Myrna’s Work is Transformative…

  • “Myrna McCallum mesmerized over 150 family lawyers, mediators and arbitrators and parenting coordinators on January 14, 2022 with her keynote on trauma-informed practice. Speaking for an hour without notes or powerpoint, Myrna brought her audience along on a journey of understanding the deep and lasting impact of trauma. In the context of the program, Screening for Power Imbalances and Family Violence in Family Dispute Resolution, her message was empowering and humbling. Speaking from the heart, with knowledge, humility, humour and kindness, Myrna helped the professionals in attendance learn without shame or embarrassment. She left her listeners with a deeper understanding of things they must understand in their daily work and with resources to help them keep learning. Thank you Myrna."

    — Julie Gill, Chair of The Family Dispute Resolution Institute of Ontario

  • "I feel I have a better understanding of some of the ways I can advocate for survivors. I also felt that I was given the permission I needed to identify boundaries that help me to stay grounded and feeling safe. It will change the way I practice law. I will practice humility and humanity. I've learned that I take a transactional approach to lawyering, and I will now take a relational approach. I will structure my interviews differently, I will change the way I cross-examine. I will practice law in a way that assumes trauma - because I have learned that the legal process itself is traumatic. Thank you Myrna (and the Journey Project) for this seminar. I didn't know when I signed up what a profound impact it would have. It has changed me professionally and personally."

    — Anonymous

  • "You have a very good and authentic presentation style, both because of your life and your expertise in the subject. I learned a lot from your presentation, which as a member of the bar for 41 years, I wish I would've done a long time ago. As you indicated had been the case in your experience, greater awareness would have assisted me in some situations throughout my career. It's never too late to learn and improve, however, and I think your presentation will help me do that. You know someone knows their subject when they don't use inaccessible language and jargon that no one else can relate to in and effort to impress everyone. Your language is straightforward and accessible, while at the same time clearly conveying knowledge about a complex subject. I wanted you to know how much I appreciated your presentation."

    — Anonymous

  • "Myrna conducted a review of an incident within our workplace in 2021. She was thorough, caring, honest and fair. Myrna was highly sensitive to the emotions and trauma surrounding the incident and prioritized the psychological and emotional safety of those involved while working to understand the issue and circumstances that led to it. Her report was honest, open and provided a number of observations and recommendations to help us move forward and improve our ability to provide safety in the workplace and in the services we provide in the community."

    — J.

  • "We also want to thank you for the bottom of our hearts for your presentation. Your talk touched many practitioners in our association who have been stuck in a cycle of professional, political and personal trauma and opened up a discussion that should have started decades ago. As you saw from our members' comments, the response to your session was overwhelmingly ecstatic."

    — Anonymous

  • “In today's polarized world, Myrna McCallum's 'Introduction to Trauma-Informed Lawyering" maps out how to draw people together. She describes a human-centered approach that creates the types of relationships which bring about sustainable, positive change and reconciliation. Her down=to-earth, wise and uniquely engaging presentation is grounded in good research and pragmatic good sense. Whether you are newly-launched in the legal profession or covered by years of barnacles, her enjoyable and challenging presentation speaks equally to the head, heart and spirit of everyone. Myrna's presentation was like having a good friend visit, sit down with you over coffee and help you sort through some big problems. She knows you and what you've got on your plate. She is authentic, realistic and helps you see things more clearly and in context. Then she gives you solid, practical suggestions and advice about ways you can make things better. She is supportive and empathetic, but she also lets you know you need to makes changes and helps you figure out what those should be. She encourages you and is non-judgmental. You know she's right when she says you can do this and that things will get better once you do. As she heads out the door, you feel grateful she stopped by. As the door closes behind her you pause, breathe, and reflect. Then you get started..."

    — Susan McKay, Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service

  • “The Trauma-Informed Lawyering session that Myrna presented to Yukon Legal Aid was wide in its scope and specific and detailed in its teaching. She provided a background on how personal and systemic trauma can affect clients. counsel and everyone else working within the justice system and went on to detail specific tools for dealing with that trauma. It was an intense session but Myrna’s knowledge of the subject and the authentic way in which she delivered it - a product of her lived experience - ensured that it was accessible to everyone. We all left better equipped to help our clients and to help ourselves”

    — Lesley M.

  • "Spotlight story: How One Lawyer is Working to Support Trauma-Informed Practices in the Legal Profession. In her almost fifteen years as a lawyer working with clients from all walks of life, Myrna McCallum has come to realize that there was an important piece missing from her legal education. One key experience came early in her days as a Crown Prosecutor, when she had to prepare for the trial process in a case involving sexual assault. “I had to think, how am I going to do this in a way that does no further harm to this little person who’s already been seriously harmed. And I really had nowhere to look for that information” she said.

    — British Columbia Law Foundation

  • “I just wanted to thank you for your moving keynote speech…attendees clearly thought you were inspirational. The work that we do can be so difficult and ending the conference with your acknowledgment of how the trauma of our clients can trigger our own was powerful.”

    — Kelly D. Jordan - Co-Chair 16th Family Law Summit

  • “Myrna’s Trauma Informed Lawyer training session was one of the best I have taken, on any subject. Even in an online format, Myrna created a comfortable, safe space for the participants , and provided clear explanations and information about how trauma impacts not just clients but also counsel. Myrna gave practical, relatable examples of how to practice in a compassionate and trauma-informed manner.”

    — Kathryn Deo, Managing Partner, Arbutus Law Group

  • “Collaborating with Myrna McCallum to bring her incredible trauma-informed training for legal professionals and service providers throughout Newfoundland and Labrador was one of the highlights of our year. Learning from Myrna was a masterclass in authenticity, advocacy and self-reflection.”

    — Janet Lee - Legal Support Navigator (The Journey Project)

  • “I highly recommend Myrna McCallum as a trainer and facilitator. She lead a session on trauma-informed adjudication for our members and provided a safe, open space for addressing how we can all recognize and acknowledge how trauma impacts the parties who appear before us. She has transformed the way lawyers and decision-makers should be approaching the work we do. She helped us to stop seeing the law and adversarial systems as a zero sum game that risks inflicting further trauma on parties and witnesses. Rather, she has led the way in reminding us of our ethical duties and responsibility to ensure individuals are supported and that we bring accessible, safe and fair processes.”

    — J., Tribunal Member

  • “You are such a phenomenal and inspirational person. I adore your direct, straight-up, true blue style. And you cut through the BS and get right to it. Love that. So I wanted to tell you how much I admire and respect you and then you for sharing your wisdom. As a designer of process (strategic planning, recruiting, etc.), I was blown away with your suggestions for turning around the process - “Where would you like to begin.” - “Where would you feel most comfortable sitting” - “Where would you like me to sit?” Those are profound game changers to a process. Thank you for that. And how the standard processes are so overbearing and so disrespectful to traumatized people. Yes. That hit home. You are making a difference in the world. Not only for your community but also for the whole wide world."

    — Anonymous

Who Myrna has worked with