Mélanie Stafford – Mélanie Stafford, MSW, RSW

I support leaders in building organizational capacity by helping managers engage their teams in change management, navigate complex issues, and adapt through consultation and coaching. This work involves understanding the impact of their roles on themselves and others, fostering team solidarity, enhancing engagement, and promoting psychological health and safety. I also specialize in trauma-informed leadership skills development.

Facilitation

Facilitating group discussions, processes and community dialogues to foster collaboration, decision-making, and connection. I serve as a facilitator, host or moderator to support your community dialogues or key events bilingually.

Training & Design

Designing and delivering tailored learning sessions to build skills and knowledge in specific areas. I create structured, flexible, and engaging educational programs that meet the needs of both learners and organizations, with a focus on embedding anti-oppression principles into all learning spaces. Our approach is rooted in popular education, ensuring a culturally responsive, supportive space for critical thinking and reflection.

Equity Audits

Conducting thorough equity audits that examine policies and practices through an anti-oppressive, trauma-informed lens. I focus on identifying and addressing barriers, ensuring that accessibility is built-in. Policies and procedures are understood as the containers that hold workplace well-being. This includes supporting a culture where belonging and accessibility are central to organizational life.

Leadership Coaching

Supporting people in developing their leadership abilities and achieving personal and professional goals. I specialize in trauma-informed leadership, which is a style that requires introspection, empathy, and an understanding of how past experiences can influence behaviour, decision-making, and overall leadership effectiveness.

Resource Development

Creating tools, materials, and content to support learning, development, and organizational integrity.

Clinical Supervision

Supporting therapists, social workers, and counsellors to navigate unjust systems while staying aligned with their values and integrity. I’m invested in purpose-driven work and use a strengths-based, holistic, and interconnected approach. embracing conflict as a natural process that can serve as a potent source for insight and creative solutions.

"Mélanie's analysis and engagement skills are unmatched. We have been working with her for many years now."

Michelle Petersen, Action Ontarienne (2024)

“There is literally no one like Mélanie; her analysis, ability to create trauma-informed learning spaces is like no other. After numerous challenging workshops, we’ve finally found a good match for our team and welcome Mélanie annually to give us refreshers on a variety of anti-oppression adjacent learnings. Staff look forward to our trainings with Mélanie, they’Ve become a yearly highlight even being named in staff evaluations as reasons why people like to work with us. Hire Mélanie, your organization will be better for it.” - Canadian Cancer Foundation

Recent & Upcoming

Activity Name | Members, Title: Subtitle. Location. Date

Indigenous Reparations

I do much of my work on unceded and unsurrendered Algonquin land, living by the Ottawa River, known as Kitchissippi in the Algonquin language. This river has been a vital waterway for Indigenous peoples for thousands of years.

Having worked as an outreach worker for several decades, I’ve had the privilege of meeting rad people who continue to keep me in their lives and in ceremony. As a form of accountability & reparations, I’ve always redistributed a percentage of the revenues from my racial justice work to support various BIPOC groups and organizations, prioritizing street-living people.