Meet Jen Murphy, LPC  Family Therapist & Parent Coach

Bringing Presence and Purpose to Families

I’m Jen Murphy, a Licensed Professional Counselor, family therapist, and the founder and clinical director of Altitude Family Therapy. For more than 25 years, I’ve worked at the intersection of family systems, human development, and the question that has shaped my clinical career: what does it take for a whole family to change?

That question has taken me through wilderness settings, residential treatment, outpatient clinical practice, and the development of two nationally recognized transition programs, shaped and refined through decades of direct work with young people, parents, and families. Across those settings, one belief has remained constant: meaningful and lasting change takes root within the family system, not just within the individual.

I’m drawn to the moments when something shifts—a conversation becomes more honest, a parent sees their child differently, a young person feels understood, or a sibling who has been on the periphery finds their place in the room. Those moments are at the heart of my work.

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My clinical approach draws from family systems therapy, parent coaching, experiential intervention, EMDR, Equine-Assisted work, and nature-based practices. My work also includes parent and young adult coaching. While coaching is distinct from therapy, my clinical background informs both, allowing me to meet individuals and families where they are and tailor the work to what they are trying to change.

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I’m the co-creator of the H.O.M.E. parenting model—Hone, Own, Master, and Enact—and co-author of H.O.M.E.: Strategies for Making Home a Success During and After Treatment. I’ve also been an adjunct faculty in the social sciences for more than 14 years, bringing my clinical and systems perspective into the classroom and helping translate complex ideas into practical tools people can actually use.

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I believe progress is rarely linear. Growth and struggle can exist at the same time. A family can make meaningful progress and still need support. A young person can make genuine gains in treatment and still need help bringing those changes home. Sometimes the next step isn’t doing more of the same, but creating the space and conditions for something different to happen.

That is the work I do through Altitude Family Therapy. I offer therapy, coaching, and Integrative Family Intensives in Steamboat Springs and virtually, with intensive experiences designed around the unique needs of each family.

I feel incredibly fortunate to do this work. Families bring me into some of the most vulnerable and important moments of their lives, and I don’t take that trust lightly. I’m continually moved by the courage it takes to stay engaged, tell the truth, try something different, and find a way back to one another.