Extremely human animal care .

Supporting the people behind animal welfare. Because animals only thrive when you do.

Saving animals wasn’t supposed to be this hard. The lack of resources, the emotional whiplash, the people who don’t understand or who treat you with hostility. The weight of it all can make you weary, even while doing what you love. And the moral injury, compassion fatigue, and cumulative grief of animal care work deserve attention and deep understanding. You deserve expert support from someone who truly gets it.

I do, because I live it too.

As a shelter volunteer and animal advocate, I experience these things personally and see it among my fellow advocates. As a trauma therapist, I understand why the typical resources being offered (when there are any offered at all) aren't working. They weren’t built for the unique experience of working with the human–animal bond, and weren't tailored to what is actually happening in this field and with consideration of the larger systems animal advocates work inside.

My approach addresses these areas on purpose, naming what's really happening, and getting at the root causes, at both the personal and the systemic level.

When the work you love, breaks your heart .

This work isn’t actually about what’s broken though…

It's about wonder, moral beauty, and staying deeply human while we do hard things. It’s about learning that we can thrive while we follows these passions.

There is a path forward to feel deep joy, energy, and purpose again in this work.

I’m Dr. Jamie McNally: trauma specialist, moral injury researcher, organizational consultant, Licensed Professional Counselor, and active volunteer at Michigan's highest-intake shelter. I've spent 14 years treating trauma and increasingly specializing in the unique wounds of animal care work, not from an office, but from the shelter floor and in the field.

I’ve lived the same impossible realities you face. I've felt the public's rage, witnessed the destruction of species and ecosystems, and I've carried animals to their final moments and wondered if I'm strong enough to keep showing up. I’ve also learned the skills and strategies to keep myself strong while doing this work.

This isn't theoretical. It's personal.

I’m Not Just Researching This. I’m Living It.

  • "This was so much more useful than those generic compassion fatigue classes. Nothing like it. This is actually helpful, and interesting, too!"

    Shelter Staff Client

  • “Thank you SO much for putting all of this together. Thank you for acknowledging, validating, and loving all of us through our shared trauma and experiences.”

    Retreat Client

  • Jamie has been a joy to collaborate with on the IRB-approved NOAA study. Her work as a subject matter expert and content developer demonstrated her ability to research and apply findings independently with great success. Jamie’s ability to synthesize and effectively communicate complex findings on moral distress and injury to a mixed audience of researchers and practitioners is truly exceptional.

    Colleague Testimonial

  • "Jamie was super down to earth and respectful of all opinions. Also extremely informative."

    Shelter Staff Member

  • "Being able to talk about grief, loss, and trauma with people who get it was very healing for me."

    Retreat Client

  • "This experience was extremely healing and needed."

    Retreat Client

  • I've had the privilege of collaborating closely with Dr. McNally on the development of our educational resources and in-progress documentary project. I have seen firsthand her intellectual rigor, systems thinking, and exceptional ability to translate research into meaningful, real-world impact. Her work has given language and legitimacy to experiences many workers, myself included, struggled to articulate. What distinguishes Dr. McNally is not only the clarity of her scholarship, but the change it catalyzed.

    Organizational Partner Testimonial

  • “I will forever be grateful to have been a part of this. You’ve created a safe space and a wonderful experience. Thank you.”

    Retreat Client

  • "Perfection"

    Workshop Client

  • "This was absolutely worth the time. Knowing this field is thught about on this level is encouraging, and although there was a lot to take in, the knowledge was invaluable. "

    Shelter Staff Member

Partnerships

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Presentations

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Contributions

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Partnerships • Presentations • Contributions •

For Every Type of Animal-Related Trauma & Loss

Fortifyu offers specialized support for animal care professionals navigating the hardships that result from working in spaces where the human-animal bond is ruptured, broken, or lost.

Follow The Work

Real talk about moral injury, force-free leadership, and the realities of animal care work

🎙️ In this week's episode, we're not talking about how to recognize if you're being bullied. We're talking about how sometimes that bully might be US. Research suggests that everyone potentially houses "the bully" within them. Most work
In animal care, we ask people to speak up for animals who cannot speak for themselves. But what happens when people don't feel safe enough to speak up at all? 🎙️ This week's episode is about psychological safety, and why it matters for every anima
New essay on Substack. For the capable ones, the steady ones, the people everyone leans on. For the ones who need to believe in people again. Maybe the world and the people in it are still just that good. Link in bio. 🌍 #solotravel #animalcare #
Animal care work is bigger than you think. And to engage ethically with it, we need to begin having some hard conversations. #animalcare #ethicaltravel #BiggerTogether #conservation #ethics #animalwelfare #extremelyhumananimalcare #fortifyu #forc
An adult who sees themselves as having power with, not power over animals and ecosystems, is an adult who will help their community to thrive.