Trauma literacy in content design

As designers, we can shape experiences through the:

• words we choose,
• interactions we create,
• methods we trust,
• content we present.

The experiences we shape are not neutral. For some, they might carry the invisible weight of past trauma. For others, it may be dramatically different. Trauma can show up even in the most ordinary interactions with our content. In design practice, I believe having a trauma literacy can add depth to our work. This powerful observation by Peter Levine in Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma underscores the need for trauma literacy in a field like design:

“Trauma is perhaps the most avoided, ignored, belittled, denied, misunderstood, and untreated cause of human suffering.”

Understanding how trauma shapes the human experience requires designers to adopt a literacy of trauma. This framework can equip us to anticipate and respond to the diverse needs of trauma-affected individuals.

When we deepen our practice to include a trauma literacy that builds from our sensitivity, we can actively consider how trauma can impact people’s engagement with content. This chapter explores the practice of trauma literacy, how we can expand our awareness, and why our work must prioritise care, trust, and safety.

What is a trauma literacy?

In simple terms, having a trauma literacy is twofold. First, it means deeply understanding trauma, including its variances, impacts, and how it develops and manifests in individuals, teams, organisations, communities, and society at large, particularly as a result of structural and systemic harm..

Second, we take this deep understanding and thoughtfully and ethically apply it in our design contexts. But this is far easier said than done. It’s important to note that having a trauma literacy goes beyond a foundation of basic information about trauma and trauma-informed care; it involves so much more.

Trauma is unique to the individual

It’s essential to understand that many experiences can lead to trauma. Consider how you might recognise different forms of trauma and how it uniquely affects people. What are some common and normal reactions to stress and feeling overwhelmed?

A single traumatic event can result in vastly different responses. One person may feel overwhelmed, another experiences trauma, and a third remains unaffected. This underscores the complexity of trauma and our perceptions of it, particularly in the face of global crises. Pandemics, natural disasters, and political conflicts can magnify and diversify traumatic responses across communities.

Recognise trauma responses

Understanding that trauma is unique means understanding it doesn’t always look the same. Recognising trauma responses means being aware and attuned. What are some common and normal reactions to stress and overwhelm that we could anticipate with our content? There is a wide range of normal emotional, psychological, and physical responses to trauma, including how trauma might manifest in our behaviours, decision-making, and interactions with systems or content.

Compassion and reflexivity

In addition to this awareness of trauma, a trauma-literate designer must have compassion and reflexivity. These traits allow us to approach work compassionately and understand that trauma may affect individuals and communities differently. They also involve regularly reflecting on one's role and biases in interacting with others, especially when designing content for services that may impact trauma-affected individuals.

Trauma-informed principles and practices are integrative, not additive

With these skills and understanding, we can look at our practices. Integrating trauma-informed principles ensures that environments and interactions do not intentionally and unintentionally re-traumatise or alienate those with traumatic histories. These principles do not need to be prescriptive.

A good starting point is the 6 guiding principles from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a U.S. government agency that promotes mental health and substance use care through resources and support.
Many designers grapple with understanding trauma while learning about trauma-informed care principles. As awareness grows, designers can begin to apply trauma-informed care principles more thoughtfully. This shift is helping to bridge the gap between understanding trauma and integrating these principles with depth and intentionality.

For example, Chayn is a global nonprofit run by survivors and allies worldwide. It creates resources to support the healing of survivors of gender-based violence and has adapted trauma-informed principles to include ones relevant to their context and scope of work.

Take a moment and consider the context you are working within. Are your projects focused on known or nuanced sensitive subject matters? The context you work within will inform the principles you may need and then choose to integrate. The safety principle may apply in every context, regardless of the topic. It is important to remember that the principles are in constant relationship with one another.

Trauma models

Numerous models exist for understanding trauma, each offering a unique perspective on its complexities. Many of these models significantly influence how trauma-informed care is approached within design practices. While most trauma-informed care stems from the medical model, it is helpful to explore other key frameworks. The medical model categorises trauma primarily in terms of medical experiences, ranging from life-threatening emergencies to routine procedures. It acknowledges that trauma can emerge in various forms and that psychological effects may vary depending on the care received. However, the model focuses heavily on clinical intervention, which may limit its application to understanding trauma in non-medical contexts.

