About Us
Firearm Informed Therapy Corporation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving mental-health care for the millions of Americans who live in homes with firearms, while explicitly respecting Second Amendment rights.
Our mission is to expand access to mental health services for firearm owners by strengthening trust, reducing stigmas, and promoting collaboration between the field of mental health and the 2A community.
Firearm Informed Therapy Training
for Mental Health Professionals
We provide evidence-based, culturally informed education that helps clinicians work confidently and respectfully with firearm-owning clients. Our approach honors the diverse identities of firearm owners and preserves the Second Amendment rights of every client.
8 CE Credits | Classroom Instruction | Optional Hands-On Firearm Familiarization
About Kevin Schlegel
Kevin Schlegel Psy.D. created, developed, and coined the term – Firearm Informed Therapy – in 2021 after encountering mental health professions who were unfamiliar with Red Flag Laws, and when it was appropriate to make a mandated report.
Professionals were wanting to make reports based on their personal discomfort with firearms, rather than a credible risk to the client or others. After multiple school shootings over the years, it had become clear the conversation with not about Mental Health or the motives driving individuals to engage in heinous acts of violence. The question was how to address this issue.
After growing up in a miliary family and being around Veterans and Sportsmen, Dr. Schlegel understands the identity of firearms in our culture. Firearm ownership covers a wide range of political, racial, genders, and social economic groups. Mental Health Clinicians are at times unclear about their ethical and professional responsibility as it relates to clients owning firearms. Clinicians maybe hesitate to discuss firearms, while firearm owners worry about losing their Second Amendment rights.
With an increasing rate of firearm violence and suicides it became clear to Dr. Schlegel identified a deficiency in the delivery of mental health services within the United States. As our society moved away from being an agricultural society, awareness of and everyday usage of firearms declined. Fears grow around simply possessing firearms rather than the firearm owners underlying mental health.
Dr. Schlegel had a student by the name of Brittany Ann Cahill who needed a thesis topic for her master’s degree in social work. Brittney Ann got an overwhelming response to the research topic that she went on to create a training program. Brittany Ann presented the very first Firearm Informed Therapist Training at the offices of Oak Tree Behavioral Services, Inc. on June 3rd of 2024.
The evolution of the training program enabled Firearm Informed Therapy to transition from an initial concept to a comprehensive curriculum suitable for broad distribution. In April of 2025, Dr. Schlegel and Brittany Ann decided to launch a national program to educate mental health professionals.
Dr. Schlegel and Brittany Ann are establishing a nationwide network of providers who have received appropriate training and possess thorough knowledge of their respective state laws. Through this network, an individual can find a mental health provider to help address mental health concerns while having their Second Amendment Rights respected.
A therapist who recognizes clients’ legal right to possess firearms and is aware of the various motivations behind firearm ownership may provide relevant support. Therapists who are knowledgeable about firearms-related issues understand the laws applicable in your state and strive to ensure that you are well informed regarding your legal rights within your jurisdiction. Each state has different requirements for Mental Health professionals’ response to a firearm owner in a mental health crisis.
Firearm Informed Therapists are knowledgeable about state laws and work with clients in accordance with legal and ethical guidelines regarding Second Amendment rights. What if a mental health professional could walk a firearm owner through a crisis without immediately sacrificing Second Amendment rights? What if the client knew at the beginning of the therapeutic relationship that the therapist had taken a class specifically on Firearms and Mental Health?
Take the fear out of therapy and find a Firearm Inform Therapist to help you become a healthier and happier individual.
Our Services
The Firearm Informed Therapy Training (8 CE Credits)
A comprehensive course for mental-health professionals who want to build competence, confidence,
Read More
Connecting Firearm Owners with Firearm Informed Clinicians (Coming Soon)
We are building a national directory where firearm owners can easily find clinicians who are trained,
Read MoreFirearm Informed Therapy Training
A clinical approach that integrates cultural competence, trauma-informed care, and legal awareness to help clinicians work effectively with clients who live in homes with firearms. We teach clinicians how to uphold both ethical obligations and client rights with clarity, neutrality, and cultural respect.
We work with firearm owners, not against them.
Firearm ownership is widely misunderstood in clinical spaces. Millions of Americans own firearms, yet many avoid therapy due to fear of judgment, bias, or loss of rights. At the same time, many clinicians feel unprepared to discuss firearms in clinical settings. Firearm owners deserve to feel safe and supported in seeking care, without fear of a provider’s reactions to firearms.
Firearm Informed Therapy helps address this gap by creating therapeutic spaces where clients can speak openly about their lives, including firearms, without stigma. A Firearm-Informed approach recognizes firearm ownership as culturally meaningful and supports ethical, collaborative care that balances client autonomy, safety, and risk reduction. When trust and cultural humility guide these conversations, outcomes are safer and more effective.
The goal is to equip clinicians to respond collaboratively and ethically. Depending on state law, clinician role, and client preference, there are multiple ways to reduce risk without violating rights or resorting to extreme measures.
We emphasize transparent communication, safety planning, and respect for autonomy whenever possible.
Anyone in a helping profession: therapists, counselors, psychologists, social workers, case managers, peer specialists, medical personnel, and agency teams.
Yes. You will gain a foundational understanding of firearm-related legal concepts, including relevant state and federal laws, reporting requirements, and storage considerations. The training also addresses ethical duties, clinical red flags, and circumstances that may require higher-level interventions, including involuntary commitment, so clinicians can respond accurately, ethically, and within their professional scope.
Yes. Those who complete the training may opt in to be listed in our upcoming national directory of Firearm-Informed Therapists and providers.
