Amy Valesh-Peterson

Nurse Practitioner
(She/Her)

I am a dual board-certified Family and Emergency Nurse Practitioner and have spent most of my career working in emergency rooms and urgent care settings. Over the years I came to recognize some of the limitations of Western medicine, in that most medical issues were treated with a variety of medications. Some medications helped while others simply did not. Several medications had terrible side effects requiring additional medications to treat those negative side effects. Increasingly I started to feel that I wasn’t helping people in the way I wanted to. I longed for a way to help my patients genuinely feel better and alleviate suffering. I think we can all agree there is a lot of room for improvement in how many health issues, especially mental health issues, are treated in the US at this point.

In 2021 I embarked on a journey into discovering the amazing properties of medical cannabis. I earned a Certification in Medical Cannabis from Pacific College of Health and Sciences. I was amazed to discover the many different symptoms and conditions cannabis can treat, all at the same time! The safety profile of cannabis is remarkable, minimizing the issues with side effects. I was surprised to discover that evidence of cannabis to treat medical conditions reaches back at least 5000 years. This medicine has been used and stood the test of time for centuries. I used my knowledge at a medical cannabis clinic in Boulder, Colorado educating patients on how to appropriately use cannabis medicinally and provide recommendations for medical cannabis cards to those with qualifying conditions.

Through my work at the medical cannabis clinic I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to learn about the astounding psychedelic therapy work done at the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness. Psychedelics help people in unique and transformational ways. I am incredibly honored and excited to be a part of this remarkable work! I have been trained by the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness in the best practices for ketamine administration. Additionally, I have completed Psychedelic Sitter School part 1, which provided extensive knowledge regarding the process of using psychedelics therapeutically with clients.

When not at work I keep busy with my family which includes my husband, 2 teenage daughters, and my dog. I am a voracious reader and make it a goal to learn something new every day.