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
" Moving fast isn’t just breaking things, it’s actually breaking people. "
The power to heal and harm
March 13, 2025
" AI allows us to explore multiple imaginaries and possibilities, expanding how we question and understand the world. "
AI: Passionate defenses and reasoned critique [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
September 18, 2024
" Journaling your stress triggers helps you become self-aware and anticipate stress responses rather than fight them. "
Leading through the long tail of trauma
July 13, 2022
" Even if there is an element of enrichment in research participation, all processes have some extraction and must be minimized. "
Leading through the long tail of trauma
July 7, 2022
" Leadership modeling ‘being human’ with stress and mental health normalizes trauma-informed culture. "
Leading through the long tail of trauma
July 7, 2022
" You are allowed to say white supremacy culture here, even if you can’t say that in your day-to-day work. "
Everything You Need to Know about the Civic Design 2022 Call for Presentations
May 17, 2022
" Questions can be weapons; language in research, especially demographic questions, can exclude and retraumatize participants. "
Learnings from Applying Trauma-Informed Principles to the Research Process
March 10, 2022
" Trauma is a rupture in meaning making; the way you see yourself, the world and others is shocked and overturned by an event. "
Trauma-Responsive Design: Reimagining the Future of Design Now
December 10, 2021
