Ryan Denney, AMFT | Therapist in San Clemente, CA

Hi, I’m Ryan.

I took a somewhat unconventional path to becoming a therapist.

Before becoming a therapist, I spent more than twenty years in software integration and consulting.

The funny thing is, I never particularly liked software.

What I liked were the people.

Over the years, I found that the software was rarely the hardest part of a project. More often, the problems were happening between people: communication had broken down, teams weren't working well together, leadership was struggling, or people had very different ideas about what needed to happen and how to get there.

That was the part of the work I found interesting.

Eventually, I realized I'd rather spend my time working with people than software.

Today, I work with men, professionals, couples, families, teens, and young adults. And although becoming a therapist was a major career change, a lot of what interested me then still interests me now: how people communicate, what happens when they don't, how relationships function under stress, and what helps people work better together.

Who I Work With

I especially enjoy working with men who may not have pictured themselves going to therapy.

Sometimes something specific brings them in, a marriage problem, work stress, anger, anxiety, burnout, becoming a dad, losing a job, or changing careers. Other times, things just aren't going very well, and they're not sure why.

I'm comfortable starting there.

I also enjoy working with couples and families. Families are complicated. Each person brings their own personality, history, way of communicating, and way of responding when things get tense. When those differences collide, it's easy to get stuck having the same argument or reacting to each other in the same ways.

Sometimes having someone outside of the family notice what's happening can help everyone see it differently.

Ready to talk? Schedule a complimentary consultation.

What Tharapy With Me Is Like

My work is very client-led. You don't need to come into therapy with a clear agenda or know exactly what you want to talk about.

We'll start with what's important to you.

Depending on what comes up, our work might include exploring family dynamics, paying attention to different parts of yourself, sitting with a question for a while, or using grounding or meditation when that's helpful. I incorporate IFS and other relational and experiential approaches, but I don't believe every client needs the same thing.

I'm comfortable giving you room to think, and I'm also going to be curious. I ask questions because I'm interested in how you understand yourself and what you notice when we look at something from a different angle.

For clients who prefer not to sit in an office, I also offer walking and movement-based therapy, including sessions at the driving range. Sometimes conversation feels different when you're moving or doing something alongside another person.