DENVER (KDVR) — A new era in mental health care begins Thursday as Denver is expected to open its application portal for psychedelic healing centers, part of Colorado’s regulated natural medicine program.

The move follows the passage of state legislation establishing a framework for psilocybin therapy — a psychedelic compound found in certain mushrooms — for approved mental health treatment. Licensed facilities in cities like Golden are preparing to launch services as soon as final state approval is granted.

At a wellness center in Golden, clinical psychologist Dr. Jana Bolduan Lomax says her team has already applied for a state license to become an approved healing center.

“The space here is a soon-to-be licensed healing center under Colorado’s regulated psilocybin healing program,” Lomax told FOX31. “This is just the beginning of a long run toward changing the way that we approach mental health.”

Rooms have been designed to support long-form psychedelic-assisted therapy. However, facilities like this one will not need a separate license because they employ licensed clinical facilitators. The new Denver portal applies to non-clinical healing centers operating under different rules.

Supporters of the state’s natural medicine law say the treatments could be life-changing for people struggling with depression, anxiety, PTSD and addiction — especially when traditional treatments have failed.

Dr. Thomas Dimperio, a retired clinical psychologist and former participant in psilocybin-assisted therapy, said the experience offered him clarity not always found in traditional medicine.

“It can have some very profound effects,” he said. “For a person who may feel in the bottom of a trough… this particular medicine can be transformative.”

The Denver application portal is expected to go live sometime on Thursday. Facilities that receive approval from the state could begin offering psilocybin therapy later this year.