This training course is designed to equip mental health clinicians with the tools and confidence to integrate firearm safety discussions into routine psychiatric care using a trauma-informed approach. Participants will explore risk assessment strategies across the lifespan—from childhood exposures to cognitive decline in older age—while learning to identify key risk factors for suicide and homicide. The course provides practical guidance on collaborative safety planning, navigating state storage laws, and documenting sensitive conversations in medical records to protect patient privacy. By shifting the perspective of firearm safety to a public health priority, this module empowers providers to reduce gun-related trauma and improve overall patient well-being.
Faith Scanlon, PhD
Psychologist, Center for Excellence for Psychosocial and Systemic Research, Massachusetts General Hospital
Gretchen Felopulos, PhD
Staff Psychologist, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital
Gene Beresin, MD, MA
Executive Director, Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, Massachusetts General Hospital
Khadijah Booth Watkins, MD, MPH
Associate Director, Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, Massachusetts General Hospital
Hemal Sampat, MD
Director of Clinician Training, Gun Violence Prevention Center, Massachusetts General Hospital
