Therapy for Trauma from Gun Violence, Mass Shootings & Terrorism
Dr. Nina E. Cerfolio, MD is an internationally recognized expert on the psychological roots and impact of gun violence, mass shootings, and terrorism, with 30+ years of clinical, academic and research experience.
Her work spans clinical psychiatry, psychoanalysis, scientific research, public discourse, and frontline trauma exposure, making her uniquely equipped to support individuals struggling after violence and terror.
Trauma from gun violence and acts of terror goes far beyond immediate fear and shock. Survivors often struggle with:
PTSD symptoms like intrusive memories, hypervigilance, and nightmares
Overwhelming feelings of insecurity, isolation, and mistrust
Emotional numbness or persistent anxiety about safety
Complicated grief and identity disruption
When Nina was a first responder at 9/11 and in The Second Chechen War and Genocide, she provided medical care to those who were suffering and psychiatric care to those who were having difficulty coping. Through these experiences and her many years of training, Nina recognizes that healing from terrorism and trauma is a deeply unique experience for each individual. She offers compassionate, evidence-based trauma therapy — but with an added depth: she helps clients explore not just what happened, but why, and how meaning, community, and self can be reclaimed after disruption.
Deep Academic & Clinical Authority
Dr. Cerfolio is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital and a board-certified psychiatrist and psychoanalyst practicing in New York City. She teaches advanced psychotherapy to psychiatry residents and has served in key psychiatric emergency leadership roles — including Chief of the Psychiatric Emergency Room — where she cared for individuals in crisis, including violence and trauma victims.
Published Research on Violence, School Shooters & Mass Trauma
Her work includes peer-reviewed research analyzing the psychosocial and psychiatric determinants of mass shooters, showing how untreated mental illness, chronic trauma, isolation, and marginalization play critical roles in creating pathways to violence. This research has appeared in The Journal of Psychodynamic Psychiatry and other scholarly forums.
New Groundbreaking Book
Dr. Cerfolio’s new book sheds light on the forgotten collective humiliation of the marginalized, a breeding ground for terrorism, while introducing a fresh new spiritual perspective on healing. The need to reach out to those who are shunned, is now more critical than ever in our country.
In Psychoanalytic and Spiritual Perspectives on Terrorism: Desire For Destruction, Dr. Cerfolio bridges psychological science, deep clinical insight, and spiritual meaning to reconsider the origins of human aggression — from mass shootings to organized terror — and the unseen wounds that underlie them. Her book:
Draws from quantitative research and case material on shooters and terrorists
Highlights the prevalence of untreated psychiatric conditions in violent actors
Challenges stereotypes of terrorism and violence as purely ideological or criminal
Introduces a holistic lens for healing and understanding traumatic violence that integrates psyche and spirit.
DR. NINA CERFOLIO IN THE MEDIA
Media & Public Thought Leadership
Dr. Cerfolio’s expert commentary has appeared across national and international outlets — including The New York Times, The Daily Beast, and major broadcast news — where she speaks about the psychology of violence, trauma, and societal responses to terror and shootings. Drawing on decades of clinical experience and frontline trauma response, Dr. Cerfolio helps audiences make sense of violent events while centering empathy, healing, and evidence-based understanding.
WHY CHOOSE DR. NINA CERFOLIO
Personalized, Trauma-Informed Care
Nina is not just a therapist, but also a survivor who has personally faced and overcome trauma and two terrorist attacks. Her own experiences have equipped her to understand the depth of pain and suffering that can result from terrorism, and a wide breadth of knowledge on diverse mental health topics. She provides a nurturing, empathic environment for her patients where they feel comfortable to open up, share their experiences, and feel genuinely heard and understood. Through these therapy sessions, she gently guides her patients to empower themselves on their path to recovery.
Dr. Cerfolio recognizes that no two trauma experiences are the same. Her therapeutic approach is tailored to each individual’s history, emotional landscape, cultural context, and nervous system response.
Her sessions are informed by decades of research into:
How childhood trauma and social isolation can predispose individuals to violent behavior
The psychological aftermath of terror exposure on survivors, witnesses, and communities
How untreated mental illness, loss, and exclusion contribute to cycles of harm and retaliation
This makes her uniquely adept at understanding both sides of trauma — victim and perpetrator — and fostering healing. Beyond symptom relief, Dr. Cerfolio helps clients:
Rebuild trust in themselves and others
Process profound loss, fear, or moral injury
Rediscover connection and purpose
Engage in sustained emotional and existential healing