Trauma-Informed Design Workshop for Designers, Researchers & Changemakers

An online workshop series that helps you integrate trauma-informed practice into your design work to improve research quality, participant trust, and ethical integrity.

Next offering:
Module 1. Understanding Trauma in Design Contexts

Date/time: February 25, 2026, 2-3:30 pm EST
Format: Live online, interactive, 90 minutes
Who it’s for: Designers, design researchers, civic leaders, community managers, and professionals in emotionally demanding work.

Registration closed for this cohort

Designing with care in emotionally complex contexts

Designers and researchers are increasingly working in spaces shaped by vulnerability, loss, systemic harm, and emotional load. Yet most design training focuses on methods and outcomes, not on how trauma, stress, and nervous system responses shape research, participation, and decision-making.

This workshop series introduces trauma-informed design as a practical, ethical, and sustainable approach to design and research practice.

Who this workshop is for

This workshop is designed for professionals who:

Conduct research, co-design, or user experience work
Lead programs with high participant exposure or emotional complexity
Want to integrate ethical, reflective practices into their work
Seek to sustain presence, resilience, and grounded professional judgement

🌱 Upcoming Workshop

Module 1 — Understanding Trauma in Design Contexts

Format:

Live online · 90 minutes · Interactive
Upcoming cohort: Registration closed
Small cohort to enable meaningful discussions and practices
A combination of didactic and interactive, practical activities

Goal:

Build foundational literacy on trauma, stress responses, and how they appear in research or co-design settings.

Audience:

Designers, design researchers, civic leaders, community managers, and professionals in emotionally demanding work.

By the end of the workshop, participants will:

Identify different types of trauma and how they may indirectly influence participants

Recognize cues of stress and nervous system activation without pathologizing
Map your own “silent load” in research or project work
Apply a trauma-informed lens in observation and decision-making
Participate in peer activities and discussions

Workshop includes:

Didactic presentation on Trauma-Informed Design and nervous systems
Interactive/practical activities and discussions in a small cohort
Take-home resources and worksheets

This workshop would be a good fit if you:

Work in user research, service design, community engagement, healthcare, public services, or other care-adjacent spaces
Want a clearer understanding of what trauma-informed design actually means beyond buzzwords
Are interested in how the nervous system shapes attention, stress, and judgment during and after interviews or facilitation
Value learning through reflection and case discussion, not just tools or frameworks

This workshop is probably not the right fit if you’re:

Looking for personal healing work or therapy
Wanting diagnostic approaches to manage participants
Wanting quick fixes, scripts, or checklists

Future Modules

Module 2 — Trauma-Informed Research Practices & Ethical Considerations

Goal: Learn practical methods for designing research that supports psychological safety, autonomy, and ethical engagement.
Learning Outcomes:

Design trauma-informed research protocols and choice points
Plan for psychological safety before, during, and after sessions
Apply trauma-informed language and micro-skills
Adapt interview scripts to foster dignity and autonomy
Recognize cues for pausing, redirecting, or stopping sessions ethically

Module 3 — Researcher Wellbeing: Vicarious Trauma & Self-Regulation

Goal: Build awareness of the emotional and ethical load in research and learn strategies to maintain your own wellbeing.
Learning Outcomes:

Identify how repeated exposure to distress impacts cognition, mood, and relationships
Recognize somatic signs of emotional overload
Apply individual and team-level self-regulation strategies
Use structured reflection tools to process emotional impact
Sustain ethical judgment and research quality over time

Module 4 — Trauma-Informed Practice in Action: Simulations & Applied Scenarios

Goal: Apply trauma-informed principles in simulated research and design scenarios.
Learning Outcomes:

Respond to participant behaviours (withdrawal, overwhelm, defensiveness, oversharing) with grounding and supportive presence
Interpret participant behaviours through a trauma-informed lens
Synthesize sensitive findings ethically
Plan upcoming projects integrating choice, safety, and systemic considerations
Commit to actionable practice changes in your work

About the Facilitator

Hitomi Yokota, Founder of Cocoro Colab, is a licensed psychotherapist and service designer with over a decade of experience bridging trauma-informed care with human-centred design. She founded Cocoro Colab to provide the education designers and researchers need to engage with sensitivity, care, and ethical awareness.

Credentials:

Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO)
Master’s in Interdisciplinary Design Strategy
Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counselling
Specialized trauma-informed training (including EMDR, IFS, Somatic Experiencing, Somatic Embodiment, DBT).