Center for pediatric traumatic stress - the center for pediatric traumatic stress (CPTS) is a national leader in identifying and reducing health-related traumatic stress in children and families

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded The Nemours Foundation $593,363 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.532) to support the Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress (CPTS).

CPTS develops, evaluates, and disseminates evidence-based interventions integrating trauma-informed care into pediatric healthcare settings to reduce traumatic stress in children and families facing medical conditions, injuries, and illness. The center operates nationally through web-based resources, clinical interventions, and training targeting healthcare providers, mental health professionals, and families, with hospital-based implementation sites across seven states. During the five-year project period (September 30, 2026–September 29, 2031), CPTS will focus on three primary goals: strengthening awareness and prevention of traumatic stress among healthcare providers and systems; expanding dissemination and implementation of evidence-based trauma-informed care tools; and advancing integration of trauma-informed practices within pediatric healthcare delivery.

Work is performed at Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware, in Wilmington, Delaware.

Our mission is to mitigate traumatic stress in youth with medical conditions and their families by advancing the integration of trauma-informed care (TIC) into healthcare settings using practical, evidence-based tools. With extensive web-based resources, clinical interventions, and training opportunities targeting healthcare and mental health providers and families, CPTS's scope is national. CPTS also has 3 hospital-based sites across 7 states to optimize dissemination and implementation of resources. Millions of children each year incur injuries and face chronic medical conditions. Unexpected injuries, new medical diagnoses and medical treatment serve as one of the most common potentially traumatic experiences that a child encounters in the united states. Medical traumatic stress includes child and family responses to pain, injury, illness, and frightening treatment experiences. Building on gold standard research on ILL and injured children and their families, and leveraging our strong connections with key health provider communities, CPTS provides national leadership on traumatic stress across injury, illness, and other medical problems. CPTS serves as a resource to the national child traumatic stress network (NCTSN) to advance integration of TIC into healthcare systems. TIC in pediatric healthcare aims to reduce distress while promoting resilience and positive adaptation in the face of difficult medical events. To achieve our mission, CPTS develops, evaluates, and supports the dissemination, implementation, and sustainment of evidence-based interventions integrated within pediatric healthcare. CPTS's work in the 2026-2031 project period focuses on three goals / key constituencies: goal 1. Strengthen awareness, prevention of, and responsiveness to traumatic stress among healthcare providers and systems across the united states. Advance, scale, and sustain TIC across healthcare systems and practices in collaboration with healthcare providers. Goal 2. Deepen expertise within the mental health workforce on caring for children with acute and chronic medical needs and their families. Enhance provider capacity by working with mental health to deliver evidence-based, TIC in healthcare and behavioral health systems. Goals 3. Disseminate traumatic stress psychosocial resources directly to families with children with acute and chronic medical needs. Ensure that patients and families have access to scalable, evidence-based resources and interventions addressing pediatric traumatic stress. Measurable objectives (for the grant cycle) include annual review and updates of WWW.healthcaretoolbox.ORG (HCT); promoting HCT via live trainings, social media, and partnerships to reach 30,000 healthcare providers and 2,500 mental health providers; disseminate and support the sustainment of TIC via newly developed online platform that guides organizations through setting TIC goals and assigning web-based trainings and resources (TICKET) with at least 15 organization; adapting and disseminate a program aimed to decrease healthcare provider burnout and stress (TECHS) to reach at least 5,000 individuals; disseminate validated trauma-based screening tools (PAT, ASC-kids) to 100 healthcare systems who will implement them with 7,500 families; disseminate program for families with pediatric cancer to promote caregiver coping (SCCIP) to at least 150 mental health providers over the course of the grant; annual review and updates of family-facing materials on HCT. This multi-pronged approach ensures comprehensive impact on healthcare system infrastructure to improve access to trauma-informed services for children affected by medical trauma.