Ketamine therapy for Clearwater adults is administered at Ascend Mind and Body's Wesley Chapel clinical hub by Anna Stouffer, PMHNP-BC. From Clearwater ZIPs 33755, 33756, 33759, 33761, and 33763 (downtown Clearwater near Coachman Park, the Pier 60 area, Countryside, Belleair), the drive is approximately 50 minutes via Memorial Causeway to Courtney Campbell Causeway across to I-275, then I-75 north and SR 56 east. The required psychiatric consultation is $320 and is available via Florida telehealth from home. Treatment sessions are in person only. Induction series: $1,500 bundled. Single session: $300. Call (813) 670-3005 or book a consultation.
Multi-day planning for Clearwater patients
Clearwater is one of two longer-drive Pinellas service areas in this cluster (the other is St. Petersburg). The geography matters: the drive runs east on Memorial Causeway off the beach island, then across the Courtney Campbell Causeway to north Tampa, then I-275 north to I-75 and SR 56. Outside rush hour: about 50 minutes. During weekday peaks the Courtney Campbell adds 15 to 25 minutes.
Many Clearwater patients choose to compress the induction phase with a two- or three-night hotel stay along the Wiregrass corridor near the clinic, rather than driving the causeway every other day. Some pair the trip with a Clearwater Beach lifestyle pattern in reverse: a few hotel nights east, the dosing schedule done, back to the beach.
The four-step protocol
- Psychiatric evaluation (60 minutes, telehealth or in person). Treatment history, current symptoms, medical conditions, prior medication trials at therapeutic doses, and contraindications are reviewed by Anna Stouffer.
- Induction series: six sessions over approximately two to three weeks. Each visit at Wesley Chapel runs about 90 minutes from check-in to discharge.
- Active dose monitoring: 40 to 60 minutes in a recliner in a private treatment room. Anna Stouffer or a trained clinical team member is present and monitoring throughout.
- Maintenance determined by response. Some patients need none, some monthly, some every six to eight weeks. For Clearwater patients the maintenance interval often determines whether the causeway commute stays practical long-term.
You cannot drive yourself home after a session. Plan a ride before you arrive. For Clearwater patients staying near the clinic during induction, a short rideshare from the hotel handles this; for daily commuters, a partner or family driver is the standard plan.
Conditions ketamine is evaluated for
Each indication is assessed case by case. None are guaranteed to respond.
- Treatment-resistant depression: primary indication.
- PTSD: off-label, after trauma-focused therapy and first-line medications.
- Severe anxiety: presentations resistant to standard pharmacological treatment.
- OCD: off-label, after first-line ERP and SSRI trials.
- Bipolar depression: evaluated carefully.
- Chronic pain: CRPS and neuropathic pain, off-label and adjunctive.
If you are in crisis, call or text 988. Ketamine therapy is not an emergency intervention.
Your provider
Anna Stouffer, MS, PMHNP-BC, FNP-BC, dual board certified in psychiatric-mental health and family practice, runs every ketamine evaluation, every dosing session, and every follow-up at Ascend Wesley Chapel. Anna's full provider bio.
Why subcutaneous
Pinellas County's ketamine market is primarily IV. Ascend uses subcutaneous (SubQ) racemic ketamine: a small needle into the subcutaneous tissue. SubQ produces a smoother, more predictable onset than oral routes with substantially less infrastructure than IV. The structural difference that matters more than the route: every dose is determined by your response, every session is monitored by the same provider, and the protocol is reassessed after each visit.
Pricing
- Initial psychiatric consultation: $320
- Six-session induction series (bundled rate): $1,500
- Single ketamine session (if paid per visit): $300
Insurance coverage for racemic ketamine is variable and most often out-of-network. The psychiatric consultation may be partially covered by in-network psychiatric benefits depending on your plan.
What the research shows
Ketamine has been an FDA-approved anesthetic since the 1970s. Lower-dose psychiatric use is administered off-label. The medication is an NMDA receptor antagonist that modulates glutamate.
