PsyD

Dr. Danielle Hankins is a dedicated educational psychologist with a strong background in a variety of areas, including K-12 education systems, special and general education programming, curriculum/program  evaluation, graduate course development, school neuropsychological assessment, psychoeducational assessment, evidence-based intervention planning, formative/summative assessment data analysis, parental collaboration in K-12 education, multidisciplinary team collaboration and cohesion, and expert-level interpretation of psychoeducational evaluations and reports.

With her experience in K-12 education systems, Dr. Hankins possesses a comprehensive understanding of the complexities and nuances within educational settings. She has worked closely with administrators, educators, and students to navigate the challenges and opportunities present in both special and general education programs. Dr. Hankins is committed to promoting best practices and ensuring access to quality education for all students.

As an educator, Dr. Hankins has played a pivotal role in the development of graduate courses. She has designed and taught specialized courses that encompass various topics, including assessment practices, multidisciplinary strategies, professional roles in educational psychology, psychopharmacology, and developmental psychopathology. She is committed to empowering future professionals, which is reflected in her engaging and comprehensive coursework and through her role as a dissertation chair, which prepares students to excel in the field of educational psychology.

Dr. Seema Saigal is a Professor in the PsyD program at the California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University. She earned her Ph.D. from Northwestern University and her B.A. from Cornell University and is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice. Dr. Saigal is passionate about student mentorship and fosters inclusive spaces that celebrate diversity and promote academic rigor, open dialogue, and critical thinking. Dr. Saigal was humbled to receive a Teaching Excellence Award in 2022 and a Faculty of the Year award in 2019. Dr. Saigal’s current research focuses on the process of implementing inclusive, intersectional, identity affirming pedagogy and the provision of culturally congruent supervision and clinical care. Dr. Saigal is also interested in close relationships and the ways in which personality traits, mental health symptoms, behavioral interaction patterns, and geographic proximity impact health and relationship satisfaction. In her private practice, Dr. Saigal focuses on the provision of culturally responsive care and utilizes acceptance and commitment therapy and strength-based approaches designed to promote growth and resilience.  

Dr. Natalie Bennett is an Assistant Professor and the Director of Clinical Training of the clinical PsyD program on the Sacramento campus. She earned her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Nevada- Reno, where her research focused on forensic concepts related to child sexual abuse. She completed internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the CAARE Center at UC Davis Children’s Hospital, providing assessment and intervention for children and families with histories of abuse, neglect, or involvement in the child welfare system. She is a certified provider and trainer in Parent-Child Care, a program designed to promote children’s socioemotional development through play with caregivers.

Dr. Bennett’s professional interests remain centered around child maltreatment, forensics, and trauma therapy. A proud Latina, she has additional interest in supporting health equity for underserved populations. Given her love for math and science, Dr. Bennett teaches the Research Methods & Statistics sequence and holds weekly dissertation office hours available to all students in the program. Her theoretical orientation draws primarily from radical behaviorism and contextual science, as well as existentialism. She leads the Sexual Trauma and Health Equity research lab, where students can participate in all aspects of the research process from project development to publication.

In addition to her experience in academia, Dr. Bennett has worked as a pediatric psychologist within a primary care clinic in Oregon, providing integrated behavioral health care to children from birth to 18. Although her passion lies in working with youth and families, she also has extensive clinical and teaching experience in adult assessment and intervention, particularly in exposure therapies for trauma.

In her free time, Dr. Bennett is usually outside in the Sierras— hiking, trail running, backpacking, rock climbing— with her partner and two pitties.

Dr. Gracie Madero, Psy.D., is a queer-identified 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. She and colleagues own the San Diego Counseling Collective and work in private practice in San Diego. 

Additionally, Dr. Madero is 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 has 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. 

Deborah Koons-Beauchamp is a doctoral candidate in the Couple & Family Therapy program at the University of Iowa and is anticipating graduation the summer of 2023. Deborah earned a MA in Marriage & Family Therapy from Mount Mercy University, MBA from University of Phoenix, and a BS in Psychology from Brigham Young University. Deborah worked as a corporate executive for over 20 years before beginning her career as a Couple & Family Therapist.

Deborah’s research focuses on relationship qualities that serve as protective factors against the negative impact of body image distress. Deborah is a TLMFT with a small private practice, and also practices at the University of Iowa LGBTQ Counseling Clinic. Deborah loves to teach, and her goal is to help develop the next generation of Couple & Family Therapists.

I’ve been in the mental health field since 2008 and have held positions in research, peer support, administrative support, program management, private practice, teaching, clinical supervision, and County administration. I completed my PsyD in 2020 at Alliant San Diego and published my research that explored relational dynamics in married gay Asian Americans.  

