Trauma-informed Design + Social Work + Design Teams with Rachael Dietkus — DT101 E81
Rachael Dietkus is a clinical social worker and certified trauma professional dedicated to trauma-responsive practices in design. We talk about trauma-informed design, social work, and why design teams need a social worker.
Listen to learn about:
- The intersection of design and social work
- Trauma-informed design
- Resources for designers looking to be more trauma-responsive in their work
- The benefits of including social workers on design teams
- Social Workers Who Design
Our Guest
Rachael Dietkus is a social worker immersed in design. She is a licensed clinical social worker, design researcher, and strategist, with experience in the non-profit space, federal government, and higher education. Rachael is deeply committed to trauma-informed and trauma-responsive design practices and is the founder of Social Workers Who Design.
Show Highlights
[02:21] Rachael’s undergraduate studies in photography and art design.
[02:59] The Sociology 101 course that changed everything.
[03:50] Working on the abolition of the death penalty in Illinois helped Rachael to see the intersection between social justice and the creative world.
[05:14] The hunger for more intersectionality and collaboration between disciplines.
[06:11] Her work with the Champaign-Urbana Design Organization was another chance to experience that creative collaboration.
[07:37] Rachael’s natural gravitation toward social justice projects.
[08:16] Championing the need for social workers on design teams, and for trauma-informed design.
[09:22] What does it mean to be trauma-informed in the context of design?
[10:40] The six guiding principles of trauma-informed care used in the U.S.
[14:02] Defining trauma in the context of design.
[15:31] Rachael shares a personal story of trauma.
[20:30] Rachael talks about Tad Hirsch’s article comparing the design research process and aspects of psychotherapy.
[21:04] The potential darker side of rapport-building during the design process.
[26:19] Ways that designers can practice their way into being more trauma-responsive.
[27:11] Books for learning more about trauma.
[31:58] Getting asked to do workshops and trainings on trauma-informed design.
[36:01] The importance of practice and evolving in one’s design work.
[37:27] Seeing design through a social work lens.
[40:31] What is social work?
[41:57] Becoming an ambassador for social work and social workers.
[43:07] The interesting similarities between human-centered design and social work.
[43:54] The benefits of having a social worker on a design team.
[48:44] Social workers can be the bridge to the people being served.
[49:48] Social workers are often already there in the design problem spaces doing the work.
[50:56] Rachael talks about Social Workers Who Design.
[55:38] Social workers are, by necessity, system designers because they work within complex systems.
Links
Rachael on LinkedIn
Rachael on Women Talk Design
Social Workers Who Design on Instagram
Trauma-Informed Design with Rachael Dietkus and Sarah Fathallah
Healing Community: Trauma-Informed Design with Rachael Dietkus
Trauma-Informed Design with Glennette Clark and Rachael Dietkus
Design Lab with Bon Ku podcast: Ep 17: Trauma Responsive Design | Rachael Dietkus
Design Thinking for Social Workers: Creating a New Competency: Rachael Dietkus, Lisa Mercer, and Rachel Switzky
Practicing Without a License: Design Research as Psychotherapy
Book Recommendations:
Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others, by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky
My Grandmother’s Hands, by Resmaa Menakem
What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing, by Oprah Winfrey and Dr Bruce Perry
Decolonizing Trauma Work: Indigenous Stories and Strategies, By Renee Linklater
Healing Developmental Trauma: How Early Trauma Affects Self-Regulation, Self-Image, and the Capacity for Relationship, by Laurence Heller and Aline LaPierre
Beyond Sticky Notes: Co-design for Real: Mindsets, methods and movements, by Kelly Ann McKercher
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