Katie Ellison

Katie Ellison

Personal profile

About

Katie Ellison, MA, MS, NCC is the research project director for the Safer Homes Collaborative with the Missouri Institute of Mental Health at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Her research focuses on lethal means reduction strategies, such as reducing easy access to firearms in the home as a means of preventing firearm suicide. She has worked in community and school suicide prevention for over thirteen years, earning recognition as a specialist and consultant in community, state and school suicide prevention, intervention and postvention best-practices. Ms. Ellison spent the first ten years of her career working in adult and juvenile corrections before transitioning to working in K-12 public education. In addition to having a bachelor’s degree in Family and Human Development, a master’s degree in Psychology, and a master’s degree in School Counseling, Ms. Ellison struggled with mental health challenges in adolescence and young adulthood, survived a nearly lethal suicide attempt in her twenties, and has journeyed with her child who struggled with mental health challenges in childhood.