Althea NOLA – New Orleans, Louisiana Ketamine Clinics

✓ Edited by Angelica Bottaro for HealingMaps Editorial Staff

Known For: A physician-led ketamine clinic in Uptown New Orleans with IV and IM ketamine, optional ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, and preparation and integration in every care plan.

HealingMaps Take: Althea NOLA is a physician-led ketamine therapy clinic on Tchoupitoulas Street in Uptown New Orleans, founded by medical director Joshua Potocko, MD, MPH, a retired U.S. Navy Commander board-certified in aerospace medicine and in occupational and environmental medicine. It offers IV and IM ketamine in sessions of about two hours with a clinician present throughout, preparation and integration sessions with its own clinicians or matched partner practitioners, and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, with a therapist in the room, for patients who choose it. Every patient starts with a clinical intake, care is self-pay with published prices, and with consent the team works alongside a patient’s existing therapist.

Market Position: Althea NOLA brings an integrative ketamine model to Uptown New Orleans, pairing physician-supervised IV and IM sessions with preparation, integration and optional KAP.

Althea NOLA Ketamine Cost Calculator

Ketamine Protocols Compared — What’s Offered at Althea NOLA

Althea NOLA publishes its self-pay prices: $650 per IV or IM ketamine session, a $275 clinical intake, and $150 care mapping, preparation and integration sessions.

Inside Althea NOLA

What to Expect at Your First Althea NOLA Appointment

1. Discovery call or intake — Request a free 15-minute discovery call by phone or video, or book the 60-minute clinical intake directly on altheanola.com. You can also call or text (504) 224-9554.
2. Clinical intake ($275) — A medical and psychological evaluation reviews your history, medications and presentation to decide whether ketamine is safe and appropriate for you. A qualifying mental health diagnosis is required, and the intake does not guarantee approval.
3. Care mapping session ($150) — A 50-minute session, in person or virtual, explores your goals and support network, covers music and the infusion experience, and works as your first preparation session.
4. Ketamine sessions ($650) — Most patients complete an induction series of six to eight ketamine sessions, IV or IM, each about two hours with a clinician present throughout, with $150 preparation and integration sessions between them. Arrange a ride home for every session.
5. Maintenance — After the induction series, maintenance sessions are scheduled as needed, decided together with the clinical team.

What to Ask on Your Althea NOLA Consult Call

• Is IV or IM ketamine the better fit for me?
• Would ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, with a therapist in the session, help with what I am working through?
• Can you coordinate with my current therapist or psychiatrist?
• How many preparation and integration sessions should I plan and budget for?
• Which Saturdays are you open this month?

New Orleans Ketamine Market Snapshot

Sources: U.S. Census 2020.

• New Orleans (Orleans Parish) population: 383,997 (2020 Census)

Behind this data: HealingMaps has analyzed 23,496 patient inquiries (Oct 2022 – Mar 2026), mapped 1,800 verified clinics across 3,142 counties, reviewed 132 clinic pricing pages, and collected 658 practitioner survey responses. This snapshot reflects our multi-source methodology.

From the 2026 Ketamine Industry Report

44.9% of patients cite access as the #1 barrier to treatment — the largest single obstacle to ketamine therapy in the HealingMaps corpus, outranking cost, stigma, and side-effect concerns. Source: HealingMaps 2026 Ketamine Clinic Intelligence Report — drawn from 23,496 patient inquiries and 132 clinic website analyses.

About Althea NOLA

Althea NOLA is at 4109 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, LA 70115, in Uptown New Orleans. Call or text (504) 224-9554, email support@altheanola.com, or find the clinic on Instagram at @altheanola504. Hours are Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., plus one or two Saturdays a month; call or text to schedule. The clinic opened in 2026 and is accepting new patients.

In the clinic’s own words: “Althea NOLA is a physician-led ketamine therapy and psychedelic support clinic in Uptown New Orleans. Every patient starts with a clinical intake, and preparation and integration are built into each care plan. With consent, we collaborate with patients’ existing therapists and providers.” Care starts one of two ways: a free 15-minute discovery call by phone or video, which isn’t an intake, or a 60-minute clinical intake, a medical and psychological evaluation that decides whether ketamine is safe and appropriate for you. Ketamine therapy requires a qualifying mental health diagnosis, completing the intake doesn’t guarantee approval, and pregnancy and breastfeeding rule treatment out.

