Support and Healing after Gun Violence

Support and Healing after Gun Violence (SHELTER) is a PCOM-led program developed to address the mental health and clinical response needs of individuals and families affected by gun violence across Philadelphia communities.

SHELTER—Support and Healing through Empowerment, Learning and Trauma Education in Recovery after gun violence—builds on PCOM’s prior work in clinician education and community-engaged research to embed trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and enhanced clinician communication strategies into community healthcare centers. Backed by a $715,774 grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), the project aims to expand training for healthcare providers at PCOM’s three Philadelphia healthcare centers and to provide evidence-based trauma treatment for patients exposed to gun violence. The program leverages multidisciplinary expertise from clinical psychologists and scholars experienced in CBT and trauma-informed care and incorporates prior quality improvement and feasibility work conducted at PCOM.

An earlier feasibility study evaluated a clinician-directed educational program implemented at two urban PCOM healthcare centers in Philadelphia (Lancaster Avenue and Cambria Division). The quality improvement project investigated whether targeted clinician education could improve conversations with patients about gun violence, prevention, and available community resources. Findings from this feasibility work were disseminated at PCOM Annual Research Day presentations in 2024 and 2025, and the team published a manuscript reporting the program’s impact on clinician-patient communication in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine in January 2025.

These initial efforts provided the empirical foundation and justification for the SHELTER program’s broader implementation. SHELTER’s dual focus is on workforce training and direct patient care: training clinicians and students in how to sensitively screen for gun violence exposure, hold supportive conversations, and connect patients to community resources; and delivering trauma-informed CBT to patients presenting with psychological symptoms following gun violence exposure.

The program aligns with PCOM’s holistic approach to addressing gun violence through community outreach, advocacy, enhanced healthcare delivery, and continued research. By integrating education, clinical practice, and community partnerships, SHELTER seeks to normalize and routinize assessment of gun violence impacts within primary and community care, reduce barriers to mental health services for affected individuals, and create a scalable model for other institutions addressing gun violence as a public health crisis.

The funded initiative represents a targeted, evidence-informed step to mitigate the mental health consequences of gun violence while strengthening clinician capacity to respond compassionately and effectively to survivors and affected families.