Sarko Gergerian's guest appearances

Sarko Gergerian

Psychedelics Today

Mind Body Health & Politics

MAPS Podcast

OwlTail

In this episode, Joe interviews Sarko Gergerian, MS, MHC, CARC: a police peer support, community outreach, and health-fitness officer; founding member of the Community and Law Enforcement Assisted Recovery Program (C.L.E.A.R.); and psychotherapist trained in ketamine- and MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. Any regular listener of the show should be familiar with how passionately Joe is against the drug war and the resulting policing of what many of us feel should be legal, so this in-person conversation with a police officer who seems to mostly be on our side is pretty refreshing to hear.  Gergerian discusses his entry into the force in his 30s, and what it was like to bring in a healthy “why is this illegal?” viewpoint on drug use and personal agency vs. the slow moving attitudes he saw in much of law enforcement. He talks about how working nightclub security taught him about safe spaces; the problems with officers not proactively moving on actionable information and building relationships with communities; and the very philosophy behind law enforcement: what do they hope to accomplish, do they want to make real change, and do they believe in the laws they’re enforcing?  And they discuss so much more: the need for diversity, cultural competency, and broadness in perspective; the criminalization of self-directed behavior; the effect critical incidents have on officers; drug war paranoia, legitimate concerns over hotlines and sensitive data, and psychedelic culture’s relationships with police; creating a culture of harm reduction within law enforcement, and what it might look like for police officers to receive psychedelic therapy.  Click here to head to the show notes page. 

In this episode, Joe interviews Sarko Gergerian, MS, MHC, CARC: a police peer support, community outreach, and health-fitness officer; founding member of the Community and Law Enforcement Assisted Recovery Program (C.L.E.A.R.); and psychotherapist trained in ketamine- and MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. Any regular listener of the show should be familiar with how passionately Joe is against the drug war and the resulting policing of what many of us feel should be legal, so this in-person conversation with a police officer who seems to mostly be on our side is pretty refreshing to hear.  Gergerian discusses his entry into the force in his 30s, and what it was like to bring in a healthy “why is this illegal?” viewpoint on drug use and personal agency vs. the slow moving attitudes he saw in much of law enforcement. He talks about how working nightclub security taught him about safe spaces; the problems with officers not proactively moving on actionable information and building relationships with communities; and the very philosophy behind law enforcement: what do they hope to accomplish, do they want to make real change, and do they believe in the laws they’re enforcing?  And they discuss so much more: the need for diversity, cultural competency, and broadness in perspective; the criminalization of self-directed behavior; the effect critical incidents have on officers; drug war paranoia, legitimate concerns over hotlines and sensitive data, and psychedelic culture’s relationships with police; creating a culture of harm reduction within law enforcement, and what it might look like for police officers to receive psychedelic therapy. <a href="https://psychedelicstoday.com/2023/07/28/pt427-sarko-gergerian/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to head to the show notes page.</a>

PT427 – Sarko Gergerian, MS, MHC, CARC – The Philosophy of Law Enforcement, the Criminalization of Self-Directed Behavior, and Transformative Care for Police

Episode 60 - Lt. Sarko Gergerian, Reformative Policing in the Psychedelic Age Recorded live in Austin thanks to The Psychedelic Society of Texas! Sarko's wisdom, heart and intellect will take you through what it's like to be an active police officer who has set forth on a course of police reform, mental health advocacy and has done MDMA via the MAPS MDMA training program. Yes, really. This is an incredible opportunity to change your mind and find the tools needed to come together as a community in this challenging time.  Lieutenant Sarko Gergerian began his career in 2010 as a patrol officer withWinthrop Police Department. In 2016, he received the Outstanding Service and Contribution award; in 2019, Lieutenant Gergerian was subsequently awarded the Department of Mental Health &amp; Law Enforcement Award. Lt. Gergerian is a founding member of the Community and Law Enforcement Assisted Recovery Program (CLEAR). CLEAR is a network of community partners, theWinthrop Police Department, and theWinthrop Health Department that ensures individuals seeking support for substance use disorders or mental health are connected to community-based service providers. Lieutenant Sarko Gergerian serves as a police peer support officer, community outreach officer, and health &amp; fitness officer. In this role he manages a shift of officers,reviews policies and procedures related to mental health, and supports a multidisciplinary team response to mental health response. Sarko Gergerian is certified in adult and youth mental health first aid,recovery coaching, motivational interviewing, individual and group critical incident stress management (CISM), and critical incident training (CIT). He holds a BA in philosophy from Northeastern University and a MS in mental health counseling and psychological services from Salem State University

Episode 60 - Lt. Sarko Gergerian, Reformative Policing in the Psychedelic Age Recorded live in Austin thanks to The Psychedelic Society of Texas! Sarko's wisdom, heart and intellect will take you through what it's like to be an active police officer who has set forth on a course of police reform, mental health advocacy and has done MDMA via the MAPS MDMA training program. Yes, really. This is an incredible opportunity to change your mind and find the tools needed to come together as a community in this challenging time.  Lieutenant Sarko Gergerian began his career in 2010 as a patrol officer withWinthrop Police Department. In 2016, he received the Outstanding Service and Contribution award; in 2019, Lieutenant Gergerian was subsequently awarded the Department of Mental Health &amp; Law Enforcement Award. Lt. Gergerian is a founding member of the Community and Law Enforcement Assisted Recovery Program (CLEAR). CLEAR is a network of community partners, theWinthrop Police Department, and theWinthrop Health Department that ensures individuals seeking support for substance use disorders or mental health are connected to community-based service providers. Lieutenant Sarko Gergerian serves as a police peer support officer, community outreach officer, and health &amp; fitness officer. In this role he manages a shift of officers,reviews policies and procedures related to mental health, and supports a multidisciplinary team response to mental health response. Sarko Gergerian is certified in adult and youth mental health first aid,recovery coaching, motivational interviewing, individual and group critical incident stress management (CISM), and critical incident training (CIT). He holds a BA in philosophy from Northeastern University and a MS in mental health counseling and psychological services from Salem State University