Lt. Sarko Gergerian, MS, MA, MHC, is a law enforcement leader, mental health counselor, and national advocate for psychedelic decriminalization, harm reduction, and first responder wellness. A Lieutenant in Massachusetts assigned to both public safety and public health, he is the co-founder of the award-winning CLEAR (Community & Law Enforcement Assisted Recovery) initiative, which bridges policing and public health through compassionate crisis intervention, proactive outreach, and multidisciplinary collaboration.
Sarko holds a double major/ minor in philosophy, religion, and psychology from Northeastern University. He completed his master of Science in clinical mental health counseling and psychological services from Salem State University. He recently graduated from Pacifica Graduate Institute with a master of Arts degree in depth, Jung, and archetypal psychology.
Sarko integrates clinical mental-health training with over 15 years of frontline police experience, advancing guardian-style policing and trauma-informed response models for psychedelic and mental-health crises. His work has been recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and featured nationally for pioneering the “police-to-public-health pipeline.” Winthrop CLEAR Team Recognized by International Association of Police Chiefs for Leadership in Community Policing – Winthrop Public Safety. Dedicated to creating safer spaces for altered states of consciousness, he serves as a subject matter expert on psychedelic crisis response and promotes ethical, evidence-based, human-centered approaches to community and first responder wellness.
His work is showcased in Michael Pollan’s How to Change Your Mind (Netflix, Episode 3), How to Change Your Mind | Official Trailer | Netflix, and his interview on The Joe Rogan Experience (#2357). Joe Rogan Experience #2357 – Sarko Gergerian has been viewed nearly 500,000 times, and it earned a “most shared” badge on Spotify. Sarko is the co-author of A Recovery-Oriented Model for Community Policing (Police Chief Magazine), A Recovery-Oriented Model for Community Policing – Police Chief Magazine, and is featured in the upcoming documentary Ecstatic by Kerthy Fix and Paul Kloss, Ecstatic — Fix Films, which chronicles his personal – professional journey and awakening process. His article, ” Dionysus Rising!,” was recently published in Psychological Perspectives, a peer-reviewed depth psychology journal, Volume 69, Issue 1.
He presents nationally and internationally and serves on the Board of Directors of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), an organization advancing justice and public safety solutions, Law Enforcement Action Partnership | Advancing Justice and Public Safety Solutions
