Ketamine Therapy in Montreal

Ketamine-assisted therapy is available in Montreal through Clinic Dr. Bita, ATMA CENA's Quebec member clinic at 1255 Avenue Greene in Westmount. Montreal has a distinctive ketamine therapy landscape: it is home to the publicly funded "Montreal Model" — a hospital-based ketamine + integrative-psychotherapy program at the Jewish General Hospital developed by Dr. Kyle Greenway and the McGill Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry — alongside an active private market with Field Trip Health, Numinus, Braxia, and others. Quebec's Bill 21 reserves psychotherapy as a regulated act, and Bill 96 shapes how clinics communicate in French and English. RAMQ does not cover Spravato or off-label ketamine for psychiatric use. This guide explains what's available, who qualifies, what it costs, and how to access care.

Key takeaways

• Montreal's ATMA CENA member clinic is Clinic Dr. Bita at 1255 Avenue Greene, Westmount.
• Quebec's Bill 21 reserves psychotherapy: only physicians, psychologists, and OPQ permit holders can deliver psychotherapy alongside ketamine dosing.
• INESSS recommended against listing Spravato on RAMQ (November 2020); racemic ketamine for psychiatric use is not RAMQ-covered. Most patients pay privately.
• The Montreal Model — a publicly funded ketamine + integrative-psychotherapy program at the Jewish General Hospital — offers a research-active, free public option with limited capacity and strict eligibility.

What is ketamine-assisted therapy?

Ketamine therapy uses sub-anaesthetic doses of ketamine — a Health Canada-approved anaesthetic — to treat conditions including treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, anxiety, OCD, and chronic pain. Health Canada has approved ketamine as an anaesthetic; psychiatric use is off-label, a legal and common practice in Canadian medicine. Spravato (intranasal esketamine) is Health Canada-approved for treatment-resistant MDD as of May 2020. INESSS, Quebec's drug-evaluation body, recommended against listing Spravato on the RAMQ formulary in November 2020.

When ketamine is paired with structured psychotherapy before, during, and after dosing, the treatment is called ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) or thérapie assistée par la kétamine. For the full mechanism breakdown, see What Is Ketamine Therapy?.

How ketamine works

Ketamine acts on the brain's glutamate system through NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor antagonism, triggering a downstream surge of glutamate, AMPA receptor activation, and BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) release that stimulates synaptogenesis — the formation of new neural connections within 24 to 72 hours of a dose (Lullau et al., 2023). Conventional antidepressants take 4 to 6 weeks to act; ketamine can produce antidepressant effects within 2 to 72 hours of a single IV dose. The Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) places IV racemic ketamine as a third-line treatment for adults with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) (Swainson et al., 2021).

Clinic Dr. Bita — ATMA CENA's Montreal member clinic

Clinic Dr. Bita is located in Westmount, on Avenue Greene's professional corridor near the Atwater Metro station. The clinical model uses ATMA CENA's three-phase KAP structure — preparation, dosing, integration — coordinated between Clinic Dr. Bita and ATMA CENA's medical team. Confirm bilingual service availability and current operational status during the information call.

The Montreal Model — Quebec's distinctive public-system contribution

Montreal's ketamine landscape includes a feature unique in Canada: the Montreal Model, a publicly funded ketamine + integrative-psychotherapy program developed at the Jewish General Hospital and McGill's Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, led by Dr. Kyle Greenway. The program integrates IV ketamine infusions with structured psychotherapy, music, and environmental design and has demonstrated meaningful sustained antidepressant effects compared to ketamine-only protocols (Greenway et al., Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2023). The MUHC and the Douglas Institute also conduct ketamine research and have treated severe TRD inpatients and outpatients.

Important context: the Montreal Model is research-active, capacity-limited, and gated by psychiatric referral and strict TRD eligibility criteria. It is not a routine outpatient option. Most Montreal patients seeking ketamine therapy access it through the private market.

Quebec regulatory framework

Three regulatory layers shape Montreal ketamine practice.

Federal — Health Canada. Ketamine is a Schedule I controlled substance, prescribed off-label for psychiatric use. Spravato is Health Canada-approved for TRD as of May 2020.

Provincial — Collège des médecins du Québec (CMQ). The CMQ has published a position document on parenteral ketamine for treatment-resistant depression in adults ("Kétamine parentérale pour la dépression réfractaire au traitement chez l'adulte: pertinence clinique, enjeux et encadrement"). Off-label psychiatric use is permitted within Canadian off-label prescribing principles, with appropriate facility, monitoring, and informed-consent requirements.

