known about ketamine therapy then, I would have been first in line,” he says. “People need options that actually work.”
That realization eventually led Sam to seek a role in the mental health field at Avesta’s DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) ketamine clinics.
A Hands-On Approach to Treatment
At Avesta, Sam plays a central role in every patient’s ketamine journey. He administers IV infusions, monitors responses, and ensures each person has a safe and supportive experience.
“I get to directly observe patient transformation,” he says. “When they walk in for their first appointment and walk out after their sixth, they’re radically different individuals.”
Sam spends considerable time with each patient before their sessions, multiple times weekly, tracking their progress and refining their treatment plan. He evaluates and assesses patients helping them discern subtle changes that indicate success. Patients are monitored throughout to ensure their comfort as they navigate this highly safe yet relatively unknown therapy.
“We do everything we can to put patients at ease,” says Sam.
Building Trust in a Vulnerable Process
Patients understandably feel uncertain about ketamine before trying it for the first time. After all, psychedelic therapy involves giving up some level of control, and that can be scary. Sam gets it.
“A really large part of my role is to meet the patient where they are and make sure they feel comfortable,” he says. “Not just with me and my skill set, but with the practice, the clinic, and the treatment itself.”
Patients who come to Avesta have faced dismissive doctors, ineffective treatments, and severe trauma in the past. They are wary of another promise of relief.
“This patient population, in particular, has a lot of distrust, and they have every reason to be cautious. My job is to create an environment where they feel safe, respected, and cared for,” he explains.
Sam does his job well, and patient testimonials reflect the impact of his approach. One Avesta patient, Dianne, describes how her favorite part of the ketamine experience was talking to Sam before each session. Knowing he was there helped ease her into the process.
“Sam is my guy. I look forward to him coming in and doing the injection,” Dianne shared in an Avesta interview. “He’s very, very good at what he does.”
Addressing Common Ketamine Concerns
Sam’s patients, like Dianne, often ask about ketamine safety, addiction risks, and potential treatment reactions. Others feel unsure about ketamine’s dissociative psychedelic effects.
Safety
For those worried about ketamine’s safety, Sam draws on both research and Avesta’s extensive clinical experience. “We’ve done over 10,000 infusions at Avesta and never had a sentinel event. Ketamine, when used correctly, is incredibly safe,” he says.
Side Effects
Side effects are another common concern. “Nausea is the biggest ketamine side effect, which we pre-treat with medication,” Sam explains. “Some patients also feel a little fatigued afterward, similar to recovering from a routine procedure like wisdom tooth removal.” Sam sets these expectations to help patients feel more at ease.
Dependence
Ketamine addiction is a frequent worry, but Sam explains why it’s not a risk with controlled, clinical use. “Probably 80% of our patients don’t need treatment after six months. They’ve completed 12 to 18 infusions, feel better, and are ready to move on,” he says. “To develop a ketamine addiction, you’d have to misuse it daily and in large amounts, which isn’t what we do at Avesta.” He also reassures patients that stopping treatment doesn’t cause withdrawal symptoms like shaking or cold sweats.
Psychedelic Effects
Sam often works with ketamine therapy patients who have never consumed alcohol or cannabis and feel uneasy about ketamine’s psychedelic properties. “For them, this treatment feels like jumping into the deep end,” he says.
However, Sam reassures them that ketamine’s mind-altering effects often lead to positive emotional experiences. “Many patients say they feel deeply connected to the world or describe it as every cell in their body being hugged,” he says.
Sam also emphasizes the flexible nature of IV ketamine therapy, which allows him to make real-time dosage adjustments for patient comfort. “I have full control over the IV infusion. I can pause it, slow it down, or change it as needed.”
For extra support, patients can bring a trusted friend or loved one to sit with them during treatment.
Committed to Collaborative Care
Support is key to patient success, according to Sam. And Avesta fosters this in-part through a collaborative approach that integrates therapists, psychiatrists, and physicians to offer personalized, well-rounded care.
“We go out of our way to coordinate with patients’ outside providers. That’s rare in healthcare because it takes extra effort, but we do it because it matters,” he says.
Avesta patients can even bring their own therapists to ketamine sessions, either in person or virtually.
“I’ve had patients bring EMDR therapists, trauma specialists, and ketamine couples therapists,” Sam says. “That extra layer of care can help them process their experience in real-time.”
Avesta also offers integration coaching and small-group circles, both in-person and virtual. These services help patients translate their ketamine treatment into meaningful, long-term changes.
“Ketamine opens the door, but you have to walk through it,” Sam says. “That’s why ongoing support is so important.”
More Than a Provider—A Partner in Healing
Working at Avesta is more than just a job—it’s a calling for Sam. His personal experiences and deep commitment to patient care make him a provider that patients trust and respect.
“I treat every patient like family. I don’t care where they come from or what they’ve been through,” he says.
Sam’s ability to connect with people, educate them, and guide them through the ketamine process has made him an essential part of Avesta’s mission to transform lives through innovative mental health care.
Avesta Ketamine and Wellness offers personalized, research-backed IV ketamine treatment in Washington, D.C., Bethesda, MD, Columbia, MD, and McLean, VA. Schedule a consultation today.
