Trauma informed public health nursing visits to parents and children

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research has demonstrated a strong correlation between a traumatic childhood and poor health and social status in adulthood. Maternal/child Public Health Nursing (PHN) home visiting teams frequently encounter families experiencing trauma, thus offering a unique opportunity to assist parents in recognizing the potential harm such stress may have for their child. The Sonoma County Field Nursing team developed a trauma-informed model utilizing ACEs education in a self-reflective approach with parents to increase family resilience and reduce the risk for future childhood trauma. This paper presents the supporting research used to develop the trauma-informed approach and describes the execution of the model by the Sonoma County Field Nursing team.