01Phase
Apprenticeship on the Support Line
A full year supporting callers during and after psychedelic experiences - under continuous supervision and feedback.
The Fireside Certification Program
The rigor behind our industry-leading psychedelic coaching.
Designed by Dr. Jacob Ham - Director of the Center for Complex Trauma at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai - our certification is a 30-step, 300-hour process. A full year of apprenticeship on the psychedelic support line, followed by ongoing bi-weekly supervision as a coach.
30
Distinct Steps
300
Hours of Training
1yr
Apprenticeship
∞
Ongoing Supervision
Designed & Supervised By
Dr. Jacob Ham - Director of the Center for Complex Trauma at Mount Sinai - has spent twenty years training generations of practitioners.
Mount Sinai
20+ Years Training Practitioners
Clinical Trauma Specialist
Bi-Weekly Supervision Lead
Psychedelic coaching is a profound honor and a sacred responsibility. To uphold the trust our clients place in us, we want our coaches to be the most skilled, grounded, ethical, and accountable in the field.
Before we hire someone as a coach, they have to spend a year as an apprentice on our Psychedelic Support Line, supporting people during and after psychedelic experiences. Imagine if, before you hired someone as an employee, you had the opportunity to work with them, observe them, and see how they respond to feedback for a full year. That’s how it is when we evaluate whether to hire one of our apprentices as a coach.
Many of our applicants are already seasoned coaches, therapists, facilitators, and practitioners. But they want to coach with us in order to continue to hone their craft and learn in community. The foundation of our program is an ongoing commitment to learning and growing - coaches receive regular in-depth supervision with Dr. Ham, based on a clinical model tailored specifically for the psychedelic process.
This stands in stark contrast to other coach training programs, which typically confer a certification and then release their coaches into the world to work as independent contractors - without ongoing supervision, community, or accountability.
The Path
Two phases. Thirty steps.
02Phase
Coaching as a Fireside Employee
A second application. A second background check. Then bi-weekly clinical supervision with Dr. Ham - for as long as you coach with us.
Phase One
Apprenticeship on the Support Line
A full year answering live calls from people in the midst of psychedelic experiences, integrating past journeys, supporting loved ones, or working in the field. Every shift includes a paid clinical supervisor. Every call is a training ground.
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01
Written Application
Candidates fill out a detailed application where they share why they want to apprentice, their relevant experience, and the role that psychedelics have played in their healing process.
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02
Application Review
All applications are independently reviewed and rated by at least two support-line supervisors. Each supervisor makes a recommendation on whether the applicant should be interviewed.
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03
Internal Discussion
The supervisors who reviewed each applicant meet to discuss whether the applicant should be interviewed. Less than half of all applicants are interviewed.
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04
In-Depth Interview
Two supervisors conduct an hour-long interview. They go deep with the applicant, exploring questions like which emotions are hardest for them and how they navigate situations when they feel triggered.
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05
Post-Interview Review
Supervisors rate each candidate against enumerated criteria, then meet to discuss whether to offer them a place in our training. The ultimate question: would we want this applicant to hold space for us - or for the person we love most in the world?
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06
Background Check
A comprehensive background check is conducted before the training begins.
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07
Letter of Agreement
Applicants sign a letter of agreement that sets forth in detail the nature of their one-year apprenticeship and their commitments to remain open to learning and growing.
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08
Four-Day Live Training
Apprentices attend a four-day live Zoom training: a mix of presentations, demonstrations, dyads, triads, and small groups. They learn the basics of holding space, active listening, trauma-informed and culturally attuned care, how to handle the full range of calls, varieties of challenging psychedelic experiences and integration experiences, and procedures for callers who may be in immediate danger or suicidal.
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09
Written Examination
Apprentices must then pass a written examination covering everything from the four-day training.
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10
Skills Test
Apprentices complete a one-on-one meeting with a supervisor where they work through a variety of role plays involving scenarios that may occur on the support line. Apprentices must attain a certain score to continue. Some do not pass, and their apprenticeship concludes.
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11
Shift Observation
Apprentices must observe at least two full shifts. During this time, they witness how other apprentices take calls, learn Fireside’s software system, and get a feel for the Fireside community.
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12
Conditional Approval to Support Callers
Apprentices are assigned a four-hour shift, where they generally remain for a full year. During conditional approval, apprentices may take calls but must be observed at all times by a supervisor. After the supervisor observes enough calls to feel sufficiently confident in the apprentice’s skill level, the apprentice is approved to take calls on their own.
