NLW Consulting

Dr. Nicole Wiesen, LMSW, MPH, is a trauma-informed public health social worker and the founder of Returning Her Home (RHH), a gender-responsive reentry initiative serving women impacted by incarceration. Her practice specializes in Post-Incarceration Syndrome (PICS™), an emerging trauma-based framework addressing the psychological, physiological, and social effects of prolonged institutional exposure. Dr. Wiesen’s work integrates clinical social work, public health principles, and systems-level advocacy to support individuals transitioning from incarceration into community life. She provides direct clinical services, professional training, consultation, and organizational capacity-building focused on trauma recovery, nervous system regulation, reentry stabilization, housing navigation, workforce reintegration, and community restoration. Through the PICS™ Framework and Train-the-Trainer Certification Program, Dr. Wiesen equips correctional staff, clinicians, reentry professionals, faith leaders, and community-based organizations with practical tools to recognize adaptive survival responses, reduce recidivism, and respond with clarity, compassion, and accountability. Her practice emphasizes: Trauma-informed and strength-based care Gender-responsive programming Public health approaches to reentry Nervous system education and regulation Systems change and policy alignment Coalition building across justice, health, and community sectors With a demonstrated recidivism rate of 0.08 among participants in Returning Her Home, Dr. Wiesen’s work bridges theory, lived experience, and evidence-informed practice to advance sustainable reentry outcomes and long-term community healing.