The biopsychosocial model integrates biological, psychological, and environmental factors to explain what is commonly seen as mental disorders. While it presents a more comprehensive view, some critics argue that it has evolved into a predominantly biomedical focus, often overshadowing the psychological and social components.

The trauma-informed care model prioritises creating a safe and supportive environment by considering past trauma when delivering care. It emphasises avoiding activations and offering sensitive, empathic approaches that recognise the long-lasting effects of trauma on mental health.

The social model shifts the focus from individual pathology to the broader societal context, recognising that social structures, cultural norms, and systemic factors significantly contribute to trauma. It highlights how external factors, rather than individual deficiencies, can exacerbate the impact of trauma.

The anti-pathology model reframes trauma as a natural, valid response to harm. The anti-pathology model emphasises resilience and recovery without medicalising or pathologising individuals. This holistic approach avoids stigmatisation, focusing on healing without unnecessary labelling or clinical intervention.

Creating a new model for design

As we consider these various models for understanding trauma, it becomes clear that design offers a unique space to move beyond the constraints of traditional medicalised approaches. By integrating insights from the social and anti-pathology models, design can address trauma more holistically, acknowledging its roots in systemic and structural influences. This opens the door to creating new frameworks that prioritise empathy, care, and resilience in ways many other disciplines have yet to fully embrace.

By embracing the social and anti-pathology models, we can shift our practices to prioritise care, trust, and empowerment. We can move toward building a trauma literacy that supports and empowers individuals, teams, and communities. In the following sections, we’ll explore what building a trauma literacy social model in design means and how this approach can deepen our understanding and expand our practice.

Social model of trauma literacy

The social model of trauma literacy represents a paradigm shift in understanding trauma. Rather than viewing trauma as a purely individual psychological or medical issue, this model situates it within the broader societal and systemic contexts that create and often perpetuate it. Trauma is not an isolated experience; it is usually shaped by external forces such as:

• racism,
• sexism,
• poverty,
• ableism,
• colonialism,
• other forms of systemic oppression and marginalisation.

These forces intersect and compound, creating environments where trauma is more likely to occur and where its effects are more difficult to overcome. By adopting this broader perspective, designers can address trauma not only through individual care but also through systemic change and societal accountability.

For instance, in a community-centred design project aimed at creating content for the public, applying the social model could involve partnership through ongoing participatory or co-design throughout the whole process. This approach can foster co-production, ensuring the community's needs and experiences are met rather than imposing top-down decisions.

Let’s look at the central components of the social model more closely.

Trauma as a collective experience

Trauma extends beyond the individual and can be a shared experience across communities. Social conditions such as economic inequality, discrimination, and marginalisation intensify trauma, making it both a personal and collective issue.

Challenging structural inequities

Trauma is deeply intertwined with systemic structures. The social model emphasises dismantling these inequities by recognising their role in perpetuating trauma. Addressing systemic issues like housing instability, healthcare access, or racial discrimination becomes central to trauma-informed work.

Community-centred approaches

Healing is not solely an individual journey. The social model advocates for collective, community-based solutions where those impacted by trauma are empowered to participate in creating systems of care. This approach recognises the value of shared responsibility and peer-to-peer support.

Designing for systemic change

Within this model, trauma-informed design aims to create systems that prevent trauma by addressing root causes. Design can play a critical role in creating digital or physical environments that foster healing by challenging harmful societal norms and offering more equitable experiences.

Anti-pathology model of trauma literacy

The anti-pathology model moves away from viewing trauma through a clinical lens that seeks to “fix” or pathologise individuals. Instead, this model frames trauma as a natural, valid response to harmful experiences and emphasises the inherent resilience of those who experience it. It advocates for a non-stigmatising, strengths-based approach that shifts away from medicalisation and toward holistic care. This model has 5 critical aspects.

Trauma as a response, not a disorder

In this model, trauma is seen as an adaptive response to adversity rather than a disorder that needs to be cured. It challenges the notion that trauma should be pathologised, emphasising instead the importance of understanding and contextualising trauma responses.

