As Social Designers we’re beginning to work with people in increasingly difficult places. We’re equipped with tools to provide considered outcomes but there is little discussion on the complexities of engaging people who are vulnerable or experiencing hardship.

If people have endured a significant number of difficult experiences it can be easy for them to develop a mindset that problems are the status quo. White (1990) refers to this as resignation to a “problem saturated story” which can be disempowering as they are often based on dysfunction and weakness. People in these circumstance can often be difficult to engage as attachment to problem stories can create resistance to change or inhibit their ability to ...