Firearms and Clinical Practice

Gianni Pirelli currently leads the group practice, Pirelli Clinical and Forensic Psychology, LLC. He is 1 of just 5 people who is Board Certified in Forensic Psychology based out of New Jersey, and 1 of approximately 300 or so nationally. He received his doctorate in clinical-forensic psychology from The Graduate Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and is a Licensed Psychologist in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Dr. Pirelli's primary areas of research pertain to forensic mental health assessment (FMHA), ethics and standards of practice in forensic psychology, and guns and mental health. He has given many professional conference presentations and invited talks, and he has numerous publications, including The Ethical Practice of Forensic Psychology: A Casebook (Oxford, 2017) and The Behavioral Science of Firearms: A Mental Health Perspective on Guns, Suicide, and Violence (Oxford, 2018). In addition, his articles have been published in leading practice-oriented journals such as the Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology; the Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice; Professional Psychology: Research and Practice; and Psychology, Public Policy and Law. Dr. Pirelli's research has been cited in amicus briefs to the United States Supreme Court and the New York State Court of Appeals, and in the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) President's Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice final report (2020). He is also the former Editor of the New Jersey Psychological Association's (NJPA) journal, the New Jersey Psychologist, and served as an editorial board member on the leading forensic psychology journal, Law and Human Behavior, for many years. Sarah DeMarco is the Director of Training at the Center for Research and Practice (CRT) at Pirelli Clinical and Forensic Psychology, LLC. She earned her M.A. in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. DeMarco has worked with adults and adolescents in a variety of clinical-forensic and correctional settings, such as a forensic psychiatric hospital, state prisons, inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment centers, and a juvenile detention center. Dr. DeMarco conducts forensic mental health assessments (FMHAs) that address various psycholegal issues, and she has extensive experience conducting risk assessments, in particular. Dr. DeMarco is also an Adjunct Professor in the Forensic Psychology graduate program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and has been designated Adjunct Faculty for the doctoral internship program at Rutgers University. She remains active in research and continuing education efforts, and she recently published a chapter in the 2020 book Trauma in Forensic Contexts.