A randomized proof-of-concept trial of intravenous ketamine for chronic PTSD (Feder A, et al., JAMA Psychiatry, 2014) reported significantly greater reduction in PTSD symptom severity in the ketamine arm versus midazolam control. A separate open-label trial of subcutaneous ketamine for treatment-resistant depression (Loo C, et al., Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 2016) reported response rates after SubQ dosing comparable to the IV literature, with shorter monitoring requirements. Group averages are not promises. Individual responses vary, and not every patient responds.
Safety and side effects
Most effects are transient and resolve before discharge: temporary dizziness or nausea, mild and short-term increases in heart rate and blood pressure, brief perceptual changes or mild euphoria during the dose window, occasional headache or fatigue. Ketamine is a Schedule III controlled substance administered only under medical supervision.
Where Clearwater patients are treated
Treatment happens at Ascend Mind and Body, 27724 Cashford Circle, Suite 102, Wesley Chapel, FL 33544. Ground-floor suite, free parking. Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. From the Pier 60 and Coachman Park area, the route is Memorial Causeway east, Courtney Campbell across the bay to I-275 north, I-275 to I-75, exit SR 56 east.
Adjacent service-area pages: ketamine therapy in St. Petersburg (downtown St. Pete, Vinoy Park, Bayfront, Howard Frankland approach) and ketamine therapy in Tampa. The in-person treatment hub: Wesley Chapel.
FAQs about ketamine therapy in Clearwater
Is the Causeway worth it versus the Courtney Campbell at rush hour?
Memorial Causeway off the beach island is a short stretch and rarely the bottleneck. Courtney Campbell across the bay is the variable: smooth at mid-morning, badly congested at peak afternoon hours, particularly westbound at end of day. For weekday sessions, mid-morning eastbound and mid-afternoon return is the cleanest window. Veterans Expressway via SR 580 is a usable alternate but adds toll cost.
Should I plan a hotel stay for the induction?
Many Clearwater patients do, particularly during the front half of induction. Two or three nights near the Wiregrass corridor avoids three causeway round trips. Residence Inn, Hyatt Place, and Hampton Inn options operate within 5 to 10 minutes of the clinic. The clinical protocol is identical whether you commute or stay; the decision is purely logistical.
Are there ketamine providers in Clearwater?
Yes, several IV ketamine clinics operate in Pinellas County. The reasons Clearwater patients have chosen Ascend despite the drive: a single provider (Anna Stouffer) runs every session rather than a rotating tech model, and the protocol is subcutaneous rather than IV. Some patients reasonably choose a closer Pinellas option; it depends on what matters most to you.
Can I combine the clinic visit with a Clearwater Beach day?
Not on the same day. The dissociative recovery window after a ketamine session and the strict no-driving rule make beach plans for the rest of that day impractical. What patients do instead: a beach day either the day before they leave for Wesley Chapel or the day they return after a hotel-stay induction. Many find the framing useful as a recovery bookend rather than a same-day plan.
What does a session feel like?
Most patients describe a dissociative or dreamlike state during the active dose: detachment from the body, mild visual changes, sometimes a floating sensation. Effects of the active medication wear off within one to two hours. Anna Stouffer or a trained clinical team member is monitoring throughout.
Is ketamine addictive?
Ketamine has potential for misuse, which is why it is classified as a Schedule III controlled substance. In a supervised clinical setting with structured dosing, the risk is managed.
For the full clinical picture across all Ascend ketamine services, see Ascend's racemic ketamine treatment details.
Sources
- Feder A, Parides MK, Murrough JW, et al. Efficacy of intravenous ketamine for treatment of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2014;71(6):681-688. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2014.62.
- Loo CK, Galvez V, O'Keefe E, et al. Placebo-controlled pilot trial testing dose titration and intravenous, intramuscular and subcutaneous routes for ketamine in depression. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 2016;134(1):48-56. doi:10.1111/acps.12572.