It started with a dog.

Handlers & Humans is the passion project of Jess Adam, a coach with almost a decade of experience as a licensed psychotherapist, and proud owner of a lovable, silly, anxious, reactive, and perfect lab-pit mix named Dio.

In 2014, Jess brought home a six month old puppy with a crooked ear and after becoming quickly overwhelmed by his intense behavior, realized she needed serious help. Like many reactive dog owners, Jess had no idea what she was getting into. 

The years of training that followed were full of highs, lows, and a lot of tears. While her trainers were absolutely wonderful, they understandably focused on Dio's behavior and couldn't offer insight on how to manage the intense emotional toll that comes with owning and loving a reactive dog. 

Along the way, Jess started to cope by incorporating skills that she would often teach her clients in therapy. This was the missing link to give Jess the emotional capacity to keep working with Dio... even when things felt impossible. Ultimately, Jess and Dio would go on to pass Canine Good Citizen and therapy dog evaluations together! 

Nine years later, he is still the love of her life.

Jess talked often with her trainer friends about how impactful it would be to incorporate counseling theories and coping techniques into dog training to help owners get unstuck, gain confidence, and cope with their own emotions. Jess also became interested in supporting trainers in managing the unique challenges of being a helping professional serving human clients ... and so Handlers & Humans was born!