Resilience and strengths-based approaches

Rather than focusing on deficits or things that are wrong or not working, the anti-pathology model emphasises human resilience. It acknowledges people’s ability to adapt, recover, and thrive, often by drawing on their inner strengths and support systems.

Avoiding over-medicalisation

This model resists the tendency to rely solely on medical interventions (like medication or clinical diagnoses) to address trauma. Instead, it advocates for alternative healing methods, including:

• social support,
• mutual aid,
• collective care,
• peer networks,
• culturally responsive practices.

Trusting and empowering survivors

Central to this model is the agency of trauma survivors. It encourages individuals to reclaim ownership over their healing journey and supports them in defining what recovery means on their terms.

Challenging stigmatisation

The anti-pathology model seeks to de-stigmatise trauma by framing it as a normal part of the human experience, particularly in communities disproportionately affected by systemic harm.

In content design, this might translate into creating resources or platforms that use inclusive and empowering language, ensuring that narratives around trauma do not pathologise but acknowledge strength and recovery. For example, your content might focus on normalising discussions about trauma, emphasising communal healing and shared experiences while providing clear, accessible pathways to support.

Each of these aspects highlights the role that social structures contribute to trauma and works to remove the shame often attached to traumatic experiences. In a recent social care and trauma-informed initiative, designers worked with trauma survivors to create a digital tool prioritising participant autonomy. Rather than focusing on clinical diagnoses or prescriptive paths, the tool allows participants to engage with content on their terms, reinforcing the anti-pathology model’s focus on resilience and agency. Participants noted that the tool empowered them to navigate their healing journey at their own pace, feeling both seen and supported. This further validated the importance of autonomy and resilience in trauma recovery.

Integrating these models into trauma-informed practice

When applied to design, both the social and anti-pathology models of trauma literacy offer transformative approaches beyond conventional frameworks. By integrating these models into practice, designers and other professionals can:

• shift from seeing trauma as an individual pathology or problem to understanding it as a product of social systems and structures,
• prioritise both community and systemic healing, as well as individual care,
• empower individuals by recognising their strengths and resilience rather than focusing on dysfunction or disorder,
• challenge and work to dismantle the societal structures that perpetuate trauma, advocating for systemic change and new structures of care that foster healing.

Building a trauma-responsive practice

In addition to being a designer, I am also a licensed clinical social worker, and I approach trauma-informed practice from a discipline grounded in a strict code of ethics, practice standards, and ongoing education requirements. These essential safeguards guide care professionals like me in ensuring ethical and responsible care. However, these same professional standards do not bind most design practitioners, including content designers.

Adopting trauma-informed practices in design is not a requirement. But opting into these practices can profoundly impact the individuals and communities we design with and for. Embracing trauma literacy is a conscious choice to prioritise care and ethics in design, even without formal obligations or mandates. By doing so, we can ensure our work respects and honours the complexities of the human experience while recognising the boundaries and limitations of our professional capacities.

While designers are not bound by the same ethical standards as licensed professionals, embracing trauma literacy requires heightened ethical responsibility. Designers must recognise the limits of their expertise and collaborate with trauma experts when necessary, ensuring that the work respects and supports the well-being of trauma-affected individuals. If you want to work in this way:

• recognise the limits of your expertise around trauma,
• collaborate with trauma experts when necessary,
• make sure your work respects and supports the wellbeing of people who are affected by trauma.

The need for sensitivity in design

As designers, our responsibility extends beyond creating experiences that look nice and work well. When we commit to trauma-informed work, we must consider the emotional resonance of every element we introduce – a choice of words, an interaction, or a visual detail. What may seem insignificant to some can profoundly affect others, evoking emotional, psychological, or even physical reactions. This is where a trauma literacy becomes crucial. It allows us to approach our work with a deeper understanding of how trauma shapes human experience and how design can alleviate or exacerbate those impacts.

Designers, in particular, can play a crucial role by embedding these principles into their work. Through thoughtful design, we can create environments and experiences that promote healing, build trust, and foster a sense of safety for trauma survivors. By doing so, we move beyond functionality and aesthetics to create designs that genuinely support human well-being.

