Rachael Dietkus, LCSW
Digital Services Expert in Design & Social Work, United States Digital Service
Rachael Dietkus is a pioneering social worker-designer specializing in trauma-informed care and ethics within civic and public interest design and technology. With nearly 25 years of experience in social justice, Rachael most recently was the first social worker ever hired at the United States Digital Service, where she focused on integrating trauma-informed practices into federal technology projects. As the founder of Social Workers Who Design, she consults globally on design, research, and strategy projects, nurturing trauma literacy and care humility among designers. Rachael is an RSA Fellow, a Design Council Expert, and a contributor to key publications, including "Feminist Designer" and the forthcoming "This is Journey Management" and "Designed with Care: Creating Trauma-Informed Content." She is also working on her first book on care, trauma, and design with MIT Press. Rachael's work bridges the gap between social work and design, advocating for more humane, care-centered approaches in public service delivery and civic tech.
Rosenverse talks by Rachael:
" Some of the most impactful insights come from data analytics and user research collaborating to find behaviors seen in real people and aggregate data. "
Day 3 Theme Panel
March 13, 2025
" In design, it's the BYOE model—bring your own ethics. "
The power to heal and harm
March 13, 2025
" AI reflects dominant hegemonic views, creating virtual worlds where counter views do not exist. "
AI: Passionate defenses and reasoned critique [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
September 18, 2024
" Humanity doesn’t stop at the door just because you’re a leader — you still have vulnerabilities and struggles. "
Leading through the long tail of trauma
July 13, 2022
" Assume everybody has the potential for trauma to show up in any interaction you have with them. "
Leading through the long tail of trauma
July 7, 2022
" If you work with humans, you work with trauma; it’s inherent in human experience. "
Leading through the long tail of trauma
July 7, 2022
" Our curation process is identity hidden to prioritize equity and thematic mapping over affiliation or geography. "
Everything You Need to Know about the Civic Design 2022 Call for Presentations
May 17, 2022
" True consent means forms and processes designed for human understanding, not just organizational legal protection. "
Learnings from Applying Trauma-Informed Principles to the Research Process
March 10, 2022
" To be anti-racist, you must be trauma-informed; to be trauma-informed, you must commit to anti-racist work. "
Trauma-Responsive Design: Reimagining the Future of Design Now
December 10, 2021
