About Us
We are a dynamic duo with many years of experience teaching others about digital design, research, trauma, and trauma-informed approaches. Our shared goal is a world where tech is helpful and healing instead of harmful. If you seek to create trauma-informed technology, we have the knowledge, skills, and experience to help. We bring both theory and practical experience to our work and training.
Social work + design + research + lived experience
Carol F. Scott, Ph.D., M.S.W.
Carol is a trauma expert. She is also an accomplished trauma-informed researcher. She has been studying trauma and steeped in applying trauma-informed approaches for the last 12+ years. She has also been conducting human-centered research for almost 2 decades.
Carol’s training intersects law, social work, psychology, human-computer interaction (HCI), and health informatics. Her mission is to understand people — their needs, behavior, desires, feelings, etc. — and empower lasting positive change. Using mixed methods, Carol researches:
the lived experiences and well-being of various groups, including youth, justice-impacted individuals, and people who have lived experience of harm on- and offline.
how these groups use and interact with technology and
how their tech use impacts their health and well-being (e.g., mental health, alcohol use, and happiness).
A list of my publications is available on my Google Scholar Profile.
Carol has helped numerous scholars, students, and cross-functional practitioners learn about and apply trauma-informed approaches throughout her career. She has also taught 100s college students about human behavior and theories, research methodologies, and program evaluation.
Carol has a Ph.D. in Social Welfare, a Master of Social Work (M.S.W.), a Bachelor of Arts, Honors in Experimental Psychology, and an Associate degree (or diploma, as it’s known in Canada) in Police Foundations. She also has 4 years of Postdoctoral training in HCI, social computing, and health informatics from the University of Michigan School of Information. Finally, Carol has certification in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) research and leadership.
See more on Carol on her her LinkedIn profile.
Melissa Eggleston
With 15 years of experience working in technology, Melissa is an expert in user-experience design and research. Her specialty is helping design teams be more trauma-informed and inclusive.
In her career, she has helped Lenovo, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, among many others.
In 2017 she won the Aquent Design for Good grant to apply trauma-informed principles to a domestic violence agency website. Since then, she has helped design specifically for people who have experienced:
interpersonal violence
human trafficking
substance use disorder
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
serious mental illness
suicidal ideation
Melissa received her Master’s degree in Visual Communication from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she has taught graduate students since 2019. She has given dozens of industry talks on user experience and trauma-informed design at conferences and workshops at places including Grace Hopper, All Things Open, and UX New Zealand
Melissa received a certificate in trauma-informed organizations from the University of Buffalo’s School of Social Work and has been trained in psychological first aid. She is now pursuing a doctorate in design at North Carolina State University, studying how digital design can better serve those who experience sexual assault.
See more on Melissa on her LinkedIn profile.
Our Creed
We always strive to become more trauma-informed, even when the effort is hard and takes time. We continually work to improve tech research and design to serve people better, one digital interaction at a time.
Trauma is widespread and not just an individual experience but a group, collective, cultural, historical, and societal event. For these reasons, we read, network, explore, and teach with others around the globe. We know novel ideas can come from any person or field.
Trauma-informed approaches are powerful catalysts for change. We continue to dream of and work toward a world where tech helps people thrive instead of harming or excluding them. We commit to work, live, and play with intention, inclusion, and critical awareness – these are the oxygen of trauma-informed work.
We are in an ultramarathon, not a sprint. We leverage the transformative energy of trauma-informed care to resist retraumatization and support others. This is essential for a healthy, productive, and sustainable career. We eagerly welcome those who want to join us on this journey.