The role of trauma literacy in design

Trauma literacy, in essence, is about recognising the complexity of trauma and applying that understanding in meaningful, sensitive ways. It’s not enough to simply be aware that trauma exists; trauma literacy demands that we comprehend trauma’s distinct forms and how trauma uniquely shapes individual experiences. This understanding helps us to be more attuned to the varied emotional, psychological, and physiological responses trauma can activate and allows us to design with greater empathy and care.

Trauma literacy also calls for reflexivity: an ongoing evaluation of our biases, roles, and the potential impact of our work. Whether designing digital systems, creating content, or developing physical spaces, we must remain conscious of how trauma may appear in our participants' experiences and ensure that we create environments prioritising safety, trust, and empowerment.

However, trauma literacy isn’t just a practice for individual designers; it should inform how organisations approach design processes. Organisations can encourage a more empathetic, ethical, and inclusive design culture by embedding trauma-informed principles into team workflows, decision-making structures, and client relationships.

Trauma literacy as a design imperative

Trauma literacy is not a static skill. It requires a commitment to lifelong learning and growth. As designers, we are uniquely positioned to contribute to a world where healing, safety, and empowerment are prioritised. By integrating trauma literacy into our practice, we can design experiences that foster environments where individuals feel supported, respected, and valued.

In this way, trauma literacy becomes imperative in design. It challenges us to think deeply about our ethical responsibility and design in inclusive and sensitive ways, creating content that is responsive to our participants’ diverse experiences of trauma. Through this lens, we can create work that makes a difference and offers care and support to those who need it most.

Inclusive and accessible design

Proactively inclusive and accessible design anticipates how design, language, and interactions could activate trauma responses.

Trauma literacy empowers practitioners to design in ways that cultivate ease, not friction. Inclusive and accessible practices in design should be at the forefront and never considered afterthoughts, optional, or nice-to-haves.

Trauma literacy is always growing

Lifelong learning and trusting your “inner knowing” acknowledge that trauma literacy is not static and requires continuous commitment through:

• self-study,
• ongoing reflection and self-awareness,
• mentorship and guidance,
• communities of practice,
• formal training and workshops,
• cultural humility and learning,
• peer accountability.

We also must understand the limits of our knowledge, which is something all designers can do with a scope of practice. One framework for a scope of practice could include the following elements.

1. Role and responsibilities: Clearly define your role as a designer, including the boundaries of your expertise and the responsibilities you are taking on within a project or with a team.
2. Competencies and skills: Identify the specific skills and competencies you bring. This helps clarify what you can deliver and where you may need support or collaboration from others.
3. Limitations: Acknowledge areas outside your expertise or capacity. These might include topics like trauma care, clinical knowledge, or technical skills that require other experts.
4. Ethical boundaries: Outline the ethical standards you uphold in your content design work, especially regarding trauma-informed care and considerations for vulnerable populations. These may also be things you cannot, do not, or choose not to do.
5. Collaboration and referral: Establish guardrails and guidelines for when and how you will collaborate with other professionals, and identify situations that may require referring to experts in other fields, such as mental health or legal support.

This simple scope of practice framework allows designers to operate within their expertise while staying mindful of the need for ongoing learning and collaboration.

Next practices: building together

While much of trauma literacy requires individual commitment to growth and ethical practice, this work is also deeply embedded in social contexts. Trauma doesn’t happen in isolation, and neither does trauma literacy. The social model of trauma literacy emphasises that our understanding of trauma is built collectively through relationships, shared experiences, and community engagement.

Collective learning and shared experiences

Trauma literacy is not something you can learn solely from books or theory; it’s something you build through engagement with others. Whether through collaboration with trauma survivors, dialogue with mental health professionals, or learning from peers, the social model recognises that trauma literacy grows in the community.

Shared experiences are critical to this process. Trauma is deeply personal, yet it’s shaped by social and systemic factors – factors that we can only understand through collective learning. We deepen our understanding and become more attuned to the nuanced ways that trauma manifests by:

• listening to others’ stories,
• engaging with trauma survivors,
• learning from those who have worked in trauma fields.

