FOCUS
INTENSITY
TARGETING
The Interventions
KASPR links clinical understanding directly to intervention.
By identifying how ketamine-related harm is developing, it supports responses that are aligned with the mechanisms shaping the presentation, rather than relying on generalised or standardised approaches.
This enables intervention that is targeted, proportionate, and responsive to change over time.
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A Mechanism-Led Approach
KASPR supports practitioners to move beyond surface features of presentation and focus on what is driving risk.
By interpreting sentinel symptoms across Exposure, Drivers, and Harm, it becomes possible to identify the dominant factors shaping the presentation.
This allows intervention to be directed toward:
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patterns of use and escalation (Exposure)
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underlying psychological and behavioural processes (Drivers)
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emerging physical, cognitive, and functional consequences (Harm)
Rather than applying broad or generic interventions, responses are aligned with the specific processes through which ketamine-related harm develops and is sustained.
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Clinical Focus
KASPR supports a clear and structured clinical focus.
In practice, this means identifying:
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what is changing
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what is driving that change
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what requires immediate attention
This reduces reliance on fixed thresholds or diagnostic labels, and instead supports ongoing interpretation and adjustment of intervention as presentations evolve.
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Ketamine-Specific Interventions
KASPR is supported by a developed set of practical, ketamine-specific psychological interventions, designed to respond directly to the patterns of harm identified through the framework.
These interventions are grounded in frontline practice and reflect the distinct clinical profile of ketamine use — including intermittent patterns, rapid escalation, dissociative processes, and the early emergence of physical and cognitive harm.
They are structured to address the key dimensions of presentation identified through KASPR:
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patterns of exposure and escalation
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underlying psychological and behavioural drivers
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emerging physical, cognitive, and functional harm
This allows intervention to be closely aligned with how risk is developing, rather than applied in a standardised or generic way.
The focus is on providing clear, usable approaches that practitioners can apply within routine clinical work, enabling them to respond effectively to presentations that may not fit traditional models of dependence or severity.
In this way, KASPR does not only support the identification and interpretation of risk — it provides a structured and clinically grounded approach to intervention, designed specifically for ketamine-related harm.
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Consistency in Practice
By providing a shared structure for understanding and response, KASPR supports greater consistency across practitioners and services.
It enables:
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clearer clinical decision-making
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more aligned intervention across teams
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improved communication within multi-disciplinary settings
This strengthens not only how ketamine-related harm is understood, but how it is responded to in practice.
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An Integrated Four-Tier Pathway
KASPR operates as an integrated four-tier treatment pathway, supporting intervention across a continuum of need.
It provides a structured and progressive framework for responding to ketamine-related harm, aligned with how presentations develop over time.
The pathway spans:
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Tier 1 — Early recognition and low-intensity intervention
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Tier 2 — Structured psychological intervention
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Tier 3 — Integrated psychological and medical response
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Tier 4 — Specialist and inpatient provision
Each tier reflects increasing levels of complexity and risk, while remaining connected within a single, coherent system of care.
This allows services to respond proportionately, adapt intervention as presentations change, and maintain continuity across different levels of need.
KASPR provides the clinical structure that links assessment, interpretation, and intervention across all four tiers.