Bill 21 (loi 21, 2009) — psychotherapy as a reserved act. Quebec is the only province where psychotherapy is a reserved act. Only physicians, psychologists, and members of designated professional orders holding a psychotherapy permit from the Ordre des psychologues du Québec (OPQ) may deliver psychotherapy. The OPQ permit requires graduate training, 765 hours of theoretical psychotherapy training, and 300 hours of supervised direct clinical work. The practical implication for KAP in Montreal: the therapist component of preparation, dosing support, and integration must be delivered by a permit-holder, physician, or psychologist — not by an unregulated coach or counsellor.

Bill 96 (Charter of the French Language, 2022). Quebec health services default to French. English-language services are accommodated under specific exceptions (English education eligibility, Indigenous, recent immigrants, or pre-2021 English files). Confirm clinic language capabilities before booking.

Nurse practitioners (IPS — infirmière praticienne spécialisée) are authorized to prescribe controlled substances within their scope under the post-2021 OIIQ framework.

Quebec public coverage and insurance

RAMQ / INESSS. INESSS recommended against listing Spravato (esketamine) on the RAMQ formulary in November 2020, citing inconsistent demonstrated benefit and uncertainty regarding effect magnitude. Spravato is not on the public list of medications. Racemic ketamine is not on the RAMQ formulary for psychiatric use.

Quebec public hospital programs. The Montreal Model at the Jewish General Hospital and ketamine programs at the CHUM and Douglas Institute are publicly funded for eligible patients but capacity-limited and referral-gated.

CNESST (workers' compensation Quebec). Reviews ketamine claims case-by-case; no formal listing equivalent to WCB Alberta or WSIB Ontario.

Veterans Affairs Canada. Covers ketamine as a non-formulary product for service-related TRD or chronic pain on a case-by-case basis.

Private insurance. Coverage varies. Spravato is the form most likely to be covered with prior authorization for documented TRD. Generic IV/IM ketamine for psychiatric use is generally not covered. Alberta Blue Cross's psychedelic-assisted therapy coverage does not extend to Quebec residents.

Quebec precedent: In December 2022, two Quebec physicians (Dr. Houman Farzin and Dr. Jean-François Stephan) successfully billed RAMQ for psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy delivered to a patient with Health Canada Special Access Program approval — the first publicly billed psychedelic-assisted therapy in Canada. The precedent suggests Quebec will fund psychedelic-assisted therapies if clinical evidence and SAP-equivalent access criteria align; ketamine has no equivalent listing today.

What does ketamine therapy cost in Montreal?

ATMA CENA's published KAT pricing applies across the network, including Clinic Dr. Bita: KAT Psychedelic Pathway from CAD $1,585 + $795 per additional session; KAT Psycholytic Pathway from CAD $1,530 + $740 per additional session; customized programs CAD $2,325–$6,930. A non-refundable deposit of CAD $300 applies. Confirm specific figures during your information call.

Montreal competitor pricing for context: Field Trip Health Montreal and Numinus (NDG, Plateau, Outremont locations) operate KAP-model programs in the $375–$925 per-session range with variable program totals. Braxia Health Montreal (Town of Mount Royal; partnership with Neurotherapy Montreal) offers IV and sublingual ketamine at $200–$1,000 per session depending on protocol. Dr. Patrice Langlois (Pain Management Clinic) provides IV ketamine across Montreal/Gatineau/Ottawa for chronic pain and selected psychiatric indications.

For the full Canadian pricing breakdown, see Ketamine Therapy Cost in Canada.

Who is a candidate?

Most Canadian ketamine clinics use the following inclusion criteria:

• Adults 18 or older
• Diagnosis of TRD (failure of 2+ adequate antidepressant trials), bipolar depression with mood-stabilizer coverage, PTSD, anxiety disorders, OCD, or chronic pain
• Medically stable; able to provide informed consent

Absolute contraindications: active psychosis, uncontrolled severe hypertension, severe cardiovascular disease, current pregnancy, anaphylactic reaction to ketamine, active manic episode. For full detail, see How to Qualify for Ketamine Therapy in Canada.

Local Montreal practical notes

• Population: ~4.3M Montreal CMA — Canada's second-largest city; strongly francophone (~57% French at home; ~56% bilingual)
• Major hospitals: Jewish General Hospital (Montreal Model), CHUM, MUHC (Royal Victoria + Glen site), Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur
• Universities: McGill, Université de Montréal, UQAM, Concordia
• Transit: STM Metro and bus; REM commuter rail (South Shore and West Island connections)
• Catchment: Montreal Island, Laval, Longueuil/South Shore, West Island
• Bilingual/French considerations: confirm clinic language with the team during the information call
• Post-session: 24-hour no-driving rule; STM Metro and rideshare are practical alternatives

Frequently asked questions

Where is ATMA CENA's Montreal clinic? Clinic Dr. Bita, 1255 Avenue Greene, Suite 410, Westmount, QC H3Z 2A4. Phone +1-855-338-0870.

