Strength in the City: Assets-Based Violence and Trauma Assessment by Forensic Nurses in Urban Environments

Abstract

Forensic nurses operating in the urban environment frequently find themselves at the intersection of trauma and healing, often providing care in communities disproportionately affected by structural violence, poverty, and systemic inequities. While conventional trauma assessments tend to focus on pathology and risk, this article proposes an assets-based approach that centers resilience, cultural knowledge, and community strength. Drawing from frameworks such as Trauma-Informed Care, Strengths-Based Nursing, Resilience Theory, and the Community Cultural Wealth Model, this manuscript outlines how nurses can incorporate patient-identified coping strategies, relational supports, and community resources into violence and trauma assessments. Through illustrative case studies, ranging from school-based care to street outreach, this article demonstrates how assets-based nursing practice affirms patient agency, builds trust, and improves health outcomes. The approach aligns with anti-oppressive and equity-focused principles, reframing trauma narratives through a lens of possibility rather than pathology. Benefits of this model include enhanced therapeutic alliance and culturally responsive care, while limitations include time constraints, institutional barriers, and the potential romanticization of resilience without structural reform. The article concludes with actionable strategies for embedding this model across clinical settings, nursing education, and health policy, advocating for systemic changes that empower nurses to address trauma with cultural humility and justice-informed care. By shifting the lens from “what is wrong” to “what is strong, nurses can help transform urban health systems into spaces of recovery and empowerment.