Ryan Denney, AMFT

Why I became a therapist

I've always been an empathetic person, and I've always wondered why there is so much conflict, anger, and suffering in the world. Over the years—through my work in the corporate world and through traveling and working with people across the U.S., Europe, and India—I’ve come to see that people are people wherever they are, and whatever their background. We all show up in the world within a particular set of circumstances that shape the course of our lives in a significant way. Eventually, though, most of us are confronted with moments that force us to take stock. The worldview we inherited—what we were told was true or right or good—starts to show cracks. And that can be disorienting. But it can also be the beginning of something deeply human: a chance to wake up to our lives, to ask what really matters, and to begin rebuilding meaning for ourselves. That’s what drew me to therapy. It’s work that involved empathy, curiosity, and meaning-making—a space where I get to walk with people as they sort through what’s breaking down and what’s trying to emerge.

Why I love this work

I love the quiet honesty that can happen in the therapy room. When the layers of performance start to fall away and what’s left is a genuine human being, sorting through what’s true for them. For me, that’s sacred ground.

Who I’m most drawn to supporting

I’m especially drawn to working with people in transition—when life feels uncertain, disorienting, or in flux. That might mean a shift in identity, faith, family, gender, or relationship. I also work with couples and families who feel stuck in painful patterns and want to understand what’s happening beneath the surface.

My background in systems thinking shapes how I see the work: no one struggles in isolation. We’re all influenced by the relationships, histories, and contexts we’re part of. Whether someone comes in with anxiety, relational conflict, or questions of meaning and identity, I’m interested in helping them understand those patterns and move toward greater integration, connection, and direction in their lives..

My therapy style (and how I balance warmth & accountability)

I’d describe my style as calm, curious, and deeply relational. Therapy is, first and foremost, about connecting with another human being without pretense. I don’t come in with an agenda or quick fixes. My goal is to help people slow down and listen to themselves—to understand the patterns, beliefs, and stories that have been shaping their lives.

For me, warmth and accountability aren't opposites, they go hand in hand. Warmth helps people feel safe enough to look honestly at their lives, and accountability isn’t something owed to me, but something clients discover for themselves. It’s closer to what existential thinkers call responsibility: the ongoing choice to engage life consciously, to respond to what it’s asking of us, and to become who we’re capable of being.

Approaches & modalities I use

My approach is integrative, rooted in systems thinking and grounded in the belief that people make sense in context. I draw primarily from Internal Family Systems (IFS), Narrative Therapy, and Interpersonal Neurobiology. IFS offers a way to understand our inner world with compassion, helping us recognize the different parts of ourselves that show up in moments of stress or pain. Narrative Therapy invites us to step back and look at the stories we’ve been living in—stories shaped by family, culture, and experience—and to begin authoring new ones. Interpersonal Neurobiology ties it all together, connecting mind, brain, and relationships in a way that honors our capacity for growth and change.

How we’ll begin

When I begin working with someone new, my first priority is to get to know them, not just the problem that brought them in, but who they are as a person. I want to understand what life feels like from their perspective, what matters to them, and what they hope might be different. Early sessions are mostly about slowing down, listening, and building trust. We start by mapping out what’s happening in and around their life, and how their experiences, relationships, and inner world connect.

What therapy with me feels like

Clients often describe me as calm, accepting, and patient. I think they’d say I’m someone who listens closely, not just to what’s being said, but to what’s underneath it. I don’t rush people or try to push them somewhere they’re not ready to go, but I also don’t shy away from hard truths when they need to be faced. Clients have said they feel genuinely seen in our work together. My hope is that they experience me as steady and real: someone who helps them slow down, notice the deeper patterns at play, and find their own way toward healing and direction.

What helps people heal

I believe people heal through connection—both within themselves and with others. When we feel safe enough to be honest about what’s happening inside, something begins to shift. The parts of us that have been protecting, performing, or hiding start to relax, and we can begin to see ourselves with more clarity and compassion.

Growth comes from paying attention to the patterns that shape our lives and learning to respond to them differently. Healing isn’t about becoming someone new; it’s about becoming more whole. I like to think of this as being integrated, connected, and directed. Integrated in the sense of bringing together the different parts of ourselves into a coherent whole. Connected in the sense of recognizing that we exist in relationship—with others, with our history, and with something larger than ourselves. And directed in the sense of living with purpose and intention, aligning our actions with what truly matters.

What I hope you take with you

I hope clients leave therapy with a clearer sense of who they are and what matters most to them. Not just insight, but a felt understanding of how their story, relationships, and inner world all fit together. I want people to come away with a deeper compassion for themselves and a greater capacity to live with intention—to respond to life rather than react to it. My hope is that our work helps them feel more integrated within themselves, more connected to others, and more directed in the way they move through the world.