We understand the profound impact trauma has on individuals and the staff within organisations. That's why we developed The Hope Hierarchy™, a revolutionary, trauma-informed design tool.
This powerful method translates complex scientific principles into actionable design strategies, all aimed at creating environments that genuinely support wellbeing, healing, and long-term recovery.
Think of trauma-informed design as your silent partner, empowering your staff, reducing vicarious trauma and setting your clients up to heal and transition to the next stage of their lives as quickly and smoothly as possible.
A pretty space won't aid in recovery, but a trauma-informed space will.
We're Kylie & Jane from Design for Hope, your partners in Trauma-Informed Design.
We work with leaders and change-makers committed to client-centred, ethical service delivery who find their current spaces uninspiring. Perhaps they're not fully supporting client recovery, inadvertently triggering clients, failing to build trust, or even contributing to your staffs vicarious trauma.
Every project begins with a careful audit of your current space. Using the Hope Hierarchy™, we uncover the underlying issues, cultural sensitivities, and what your clients truly need to heal, along with the support your staff requires to thrive. We translate these insights into a clear, prioritized roadmap, then design an environment that reflects your therapeutic goals, supports wellbeing, and builds trust and dignity. The result is a trauma-informed space that not only addresses your unique challenges but also empowers people to feel safe, valued and at ease.
How We Help Our Clients
At Design for Hope, we recognise that our physical environment profoundly impacts our health and wellbeing. Scientific research clearly demonstrates how design elements subtly yet powerfully influence our body and mind, often below our conscious awareness. This impact is even more significant for individuals with heightened sensitivities due to traumatic experiences.
While many clinicians champion trauma-informed care policies, the physical environments of treatment facilities often fall short, lacking the corresponding therapeutic impact. Design for Hope bridges this critical gap. Combining our interdisciplinary expertise in psychology and interior design, we create trauma-sensitive spaces that actively support healing and recovery. Our approach ensures that the physical environment truly complements and enhances therapeutic objectives, completing your vision of comprehensive trauma-informed care.
We utilise our proprietary Hope Hierarchy™ framework to identify and prioritise design elements that help achieve desired therapeutic outcomes. This evidence-based approach, firmly grounded in scientific research, guides our design process and ensures our spaces genuinely promote healing and wellbeing.
Using Trauma-Informed Design to Heal
Data that Drives Change, Real-World Examples
Case Study 1: Building Cultural Safety
One of the biggest barriers to creating safe, healing environments is cultural mismatch. Even when services respect diversity, design decisions that seem “neutral” can send the wrong message to clients.
In one audit, we discovered that a carefully selected colour palette was unintentionally distancing First Nations clients. The earthy desert tones, while professional and well-intentioned, didn’t reflect the local landscape or cultural identity of the community.
As one client explained: “We can’t use those colours because we’re not from those areas. If we’re telling a story or painting, it’s got to represent us and where we’re from. So we can’t be using the desert colours because we’re not from there.”
What looked neutral to most was, in fact, a signal to some clients that “this space isn’t for us.” By shifting the palette to reflect local coastal colours, we created an environment that built trust, strengthened cultural connection, and signaled genuine respect.
Case Study 2: Unintentional Trauma Triggers
In spaces designed for trauma recovery, even small details can undermine the sense of safety. Practical choices can unintentionally become painful reminders for those with lived experience.
During one review, we saw toys stored in full view in a shared therapeutic room. While functional for family visits, for clients experiencing grief or separation, these visible toys acted as a painful trigger — making it harder to focus during therapy.
By simply rethinking how these items were stored and accessed, we reduced emotional strain and restored psychological safety. The change was low-cost but high-impact: it allowed clients to stay present in their healing, and staff to deliver support more effectively.
Hope is not a "soft concept" but a scientifically-backed driver for trauma recovery. Explore how the neurobiology of hope empowers healing and discover The Hope Hierarchy™ for designing spaces that cultivate lasting transformation.