Katie and her family recently moved to St. Louis to be the Project Director for the Safer Homes Collaborative with the Missouri Institute of Mental Health at UMSL. Katie has a Bachelor’s Degree in Family and Human Development from Utah State University, a Master’s degree in Psychology from the University of the Rockies and is currently working on a second Master’s degree in Professional School Counseling from Bradley University. Katie Ellison has worked in community and school suicide prevention for the past ten years. She is recognized as a specialist and consultant in state-wide, community and school suicide prevention best-practices. She is a certified trainer & coordinator for several suicide prevention, intervention and postvention programs; including QPR, ASIST, Connect, Signs of Suicide, Hope Squads, Conversations on Access to Lethal Means and has been trained to conduct psychological autopsies through the American Association of Suicidology. Katie spent the first ten years of her career working in adult and juvenile probation in the states of Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota before transitioning to working in K-12 public education, specializing in school suicide prevention. Hailing from the Rocky Mountain West and a hunting enthusiast family Katie has experience handling firearms and has completed firearms safety instruction.