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13
One Full Year on the Psychedelic Support Line
The apprentice spends a full year on the support line, working the same four-hour shift every week. During that time, they handle a wide array of live calls - people in the midst of psychedelic experiences, people integrating past experiences, people supporting others, and people working in the psychedelic field who need emotional support. Every shift is a mini-community of three to five apprentices and a paid clinical supervisor.
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14
Feedback from Supervisors on Shift
Supervisors regularly observe apprentices’ calls and provide detailed, personalized feedback against enumerated criteria, while also offering emotional support. Our software tracks each apprentice’s progress over time using both supervisor feedback and post-call survey responses from callers.
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15
One-on-One Meetings with Supervisors
Supervisors meet quarterly with their apprentices to discuss progress, growth edges, and ways the apprentice’s experience can be improved.
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16
Ongoing Education
Guest speakers are regularly invited to present to the whole Fireside community on a range of topics related to providing psychedelic support and the fulfillment of our mission.
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17
Learning in Community
Apprentices have the opportunity to learn and grow in community by leveraging our Mighty Network to form small groups organized by identity, lived experience, or other characteristics.
After a Year on the Line
Then comes the application to actually coach.
Completing the apprenticeship doesn’t mean you become a coach. It means you’ve earned the right to apply. A second written application. A second background check. A holistic review by every member of staff.
Phase Two
Coaching as a Fireside employee
All Fireside coaches are paid employees - not independent contractors. They commit to a full year of coaching with bi-weekly clinical supervision led by Dr. Ham, modeled on the supervision provided to clinicians at Mount Sinai but tailored specifically for the psychedelic process.
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18
Written Application
Apprentices interested in becoming a coach submit a written application that explores their reasons for wanting to coach and any prior coaching experience, among other topics.
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19
Application Review
At least two staff members review each application, rate the applicant, and decide whether to conduct an interview.
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20
In-Depth Interview
At least two staff members interview each candidate. The hour-long interview includes questions and role plays. The candidate must also review an excerpt of a coaching conversation and analyze the coach’s performance.
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21
Holistic Review by All Fireside Staff
Our staff sits down as a group and talks through every applicant - their skill level and reliability, their potential, how much they’ve learned and grown over their time on the support line, their awareness of their own internal world and triggers, how well they receive and provide feedback to fellow apprentices, and their overall contribution to the Fireside community.
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22
Background Check
A second comprehensive background check is conducted - in addition to the one conducted when the candidate applied to be an apprentice on the support line.
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23
Letter of Agreement
Applicants sign a letter of agreement that sets forth the guidelines for being a coach. They agree to spend a full year as a coach, attend bi-weekly supervision sessions, and commit to continuing to learn, grow, and develop their skills.
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24
Live Training and Video Training
Coaches undergo a rigorous training process designed by Dr. Ham and Fireside staff that combines presentations, demonstrations, role plays, and small groups. But this training isn’t an end in itself - it’s a way of laying the foundation for the learning that will happen in the months and years to come during bi-weekly supervision. We focus on creating a space where deep vulnerability and sharing are encouraged and feel safe.
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25
Written Examinations
Coaches must pass a written examination covering the fundamentals of our coaching program, legal and ethical boundaries, and the coach-client relationship.
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Bi-Weekly Supervision from Dr. Ham
This is the foundation of how our coaches learn and continue to improve. Coaches attend bi-weekly supervision sessions led by our Director of Coaching, Dr. Jacob Ham - modeled on the clinical supervision provided to clinicians at Mount Sinai but tailored specifically for the psychedelic process. The sessions focus on identifying coaches’ growth edges, cultivating awareness of transference and countertransference, and learning how to be more fully present with their clients.
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Reviews at 30, 60, and 90 Days
All coaches are reviewed after their first 30, 60, and 90 days of employment. This includes a written questionnaire and a one-on-one meeting with the Coaching Manager. Prior to that meeting, the Coaching Manager receives feedback from the Co-Directors of Coaching, Operations Team, Executive Director, and clients’ responses to post-session surveys.
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One-on-One with Coaching Manager
Coaches meet with our Coaching Manager to discuss issues that may arise during coaching - including challenging situations and growth edges - as well as to receive emotional support and encouragement.
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29
Comprehensive Review Every Six Months
All coaches undergo a rigorous review every six months on all aspects of their performance, including areas of strength and growth edges.
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30
Ongoing Education
Every month, coaches attend presentations by members of staff or outside guests on a range of topics related to coaching. The learning never ends.