Joshua is the Co-Founder and Director of the Fireside Project — a non-profit that operates the first ever peer support line specifically devoted to helping people navigate their psychedelic experiences. The Project offers free, confidential emotional support by phone and text message to people who are in the midst of psychedelic experiences and who are exploring the meaning of past psychedelic experiences. Its mission is to help people minimize the risks and fulfill the potential of their psychedelic experiences.
With experience serving as a crisis counselor on a helpline and a psychedelic peer support volunteer at the Zendo Project, Joshua has seen firsthand the role that compassionate peer support can play in community mental health. He served as a crisis counselor for San Francisco Safe & Sound’s TALK Line and has provided peer support at festivals such as Burning Man and Lightning in a Bottle. Beyond these experiences, Joshua has spent 17 years as a lawyer practicing civil litigation and advising public entities. He spent 11 years as a Deputy City Attorney at the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, focusing on suing businesses exploiting vulnerable communities. In that capacity, he co-taught a nationally renowned clinic at the Yale Law School, where he helped students generate and litigate public interest impact litigation lawsuits. Josh also served as General Counsel to several City departments, including the Ethics Commission, the Elections Commission, and the Office of Labor Standards Enforcement.
