Marriage and Family Therapists in San Clemente
Serving individuals, couples, families, and professionals navigating stress, trauma, and life transitions in San Clemente and South Orange County
Meet the Denneys
Built from lived experience, systems thinking, and a belief that healing happens in relationship.
Denney Family Therapy is based in San Clemente, California, offering in-person and telehealth counseling across South Orange County and throughout the state of California.
We work with people during seasons when life no longer fits the way it once did. Stress accumulates. Relationships strain. Roles shift. Long-held assumptions begin to change.
Our approach is grounded, thoughtful, and collaborative. Whether you come to us as an individual, couple, or family, our goal is to help you slow down, understand what is happening beneath the surface, and move forward in a way that feels more aligned and sustainable.
Our Story
Our life together has included many seasons. Some settled. Some unsettled. Some that worked, and others that quietly asked to be re examined. Each season taught us something about alignment, limits, and belonging.
There was a period when Ryan’s work required extensive travel. While it provided for our family, it also created long stretches apart and a version of stability that felt increasingly disconnected from the life we wanted to live together.
Between 2016 and 2018, our family chose something different. We lived more nomadically, traveling across Europe, the UK, and India so we could remain together rather than apart. Our four children learned alongside us during what we jokingly called the Denney School of World Travel.
That season was not about adventure for its own sake. It was an intentional response to a life that no longer fit.
What we carried forward continues to shape our work today. Belonging does not come from geography, routine, or certainty. It comes from relationship.
Our paths into therapy came through different doors.
Jennie’s journey grew out of parenting and close proximity to mental health challenges. Walking alongside a child navigating emotional distress reshaped how she understood fear, behavior, and resilience. That lived experience eventually became a calling to support teens, parents, couples, and families across San Clemente and South Orange County.
Ryan’s path emerged through years of work in software integration and business consulting. Over time, he noticed that workplace conflict was rarely about systems alone. It was about people, communication, stress, leadership pressure, and relationships under strain.
Different backgrounds. Same realization. Problems do not exist in isolation. They live inside relationships, families, workplaces, and life systems.
Two Paths Toward the Same Work
Why We’re Building Denney Family Therapy Together
Building a therapy practice together in San Clemente was not an automatic decision. We spent years exploring different ways of working side by side, learning what fit and what did not.
What became clear was that while our focus areas differ, the way we understand people and change is deeply aligned.
We share a belief that behavior makes sense in context, people are shaped by relationships and systems, meaningful change rarely comes from quick fixes, and therapy works best when it is collaborative, paced, and human.
Denney Family Therapy grew out of that shared foundation.
Rather than doing the same work, we each bring a distinct clinical lens to a common approach. This allows us to support individuals, couples, families, and professionals with care that is thoughtful, ethical, and responsive.
We each bring different strengths, therapeutic styles, and clinical interests to our work. Clients typically work with one therapist at a time based on fit and treatment goals.
For family therapy clients, collaboration may be more integrated. Ryan may work with the family system or with individual members, while Jennie supports individuals or couples. This allows for coordinated care when appropriate.
Behind the scenes, we consult thoughtfully and only when helpful, always with respect for confidentiality and client autonomy.
Our goal is to provide therapy in San Clemente and South Orange County that feels coordinated, attuned, and supportive.
How We Work Alongside Each Other
What We Share
Across our work, we are guided by a shared philosophy of therapy.
We believe context matters, healing happens through relationship, curiosity creates safety, growth unfolds at a human pace, and therapy should feel steady rather than rushed.
Whether someone comes to us for individual therapy, couples counseling, family therapy, or professional support in South Orange County, our aim is to provide care that feels grounded, thoughtful, and real.
If You’re Considering Therapy
If you are looking for therapists in San Clemente, California who value clarity, collaboration, and real-world support, we are glad you found your way here.
You can learn more about our individual work:
Or take the next step and schedule a free 15-minute consultation or free 50-minute in person intro session to see if we might be a good fit for you.
