That's one of many things I'm hoping to learn here and elsewhere! We're working on the issue of screening in primary care practice now, and this issue of addressing trauma with adults is an important part of the discussion. For example, we've talked about the fact that mandatory reporting, as necessary as it is, also creates a barrier since parents fear talking about what may be happening at home. We don't have any solutions, but we've talked about it!
I liked the example Jim Sporleder (below) gave in his post of having the chart of ACEs on the wall, and letting the patient start the discussion. And of course, Dr. Felitti's phrase of "how has [the trauma] effected your life?"
As we go forward bringing the entire issue of childhood trauma more to the fore, these are going to be critical points in our success, I think. How do we engage trauma survivors in discussion while taking care regarding "triggering" them, ensure their children are safe (if they have any), interupt the epigenetic cycle and get care for all involved? These are the kinds of issues that stop many groups from moving forward at all, I think. But of course, we have to move forward. It's unethical, given what we know today, to do anything else.