Summary - Discussing Safer Weapon Storage with Military and Veterans: Tips and Techniques for Mental Health Professionals

The William James College Train Vets to Treat Vets Program and Department of Continuing Education are pleased to present Discussing Safer Weapon Storage with Military and Veterans: Tips and Techniques for Mental Health Professionals as part of our ongoing CE series to provide essential training in veteran-specific issues. The series is designed to equip mental health providers with the knowledge and competence needed to serve this population effectively.

Safer storage of firearms adds time between thoughts and actions, which studies have shown saves lives.

This virtual program will provide clinicians tips and techniques to discuss and examine the relationship between veterans and firearms ownership, and it will teach firearms storage counseling as a method of suicide prevention. Attendees will achieve a better understanding of military culture to learn how to have respectful discussions about the purpose that firearms play in veterans’ lives. This awareness increases receptivity to lethal means storage counseling, which saves lives.

Although this program covers veterans' culture, it is not exclusively applicable to veterans, and its techniques can be applied to many subgroups. Practitioners of all levels and experiences are encouraged to attend.

Dr. Jenny D'Olympia is an Associate Professor at William James College and Director of the Train Vets to Treat Vets® (TVTV) program. A clinical psychologist and Air Force veteran, she focuses on improving mental health care for service members, veterans, and their families through clinician training, research, and veteran-informed program development. Through TVTV, Dr. D’Olympia advances cultural competence among clinicians via mentorship, leadership development, and veteran-led continuing education on topics including military and veteran culture, suicide prevention, safer firearm storage, moral injury, and women veterans’ health. She collaborates on national research initiatives—including the SAFEGUARD suicide prevention study and a large-scale survey of over 4,700 women veterans—and serves on the Massachusetts Governor’s Advisory Council on Veterans’ Services. Her clinical and research interests include culturally competent care, suicide prevention, lethal means safety, and the lived experiences of women veterans.