Carol F. Scott  

PhD, MSW  

Trauma-Informed Research & Design Expert

This is a headshot of Carol. She has blonde hair and wears glasses. She is wearing a dark grey turtleneck and a taupe pink jacket.

Pronouns: she/her/hers

ABOUT

I am a trauma expert with almost 20 years of experience conducting trauma-informed, human-centered research. I use mixed methods, theory, and collaboration to explore and solve complex human problems.

CREED

I love research, and I relish co-creating. Research is a team sport — the best change happens when diverse minds come together. I am devoted to identifying digital harm reduction possibilities through ethically fueled, trauma-informed research and, in doing so, making a positive difference for users, companies, and beyond.

MISSION

I am on a mission to understand people and empower lasting positive change through trauma-informed, harm reduction methodologies.

PHILOSOPHIES

  • Know thyself — the good, the bad, and the ugly — and practice critical self-reflection.

  • Kindness is transformative.

  • Give grace. Trauma can be life-shaping and life-changing, and people may be struggling in ways you can’t see or understand.

  • You are a powerful champion of change and healing.

  • Be gritty in the face of challenges.

  • Own your mistakes and grow from them.

  • Ask clarifying questions. Don’t struggle in silence.

  • Tell the truth and be transparent to foster trustworthiness, safety, and choice.

Highlighted Skills

Expertise

  • Trauma and trauma-informed approaches

  • Social work and design ethics

  • Clinical interviews and suicide prevention

  • Human factors, with emphasis on youth mental and behavioral health

  • Child and youth development

  • Harm reduction

  • Human behavior theory

  • Program evaluation and development

  • Biomedical data collection

  • Human-centered and strength-based practitioner

  • Socio-technical systems thinker

  • Critical and reflective citizen

Approaches

  • Survey design

  • Inferential statistics

  • User interviews

  • Focus groups

  • Diary studies

  • Journey mapping and logic models

  • Personas (statistical and qualitative)

  • Field studies and contextual inquiries

  • Participatory research and co-design

  • Heuristic evaluation

  • Usability testing

  • Stakeholder interviews and needs assessment

  • Behavioral and atitudinal methods

Trauma-Informed Technology Support

If you want help making your technology, design, or research more trauma-informed, please visit my business website and don’t hesitate to contact us.

Let's Connect

Let's Connect