Rosenverse

Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.

Log in Create free account

100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.

Trauma-informed Research: A Panel Discussion

Thursday, October 7, 2021 • Advancing Research Community
Share the love for this talk
Trauma-informed Research: A Panel Discussion
Speakers: Matt Bernius , Sarah Fathallah , Hera Hussain and Jessica Zéroual-Kara
Link:

Summary

The unfolding epidemics and crises of the last year and a half provide stark reminders that no person or setting is ever safe from the impacts of traumas. Now more than ever, it’s critical for us as researchers to anticipate and plan for the realities of trauma as it emerges in our work (and in ourselves). Join us for a discussion of how the panelists came to embrace trauma-informed practices and how they have led to changes in the way we approach our work. Being trauma-informed and -responsive is not a destination but rather a constant state of becoming. You’ll leave with the information you need to start this journey in your own practice.

Key Insights

  • Including people with lived experience in research teams helps anticipate trauma triggers and design sensitive methods.

  • Trauma manifests and is processed differently across cultures, requiring flexible, adaptive research approaches.

  • Allowing participants agency in how and when they engage reduces retraumatization risks.

  • Trauma-informed work demands self-care practices for researchers, including debriefings, breaks, and mutual support.

  • Research in systems like government must address trauma perpetuated by those systems, not just individual experiences.

  • Commodification of trauma-informed approaches risks diluting their meaning into performative checklists.

  • Organizational change, starting with HR policies and leadership modeling vulnerability, is vital for trauma-informed cultures.

  • Researchers and designers should assume trauma is present in all human interactions, even in traditionally 'non-sensitive' sectors.

  • Consent is an ongoing process, and participants should always feel empowered to pause or stop participation.

  • Sharing and mentoring among practitioners strengthens trauma-informed approaches and prevents isolation.

Notable Quotes

"Trauma is a response to anything that's overwhelming—too much, too fast, too soon, or too long coupled with a lack of protection or support."

"You can't heal your way out of death or oppression by reforming oppressive systems; you can only do so by dismantling those systems."

"We need to be better at questioning the motivations of the parties we work with and what they’re getting out of the work."

"All processes are extractive; even if there’s an element of enrichment, reducing that extraction is crucial."

"Allow people to tell you how trauma extraction feels; don’t assume based on your cultural lens."

"Leadership modeling of vulnerability and human challenges is the first step towards trauma-informed organizational culture."

"Trauma-informed is not a destination; it’s a journey, a continuous state of becoming."

"If you work with humans, you work with trauma. Assume everybody carries some form of vulnerability."

"Take breaks, use chill zones, and create safe spaces within research and workplace settings."

"Being trauma-informed means caring for yourself, forgiving your mistakes, and moving forward with humility."

Ask the Rosenbot
Joel Branch
Humanizing AI: Filling the Gaps with Multi-faceted Research
2021 • Advancing Research 2021
Gold
Kit Unger
Theme 1 Intro
2022 • Design at Scale 2022
Gold
Alex Hurworth
Designing a Contact Tracing App for Universal Access
2020 • DesignOps Summit 2020
Gold
Jon Fukuda
Theme One Intro
2023 • DesignOps Summit 2023
Gold
Kristin Taylor
Building Bridges Across Organizational Silos
2022 • Civic Design 2022
Gold
Neema Mahdavi
Operationalizing DesignOps
2018 • DesignOps Summit 2018
Gold
Brianna Sylver
Lead With Purpose
2020 • Advancing Research 2020
Gold
Tess Dixon
C'mon Get Happy
2021 • DesignOps Summit 2021
Gold
Farid Sabitov
Automatization for Large Enterprise Teams
2024 • DesignOps Summit 2020
Gold
Sarah Auslander
Insights Panel
2022 • Civic Design 2022
Gold
Eduardo Ortiz
Theme 3 Intro
2025 • Advancing Research 2025
Gold
Kaitlin Tasker
Fast and Fearless Inclusive Research
2023 • Advancing Research 2023
Gold
James Rampton
The Basics of Automotive UX & Why Phones Are a Part of That Future
2024 • Rosenfeld Community
Marieke McCloskey
User Science: Product Analytics & User Research
2021 • Advancing Research 2021
Gold
Bria Alexander
Opening Remarks
2022 • Civic Design 2022
Gold
Sam Ladner
Methodologies: Beyond the interview [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
2024 • Advancing Research Community

More Videos

Victor Udoewa

"Our ways of being are roots that grow into ways of knowing, doing, and methods, all nourished by systems of value."

Victor Udoewa

Beyond Methods and Diversity: The Roots of Inclusion

March 26, 2024

Peter Morville

"When you’re in a culture that celebrates complexity, making things simple is still a very hard thing to do."

Peter Morville

The Architecture of Understanding

May 13, 2015

Sam Ladner

"Rigour really is just a method; it’s knowing why you made the choices and tradeoffs you did."

Sam Ladner

How Research Can Drive Strategic Foresight

March 9, 2022

Michelle Bejian Lotia

"AI can help us cut through noise and speed up the so-what part of insights but can’t replace human knowledge of strategy and customers."

Michelle Bejian Lotia Anne-Marie Morell

Rolling Out a Repository: How Zapier Centralizes Insights from Across their Organization

March 28, 2023

Leisa Reichelt

"Choosing the right hill to die on is so important and so hard; the problems that matter come around again and again."

Leisa Reichelt

Opening Keynote: Operating in Context

November 7, 2018

Sarah Gallimore

"The mayor wanted to shrink the neighborly bonds that the city was known for by investing in a 2030 living Monument of collaboration and community."

Sarah Gallimore

Inspire Progress with Artifacts from the Future

November 18, 2022

Joerg Beringer

"This is real serious analysis, not pre-prepared or fake data."

Joerg Beringer Thomas Geis

Scaling User Research with AI: Continuous Discovery of User Needs in Minutes

September 10, 2025

Peter Merholz

"Execution is in service of the user."

Peter Merholz

Customer-Centered Design Organizations

June 8, 2017

Dalia El-Shimy

"We have been focused for so long on getting that seat that we haven’t realized that a lot of us are actually already there."

Dalia El-Shimy

So You've Got a Seat at the Table. Now What?

March 31, 2020