Meet the Denneys
We didn’t come to this work through a single defining moment or a straight line.
Our story is shaped by years of asking hard questions about how we wanted to live, parent, work, and stay connected—especially when the paths laid out for us no longer fit. Denney Family Therapy grew out of those questions, and out of our shared commitment to choosing relationship, presence, and meaning over convenience or expectation.
Our Story
Our life together has included many seasons. Some felt grounded, some unsettled. Some worked, and others didn’t. Each one taught us something about alignment, limits, and belonging.
There was a time when Ryan’s work required extensive travel. While it provided for our family, it also meant long stretches of separation and a way of living that slowly pulled us apart. The version of stability we were told to want was settled, predictable, and conventional, but it came at the cost of time together.
Between 2016 and 2018, we made a different choice. Our family lived more nomadically, moving across Europe, the UK, and India so that we could stay together rather than apart. We followed work when needed and paused when we could. Our four kids were with us the entire time, learning along the way through what we jokingly called the Denney School of World Travel.
That season wasn’t about adventure for its own sake. It was an intentional response to a life that no longer fit.
Living this way taught us something we still return to in our work. Belonging does not come from geography, routine, or certainty. It comes from relationship.
We learned that there is no single right way to live well. There are ways that are more or less aligned with your values and the people you love. That insight continues to shape how we sit with clients who are navigating change, uncertainty, or the quiet realization that the life they built no longer fits.
Two Paths Toward the Same Work
Our paths into therapy came through different doors.
Jennie’s began through parenting and proximity to pain. Walking closely with a child who struggled with their mental health reshaped how she understood behavior, fear, and resilience. It brought her into the quiet, often isolating world many parents live in when they are trying to keep their child safe. Over time, that lived experience grew into a desire to help teens and families feel less alone and more supported as they navigate complex emotional terrain together.
Ryan’s path emerged through his work in integration software and consulting. Again and again, he saw that conflict in organizations was rarely about the systems themselves. It was about people—how they communicated, how decisions were made, how stress was held, and how relationships fractured under pressure. What fascinated him wasn’t efficiency, but the human dynamics underneath it all.
Different experiences, same realization: problems don’t exist in isolation. They live inside systems, relationships, and stories.
Why We Built Denney Family Therapy Together
Building a therapy practice together wasn’t an obvious or automatic decision. In fact, we had explored other ways of working side by side over the years, some of which taught us just as much about what didn’t fit as what eventually did.
What became clear over time was that while our focus areas differ, the way we understand people and change is deeply aligned. We share a belief that problems make sense in context, that behavior is shaped by relationships and systems, and that meaningful change rarely happens through quick fixes or rigid answers.
Denney Family Therapy grew out of that shared understanding. Rather than trying to do the same work, we each bring our own lens to a common foundation. Working together allows us to hold complexity with nuance and to approach care thoughtfully, whether someone is navigating family stress, professional pressure, or a season of transition.
How We Work Alongside Each Other
We each bring different strengths, styles, and therapeutic approaches to our work. Because of that, we often connect best with different personalities and needs. Clients typically work with one therapist at a time, based on fit and what they’re hoping to work on.
For families, collaboration may look more integrated. Ryan may work with the family as a whole or with individual members, while Jennie works with individuals or the couple, allowing for coordinated support across the family system.
Behind the scenes, we consult thoughtfully and intentionally when it’s helpful, always with respect for confidentiality and each client’s autonomy. Our goal is not to complicate care, but to offer support that is coordinated, attuned, and responsive to the needs of the people we’re working with.
What We Share
Across our work, we’re guided by a shared way of understanding people and change.
We believe that context matters, that behavior makes sense when you understand the system it lives in, and that healing happens through relationship rather than pressure or quick fixes. We approach therapy with curiosity, humility, and respect for each person’s pace and story.
Whether someone comes to us as an individual, a couple, or a family, our goal is to offer care that feels steady, thoughtful, and human—especially in seasons of transition, strain, or uncertainty.
If You’re Considering Therapy
If you’re looking for a therapist—or a practice—that values clarity, collaboration, and care grounded in real life, we’re 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 to see if we might be a good fit for you.