What is the Montreal Model? The Montreal Model is a publicly funded ketamine + integrative-psychotherapy program at the Jewish General Hospital, developed by Dr. Kyle Greenway and McGill's Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry. It integrates IV ketamine with structured psychotherapy, music, and environmental design and has demonstrated meaningful sustained antidepressant outcomes in published research. It is research-active, capacity-limited, and gated by psychiatric referral and strict TRD eligibility.

Does RAMQ cover ketamine therapy? No. INESSS recommended against listing Spravato on the RAMQ formulary in November 2020. Racemic ketamine for psychiatric use is not RAMQ-covered. Public-sector access is via specialty hospital programs (Jewish General, CHUM) for eligible patients only.

Does Bill 21 affect who can deliver ketamine-assisted psychotherapy? Yes. Quebec is the only province where psychotherapy is a reserved act. Only physicians, psychologists, and OPQ permit holders may deliver the psychotherapy component of KAP. ATMA CENA and Quebec member clinics structure their teams accordingly.

Are services available in French? Clinic Dr. Bita is located in Montreal and serves a bilingual clientele. Quebec's Bill 96 (Charter of the French Language, 2022) means health services default to French; confirm the clinic's specific French-language service capacity during the information call.

How much does ketamine therapy cost at Clinic Dr. Bita? ATMA CENA's published KAT pricing applies: CAD $1,530–$6,930 depending on pathway and number of sessions, plus a CAD $300 non-refundable deposit. Confirm specific figures during your information call.

Do I need a doctor's referral? No. ATMA CENA accepts self-referrals through the information call. The Montreal Model and other public-system programs require psychiatrist referral.

Can I drive after a ketamine session? No. Patients cannot drive for at least 24 hours after a session. STM Metro and rideshare are the practical alternatives.

Can my existing Montreal therapist work with the network? Through coordinated care model, yes — provided the therapist meets Quebec's Bill 21 requirements (physician, psychologist, or OPQ psychotherapy permit holder). The coordinated care partnership lets the therapeutic relationship continue while ATMA CENA's network provides medical oversight and dosing infrastructure.

Sources

1. ATMA CENA — Montreal Member Clinic (Clinic Dr. Bita): https://psychedelic.healthcare/
2. ATMA CENA — Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (pricing): https://psychedelic.healthcare/
3. ATMA CENA — Find care near you: https://psychedelic.healthcare/find-care/
4. Collège des médecins du Québec — Publications: https://www.cmq.org/en/publications
5. Quebec Bill 21 (2009, c.28) — psychotherapy as a reserved act: https://www.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/Fichiers_client/lois_et_reglements/LoisAnnuelles/en/2009/2009C28A.PDF
6. Ordre des psychologues du Québec — psychotherapy permit: https://www.ordrepsy.qc.ca/web/english/who-practices-psychotherapy
7. INESSS — Spravato extract notice (November 2020): https://www.inesss.qc.ca/en/themes/medicaments/drug-products-undergoing-evaluation-and-evaluated/extract-notice-to-the-minister/spravato-5429.html
8. Health Canada DPD — Spravato: https://health-products.canada.ca/dpd-bdpp/info?lang=eng&code=98903
9. McGill Newsroom — Montreal Model: https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/montreal-model-ketamine-therapy-yields-more-sustained-depression-relief-365774
10. Greenway K, et al. (2023). The Montreal Model. Front Psychiatry. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1268832/full
11. Lullau APM, et al. (2023). Antidepressant mechanisms of ketamine. Front Neurosci. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1223145/full
12. Swainson J, et al. (2021). CANMAT racemic ketamine recommendations. Can J Psychiatry. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33174760/

Related articles in this cluster

• Ketamine Therapy in Canada
• What Is Ketamine Therapy?
• Ketamine Therapy Cost in Canada
• How to Qualify for Ketamine Therapy in Canada
• Ketamine Therapy for Depression
• Ketamine Therapy in Toronto and the GTA
• Ketamine Therapy in Ottawa
• Insurance Coverage for Ketamine Therapy
• ATMA CENA Montreal member clinic
• Find care near you

Last updated: 2026-05-05