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:
" Just throwing numbers at people does not engage them; pairing data with personal stories or quotes makes the findings resonate. "
Day 3 Theme Panel
March 13, 2025
" The pressure to produce insights quickly defines many organizations shaped by 'move fast and break things' culture. "
The power to heal and harm
March 13, 2025
" There is always going to be a power gap in inclusiveness efforts unless we critically question who is missing. "
AI: Passionate defenses and reasoned critique [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
September 18, 2024
" Acknowledging and validating what someone has told you creates psychological safety and trust in leadership. "
Leading through the long tail of trauma
July 13, 2022
" Trauma is not so much an external event as it is the way that event embeds in individual bodies. "
Leading through the long tail of trauma
July 7, 2022
" Breaks equalize stress and can prevent trauma responses from spilling over. "
Leading through the long tail of trauma
July 7, 2022
" Having a Slack channel for chat and resources creates ongoing conversations and historical artifacts beyond the live talks. "
Everything You Need to Know about the Civic Design 2022 Call for Presentations
May 17, 2022
" Sharing power and allowing researchers to choose projects creates less traumatic and more equitable workplaces. "
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