The social model reminds us that our trauma literacy is never complete. It’s constantly evolving as we engage with new perspectives, learn from each other’s experiences, and participate in shared learning environments.

Community and Peer Support

The social model of trauma literacy also emphasises the importance of peer support and community engagement. Just as trauma is often experienced within a larger community, whether that’s a family, workplace, or cultural group, so too must trauma literacy be developed and sustained through community.

For example, engaging in communities of practice offers a space where designers and trauma practitioners can share insights, reflect on challenges, and offer peer support. These communities are not only places for learning but also for sustaining trauma-informed practices. It can be emotionally challenging to work in trauma-informed spaces, and having peer support systems allows for reflection, growth, and accountability.

Trauma-informed work is best done in collaboration, where everyone brings unique perspectives and experiences. This collective approach to trauma literacy helps ensure we don’t burn out, become isolated in our efforts, or miss critical insights from shared experiences.

Engaging with broader social systems

The social systems and structures around us profoundly shape trauma. Racism, sexism, ableism, classism, and other forms of systemic inequality all contribute to trauma. A social model of trauma literacy encourages us to engage not only with the individuals experiencing trauma but with the systems that perpetuate it. This means recognising that trauma is not just an individual experience but a social one shaped by power, oppression, and historical injustice.

In trauma-informed design, this means thinking critically about how the systems we’re part of are either contributing to or alleviating trauma – whether it’s a workplace, a government institution, or a social service. How are our designs interacting with these larger systems? Are we reinforcing oppressive structures or creating spaces for healing and justice?

The social model of trauma literacy pushes us to think beyond the individual and consider the broader societal impact of our work. Trauma literacy, in this context, means advocating for systemic change and designing ways to challenge the structures that cause harm.

Fostering a culture of accountability and care

Trauma literacy is not just an individual responsibility; it’s a shared responsibility. Organisations, institutions, and communities must be accountable for creating trauma-informed environments. It’s not enough for individuals to be trauma-literate; there must be a collective commitment to building systems of care and accountability.

This means nurturing trauma-informed cultures where everyone understands trauma literacy and integrates it into daily work. Organisations should:

• provide trauma-informed training,
• create peer support networks,
• ensure that trauma survivors are given spaces for voice, agency, and autonomy,
• establish clear reporting and feedback mechanisms for addressing trauma-related concerns,
• develop trauma-informed policies and procedures that are regularly revisited and updated,
• foster leadership commitment to trauma-informed principles by ensuring leaders model care, trustworthiness, and accountability,
• create spaces and time for rest and recovery to prevent burnout and secondary trauma.

Building trauma literacy through a social model means acknowledging that trauma recovery is not a solo journey. It’s collective and requires institutional courage, community support, and a culture of care. As designers, we are part of that broader system, and our trauma literacy should reflect our commitment to creating supportive content and experiences at every level of design. As we move forward, trauma literacy will continue to evolve, shaping what’s next for trauma-informed design.

Emerging models for trauma literacy: what’s next?

As our understanding of trauma continues to evolve, so too do the models we use to build trauma literacy. New approaches are emerging that challenge traditional design frameworks, pushing the boundaries of what it means to design with trauma in mind. These models are about responding to trauma and anticipating and shaping future design practices that align with evolving societal needs.

The climate crisis, in particular, is already revealing new layers of trauma that designers must anticipate and respond to. From climate displacement to eco-anxiety, the psychological effects of environmental destruction will shape how people engage with the world around them. The trauma literacy of content designers will be crucial in crafting language that supports affected populations, whether through the design of communication for disaster response services, community rebuilding efforts, or social service interventions.

As global crises such as pandemics, political upheavals, economic instability, or climate-related disasters continue to emerge, the need for a trauma literacy in design will become even more pressing. Designers will continue to be called to respond to large-scale trauma on a societal level, working to create an information architecture that is resilient, adaptable, and capable of fostering collective healing. By anticipating how trauma will intersect with future challenges, content designers can ensure that their work is responsive and proactive, addressing trauma at its roots and creating pathways to recovery and resilience.

Reference and further reading