Our Team
Below are our clinicians associated with SD Counseling Collective:
Gracie Madero, Psy.D.
She/Her
Dr. Gracie Madero, Psy.D., is a queer-identified Licensed Clinical Psychologist who obtained her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University. Her specialties include gender and sexuality, young adults, identity development, the coming out process, relationship issues and trauma. Dr. Madero has experience working with long term patients utilizing a Psychodynamic approach and has specialized training in working with gender and sexuality, including completing numerous practicums and positions working within the LGBTQ+ community.
Additionally, Dr. Madero is the Director of Clinical Training at Alliant International University and a Professor at Pepperdine University in the Graduate School and Education and Psychology, and teaches Techniques of Counseling and Psychotherapy and Individual and Family Treatment of Substance Abuse. She completed her Pre-Doctoral Internship at San Jose State University and trained at San Diego State University focusing on Substance Use treatment, early prevention/intervention and recovery utilizing Motivational Interviewing. She is committed to serving marginalized communities, working with teens and adolescents and being accessible to those in need. She has extensive training with transitional age youth and believes that early support and collaboration can facilitate life-long growth and change.
Haran Kingstan, Psy.D.
Bio and photo coming soon.
Dominic J. DiMaggio, Psy.D.
He/Him
Dominic J. DiMaggio, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist. He has worked in multiple outpatient treatment facilities, including community mental health, public high schools, federal career training facilities, and university counseling centers. Dr. DiMaggio is interested in and has experience treating anxiety, depression, eating disorders, post-traumatic response, and relational distress. He works from a multidimensional perspective with roots founded in psychoanalytic psychotherapy. He strives to deeply understand his patients, to help them achieve a more fulfilling life. Dr. DiMaggio also takes a collaborative approach to therapy and sees therapy as a team effort. He enjoys providing mental health services to the San Diego community, where there are many people with diverse life experiences, including amazing military service members and families. He believes we as humans are the culmination of our past experiences. However, through hard work and curiosity, we can change our patterns of relating and create the life we desire. "History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again." - Maya Angelou
Brenda Franz, Psy.D.
Neurological Assessments
She/Her
Welcome! Thank you for considering Heritage Psychology for you or your child. Dr. Franz’s educational and professional experiences that qualify me to conduct psychological and neuropsychological assessments:
Dr. Franz has worked in the mental health field for several years prior to obtaining my doctorate degree by working with the older adult population, adults, adolescents, children, and military in an acute psychiatric inpatient and outpatient hospital setting. During her training years, Dr. Franz worked closely with high school students in residential treatment, as well as high school students in a specialized trade program. She assisted in IEP’s, 504 plans and conducted individual therapy utilizing CBT and psychodynamic therapy with students on the autism spectrum, as well as students with various learning disorders, depression and anxiety. Her training also includes working at a long-term women’s substance abuse facility conducting group and individual therapy with clients and their children as the parent and child therapist. It was here that she utilized CBT, DBT, psychodynamic therapy, trauma therapy, and the Seeking Safety curriculum. Dr. Franz also created parent/child curriculum to assist the clients in positive parenting and led Incredible Years classes. She then completed her internship conducting neuropsychological assessments at the Orange Health Care Agency performing a multitude of assessments focusing on traumatic brain injury, dementia, ADHD, personality, and acute mental health disorders. She completed her postdoctoral training at a group private practice where she conducted neuropsychological (i.e., ADHD, ID, ASD, Social Pragmatic disorder), psychological (i.e., depression, anxiety, panic disorder) and psychoeducational evaluations (i.e., learning disabilities, Independent Educational Evaluations) for children, adults, and the older adult populations.
The name "Heritage" comes from my parents' past business name, Heritage Design. Growing up, I watched them as business owners and was inspired by their hard work, best efforts, and pride in producing top notch work for every client, ethically, respectfully, and professionally. Although we are in different professions, I created Heritage Psychology with the vision of being able to provide comprehensive assessments for every client, without limits, and with the same moral compass. I will take the time to make sure that you feel heard and known throughout the process and at the end of the testing process, my hope is that you feel confident that we worked together to come up with the correct diagnosis and best treatment plan for you or your child.