Jennie Denney, AMFT | Therapist in San Clemente, CA

Hi, I'm Jennie.

I'm a therapist, wife, mom of four, and doctoral student. I came to this work with a lot of life already lived and with a deep curiosity about people — who we are, how we became who we are, and how our relationships and experiences continue to shape us.

A lot of the work I love comes back to identity.

We all take on roles along the way. The responsible one. The caretaker. The achiever. The peacemaker. The good daughter. The good mom. The person who doesn't need very much. Some of those roles become meaningful parts of who we are. Others may have helped us belong, stay connected, or get through something difficult, but don't fit quite as well anymore.

I love helping people get curious about those pieces of themselves: where they came from, what purpose they've served, and what they want to carry forward.

The Work I Love

I’m drawn to therapy that goes deeper than managing symptoms.

I do a lot of trauma and grief work, including EMDR, and work with adults who are beginning to understand how their childhood experiences and relationships with emotionally immature parents have shaped them.

I also love working with moms throughout different stages of motherhood. Motherhood has a way of bringing our own histories, relationships, expectations, and identities right to the surface. Sometimes the question becomes not only How do I take care of everyone else? but Who am I in the middle of all of this?

My work also includes parents navigating a child's mental health challenges, couples trying to understand communication and attachment patterns, and people experiencing significant changes in identity, relationships, or faith.

These may look like very different reasons to come to therapy, but underneath them are often similar questions: What has shaped me? What am I carrying? What do I want to do differently? And who do I want to be?

What It’s Like to Work With Me

I’m relational and engaged in the therapy room. I’m not going to sit silently across from you while you wonder what I’m thinking.

I'll ask questions. I'll notice patterns. I'll tell you when I'm seeing something that might be important. Sometimes I'll challenge you. Sometimes we'll laugh. And sometimes we'll stay with something painful long enough to understand it differently.

My approach is attachment-informed, trauma-informed, and attentive to the nervous system. My training includes EMDR, the Gottman Method, and parts-informed work. But I don't believe therapy should feel like someone applying a technique to you.

I want to understand you first.