62_Peace Officer and Psychotherapist Trained in Psychedelic-assisted Therapy, Lt Sarko Gergerian

Lieutenant Sarko Gergerian is a distinguished member of The Winthrop Public Safety and Health Departments and holds a pivotal role as the outreach, peer support, and health & fitness officer.

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarko-gergerian-818967233/
• Email: Speakers@LawEnforcementAction.org
• Email: Media@LawEnforcementAction.org
• Website: http://www.lawenforcementaction.org

I'd like to introduce Lt. Sarko Gergerian, an individual deeply committed to reimagining the structure of law enforcement within their community. Lt. Sarko aspires to become a Deputy Chief, where they envision a police department that balances both enforcement and guardianship. Their innovative approach includes an enforcement arm connected to the courts and a guardianship arm integrated with the public health department. This dual structure aims to create lasting, systemic changes that outlive their initial implementation, ensuring that the benefits remain accessible to all who need them.

At the heart of Lt. Sarko’s work is a mission to humanize every individual involved—both civilians and officers. They recognize that the systems we operate within often dehumanize, objectify, and commoditize suffering. Lt. Sarko reminds us that behind every call for service, there is a human being in need, and behind every badge, there is a human being responding. 

As Massachusetts prepares to vote in November on joining Oregon and Colorado in reforming certain laws, Lt. Sarko is actively involved with grassroots and national groups working to correct injustices that have been ingrained in the system for decades. They are a strong advocate for MDMA-Assisted Therapy, believing it will profoundly impact how we serve those struggling with PTSD by enhancing therapeutic engagement and enabling deep psychological processing of trauma.

It’s not every day you meet a psychotherapist trained in psychedelic-assisted therapy who also happens to be a peace officer. Chatting with Lt. Sarko Gergerian was a real eye-opener and honestly, a lot of fun. I never thought of police departments as potential hubs for mental health information, but Lt. Sarko really made me rethink that.

One of the wildest stats they shared—something they mentioned in a previous conversation—is that 60-70% of all 911 calls are related to mental health issues. That really highlights just how widespread our society’s mental health challenges are. Lt. Sarko brought up the idea of being proactive, suggesting that law enforcement could start proactively helping people with possible mental health struggles before things escalate to an emergency. 

It got me thinking—if I’m all about being proactive with mental health for first responders and veterans, why not extend that same approach to eve

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