After the intake, a 50-minute care mapping session, in person or virtual, covers your goals, your support network and the infusion experience, including music, and serves as your first preparation session. Ketamine sessions use generic racemic ketamine at a sub-anesthetic dose, given IV or IM, and last about two hours including arrival, preparation and recovery, with a clinician present throughout. Most patients complete an induction series of six to eight ketamine sessions, followed by maintenance as needed, decided with the clinical team. Ongoing 50-minute preparation and integration sessions run in person or virtually, with an Althea NOLA clinician or a matched partner practitioner. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, with a therapist present during the ketamine session, is available for patients who choose it, and small group ketamine experiences and integration circles are offered to established patients who are clinically appropriate. You need a ride home after each session, and the clinic recommends no driving for the rest of the day. Ketamine is FDA-approved as an anesthetic, and its psychiatric use is off-label.

Althea NOLA works with people navigating depression, including treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, PTSD and trauma, grief and difficult life transitions, addiction, and existential distress, with eligibility set at the clinical intake. With your consent, the team collaborates with your existing therapist or providers, and it can connect you with a psychedelic integration specialist from its referral network. Standalone preparation and integration sessions are also available to patients working with an outside ketamine provider.

Joshua Potocko, MD, MPH, is the founder and medical director. A physician, neuroscientist and retired U.S. Navy Commander with more than 28 years in medicine, public health and toxicology, he earned his M.S. in neuroscience at Tulane University, his M.D. at the University of Colorado and his M.P.H. at UC Berkeley, completed residency in occupational medicine at UCSF, and is board-certified in aerospace medicine and in occupational and environmental medicine. Dr. Potocko also completed the facilitation certificate program at UC Berkeley’s Center for the Science of Psychedelics. Kennedi Barker, MSN, FNP-BC, the clinical director, is a board-certified family nurse practitioner who has specialized in ketamine-assisted therapy for four years and leads intake, physiological monitoring during sessions and medication protocols. Michael VanderWaal, LCSW, director of therapy and partnerships, is a licensed clinical social worker trained in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy through Polaris Insight Center and Journey Clinical; he leads the care mapping session, KAP and integration work. Star Dunaway is the director of operations.

Althea NOLA is self-pay, doesn’t bill insurance and collects payment in advance. It publishes its prices: the discovery call is free, the clinical intake is $275, the care mapping session is $150, each IV or IM ketamine session is $650, and preparation and integration sessions are $150 each. A discount is available for active-duty military, veterans and first responders; mention your service at intake. The clinic is also building a community support fund to expand access.

Patient Questions about Althea NOLA

This 9-question summary is matched to the treatments and conditions Althea NOLA lists. Editorial responses are HealingMaps-authored.

What does Althea NOLA treat?

Althea NOLA works with people navigating depression, including treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, PTSD and trauma, grief and difficult life transitions, addiction, and existential distress. Ketamine therapy requires a qualifying mental health diagnosis, and eligibility is set at the clinical intake.

How much does ketamine therapy cost at Althea NOLA?

Althea NOLA publishes its prices: the discovery call is free, the clinical intake is $275, the care mapping session is $150, each IV or IM ketamine session is $650, and preparation and integration sessions are $150 each. A discount is available for active-duty military, veterans and first responders.

Does Althea NOLA take insurance?

No. Althea NOLA doesn’t bill insurance, and payment is collected in advance for all services.

Does Althea NOLA offer ketamine-assisted psychotherapy?

Yes. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy adds a therapist who is present during the ketamine session. Patients and the clinical team decide on the level of therapist involvement during care mapping; for many, preparation and integration sessions are enough.

Who leads Althea NOLA?

Joshua Potocko, MD, MPH, a physician board-certified in aerospace medicine and in occupational and environmental medicine, is the founder and medical director. Kennedi Barker, MSN, FNP-BC is the clinical director, and Michael VanderWaal, LCSW is the director of therapy and partnerships.

How many ketamine sessions will I need?

Most patients complete an induction series of six to eight ketamine sessions, each about two hours, followed by maintenance as needed, decided with the clinical team.

Can I keep my current therapist?

Yes. With your consent, Althea NOLA collaborates with your existing therapist or providers. If you don’t have one, the team can match you with an Althea NOLA clinician or a partner practitioner for preparation and integration.

What are Althea NOLA’s hours?

Althea NOLA is open Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., plus one or two Saturdays a month. Call or text (504) 224-9554 to schedule.

How do I get started at Althea NOLA?

Request a free 15-minute discovery call or book a clinical intake on altheanola.com, or call or text (504) 224-9554.

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