Dr. Maddy “Doc” Brener was born and raised in Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley. As far back as she can remember, she has wanted to help marginalized people in some way. During her freshman year at Arcadia University (near Philadelphia) she fell in love with her psychology classes, leading her to pursue a career as a clinical psychologist.
After obtaining her bachelor’s degree she went directly into a PsyD program at Argosy University in the California Bay Area, followed by two years of predoctoral internships in San Diego. Her initial work at Home Start, Inc. involved treating children who had experienced trauma, and her subsequent position at the San Diego LGBT Center helped her develop a strong interest in providing care for adults, particularly within the Queer community. She defended her dissertation titled “Rust Revisited: An Update on Lesbians’ Opinions and the Implications for Bisexual Women,” and earned her doctorate in 2014.
After several relocations and life transitions, Dr. Maddy finally obtained her license on April 3, 2020, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to establishing her private practice, she gained experience in inpatient, intensive outpatient, and group psychiatry settings. She also returned to Home Start, Inc. in 2021 to serve as their clinical supervisor, having realized that her passion for mentoring others to treat children exceeded her desire to treat them herself.
Dr. Maddy has completed WPATH training to provide support letters for patients seeking gender-affirming care. She also became a certified Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) provider in December 2025. She has written blog posts for various websites, and has been cited as a subject-matter specialist for multiple articles.
Today, Dr. Maddy describes herself as bi/queer, neurodivergent, BIPOC-allied, trauma-informed, sex-positive, neurodivergent-affirming, trans-affirming, and dedicated to therapy as a form of activism. Her work is grounded in principles of intersectionality, decolonization, diversity, equity, and inclusion. She maintains a passion for supporting LGBTQIA+ individuals, as well as those in the non-monogamy/polyamory and kink/BDSM communities and individuals working on self-esteem, interpersonal communication, anxiety, depression, later-in-life ADHD diagnoses, and/or navigating the challenges of today’s tumultuous political environment a.k.a., “the capitalist hellscape.”
Outside of her professional life, Dr. Maddy enjoys living in San Diego with her partner, two children, two cats, and too many houseplants. She likes to crochet, explore local restaurants, go to farmers markets, watch movies, swim, listen to podcasts, and make crafts with her kids.
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