Joseph Szimhart, ICSA’s book review consultant, began research into cultic influence in 1980 after ending his two-year devotion to a New Age sect. He worked professionally as an intervention specialist from 1986 through 1988. He continues to assist people with cult-related problems, including consultations via phone and Internet. In 2016, he received an ICSA Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual conference in Dallas, Texas. From 1998 to 2023, he worked for an emergency psychiatric hospital as a crisis caseworker, retiring in May of 2023. He maintains an art studio and exhibits professionally. His novel, Mushroom Satori: The cult diary, was published in 2013, and his memoir, Santa Fe, Bill Tate, and me: How an artist became a cult interventionist, was published in 2020.