As a therapist, I value diversity and I use trauma informed approaches including Internal Family Systems, EMDR, Feminist Family Therapy, and Structural Family Therapy to support change in my clients.  As an educator, I use strengths-based methods to teaching and learning with strong attention to diversity and equity.

Ms. Bauerle holds a Bachelor of Science in Management, and a Masters of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy, from Alliant International University.  

Practicing since 2017 as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, she focuses her work in couples and sex therapy. 

She enjoys working with clients who identify as LGBTQI, and/or practice Polyamory, BDSM, and other alternative lifestyles.  Her clinical focus includes individual and couple’s therapy, relationship and conflict resolution, pornography and sex therapy, infidelity and affair recovery. 

She has been married for 38 years and has 2 grown children and currently is completing a Sex Therapist certification with The Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health (SASH) on Advanced Training in Problematic Sexual Behaviors, as well as her Supervisory certificate with AAMFT.

Ms. Bauerle takes great joy in her clinical work and teaching.

Emily Ringle is an adjunct instructor with the Alliant Online Campus. A clinician with approximately ten years experience (and going :) ), Emily has worked in community mental health and private practice, working primarily with children ages 5-19 and their families. Emily has training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), and Collaborative Assessment and Measurement of Suicidality (CAMS) protocols. 

Dr. Gonzalez completed her undergraduate and graduate education at the University of Southern CA (USC), University of San Francisco (USF) and Alliant International University California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP).  She is a licensed marriage and family therapist in multiple states, with over 15 years of clinical experience working with children, teens, couples and families. Dr. Gonzalez is an EMDR EMDRIA-Certified therapist, EFT-trained couples therapist and has extensive training and practicum in solutions focused brief therapy, brief strategic therapy, DBT and certified in psychodynamic psychotherapy. Dr. Gonzalez is the founder of Solutions Counseling & Family Therapy located in San Juan Capistrano. 

My clinical specialties include working with LGBTQ+ adolescence and adults. I also work with individuals and couples on various issues using a person-centered approach to each client. In addition, I work to include neuroscience and modalities such as Internal Family Systems and Intimacy from the Inside Out to help people explore various experiences through therapeutic interventions that are appropriate to the client and their needs.

Maryam Bonyadian is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist from Los Angeles, CA. She received her Bachelor's Degree from the University of Southern California, graduating with summa cum laude honors, and her Master's Degree from Pepperdine University. She has over 11 years of experience in providing therapy to children, adolescents, and adults. She also has over 6 years of experience as a Clinical Supervisor and trainer, and over 1-year experience as Adjunct Professor. 

A large part of Maryam’s work experience has been in the Community Mental Health sector, providing Trilingual therapy in Armenian, English, and Spanish to lower SES, minority cultures.  In her role as Clinical Team Supervisor she has provided support to a multidisciplinary team and more recently to graduate students in Practicum and Residency courses. In addition to teaching, Maryam continues to provide mental health services through Private Practice and contract work. 

Maryam also acknowledges the value of culture and family dynamics on an individual. Realizing the importance of cultural factors (i.e. Immigration status, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender, etc.), she encourages clients/supervisees/students to take on the role of experts in their lives, while being open to growth and learning. 

Dr. Mindith R. Rahmat is a Core Faculty Member of the Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology (MACP) program at Antioch University's Santa Barbara campus and an adjunct faculty member at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University. Dr. Rahmat's teaching style is inclusive, compassionate, intentional, and joyful. She strives to center online and in-person classroom engagement and the lived realities of learners, co-creating learning conditions by working alongside learners and supporting them in revealing their potential through equitable, affirmative, and accessible learning. Dr. Rahmat teaches through the lens of compassion-focused pedagogy (CFP), a relational approach to learning, fostering well-being, resilience, and flourishing. Dr. Rahmat's educational background includes a master's degree in clinical psychology from Marshall University and a doctoral degree (PsyD) in educational psychology from Alliant International University. Her professional journey is marked by specialized training in trauma-sensitive organizational systems, advanced trauma-sensitive mindfulness, yoga therapy, mindfulness and psychotherapy, and compassion-based psychotherapeutic interventions. She has over twenty-five years of experience as a yoga, mindfulness, and meditation instructor, emphasizing holistic physical and mental well-being approaches. She holds certifications as an advanced trauma-sensitive mindfulness (TSM) teacher, a mindful self-compassion (MSC) teacher, and a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR-T) teacher for teens and young adults. She is an Integrative Yoga Therapy certified yoga teacher. Dr. Rahmat's professional and research interests are deeply rooted in compassion-focused pedagogy, focusing on professional development programs and initiatives designed to promote the well-being of faculty and learners.