In the U.S., firearm-related suicides account for almost half of suicide deaths and for most fatal firearm injuries. In clinical settings, lethal means counseling has been proposed as a way of addressing this risk. Implementation efforts, however, have been accompanied by growing awareness of a “culture gap” between clinicians with low familiarity with firearms and patients with potential distrust of clinical interventions. This has resulted in calls for cultural competency training among clinicians engaged in discussions about firearms with patients.
This webinar, Firearms, Culture & Suicide Risk: What Is Safety?, will provide an introduction to selected cultural factors related to firearm ownership and use with the intent of improving cross-cultural communication and the quality of suicide care.
Learning objectives
Presenter: Jeffrey C. Sung, M.D.
Dr. Jeffrey Sung is a clinical assistant professor in the University of Washington Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and faculty member with the Center for Suicide Prevention and Recovery. For seventeen years he provided psychiatric care and consultation on a Health Care for the Homeless Network team at Harborview Medical Center’s Pioneer Square Clinic. He has contributed to state-level guidelines on suicide care and developed and delivered training in suicide care for health care and corporate professionals. Current work with the UW has been with Forefront Suicide Prevention’s Safer Homes program to improve cultural competence among health care professionals engaged in discussions with patients about firearms and suicide risk.
