The 2019-20 practicum and intern training team with supervisors
Back row, from left: Michael Russell, Jack Junker, Ana Belmonte, Erin Sivertsen, Morgan Perconti, Diamond Nelson, Frederick Smith Front row, from left: Mariana Queiroz, Tia Shaha, Natalie Petrovich, Tala Nahardani
Michael Russell, LCSW
Executive Director
Prior to joining The Chicago School Forensic Center in 2017, Michael Russell served in various leadership roles at the City Colleges of Chicago, most recently as district director for Specialized Student Services. At City Colleges, Russell led the establishment of student counseling centers at the system’s seven community colleges. During his tenure, the centers grew to serve more than 10,000 students annually and became one of the largest student counseling centers in the nation. Russell also provided oversight for veteran student support, accommodations for students with disabilities, and student access to health care and other basic needs. Russell holds a B.S. in Journalism from West Virginia University, an M.S.W. from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and an M.A. in Political Science, also from UIC. A passionate advocate for access to affordable health care and for people with disabilities, he has served on the Chicago Americans with Disabilities Act 25th anniversary committee, the Healthy Chicago Interagency Council, and the mayor’s Task Force on Employment and Economic Opportunity for People with Disabilities. Russell has worked as a psychotherapist at numerous social service agencies and in private practice for more than 20 years, specializing in couples therapy and manager-employee relations.
Casey Sharpe, Psy.D.
Clinical Director, Fitness Restoration
Dr. Casey Sharpe is an associate professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in the Forensic Psychology department. She is a graduate of The Chicago School’s Forensic Master’s and Clinical Psy.D. programs and is currently a licensed clinical psychologist. Prior to joining The Chicago School as faculty, Sharpe was a postdoctoral fellow in forensic psychology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Law & Psychiatry program. She conducted forensic evaluations (competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, aid in sentencing, civil commitment/risk assessments) at Bridgewater State Hospital, a maximum security state forensic hospital, and at Worcester State Hospital. She provided expert testimony in cases involving civil commitment for individuals with mental illness and risk for violence, as well as dangerousness related to drug and alcohol abuse. Sharpe also conducted individual therapy with clients who were civilly committed to Bridgewater State Hospital after being found not guilty by reason of insanity. Additionally, she performed competence to stand trial and criminal responsibility screening evaluations, as well as assessments related to commitment and treatment for drug and alcohol abuse at various court clinics throughout the state of Massachusetts.
In addition to her teaching duties, Sharpe is also clinical director of the outpatient Fitness-to-Stand-Trial Restoration Program at The Chicago School Forensic Center. She provides fitness-to-stand-trial evaluations and oversees clients who have been adjudicated as unfit to stand trial and in need of treatment in the community. She also performs forensic evaluations, psychological evaluations for immigration court, police and public safety evaluations through her private practice, and conducts disability reviews for the Social Security Administration.
Ana Belmonte, Psy.D.
Staff Psychologist
Dr. Ana Belmonte earned her Psy.D. in Clinical Forensic Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2017. She currently is a staff psychologist at The Chicago School Forensic Center within the Fitness Restoration Program. Belmonte additionally serves as an adjunct instructor for the department of Forensic Psychology at The Chicago School where she has taught courses such as Introduction to Forensic Psychology; Forensic Documentation, Report Writing, and Testifying; Evaluation and Treatment of the Juvenile Offender; and Practicum Seminar. Belmonte completed her pre-doctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the Kane County Diagnostic Center where she completed general psychological evaluations, sex offender evaluations, risk assessments, fitness evaluations, and pre-employment screenings on candidates applying for positions within the Kane County Sheriff’s Department. Belmonte’s clinical and research interests include evaluation and assessment with forensic populations and issues related to family law, such as divorce, parenting capacity, and child custody. She has extensive training in the evaluation and treatment of forensic populations, including completing practicum trainings at Cook County Juvenile Probation, Illinois Youth Center-St. Charles, and DuPage County Court and Probation Services. In her current position, Belmonte conducts evaluations on individuals who have been found unfit to stand trial and ordered to participate in outpatient fitness restoration services. Belmonte is a clinical supervisor for The Chicago School Community Internship Consortium, as well as for doctorate-level practicum students at the Forensic Center.
Natalie Petrovich, Psy.D.
Staff Psychologist
Dr. Natalie Petrovich is a licensed clinical psychologist at The Chicago School Forensic Center, where she serves as a clinical supervisor and provides evaluations and treatment to children and families who have had contact in the legal sector as well as general services to the community. She holds a master’s degree in Clinical Professional Psychology from Roosevelt University and a doctorate in clinical psychology from Adler University. Petrovich has received training in a variety of clinical settings serving diverse populations, including community mental health, college counseling centers, private practice, and an inpatient behavioral hospital. She completed her training at an APA-accredited, pre-doctoral internship at the University of Central Florida Counseling and Psychological Services and her postdoctoral fellowship at Marquette University Counseling Center. Her main areas of clinical interest include child and adolescent assessment, adult assessment, mood and anxiety disorders, identity development, parent training, complex trauma, and couples and family therapy. Petrovich takes an integrative approach to therapy, blending interpersonal process, attachment theory, and family systems. She is a member of the American Psychological Association.
Frederick Smith, Psy.D.
Staff Psychologist
Dr. Frederick Smith is a staff psychologist at The Chicago School Forensic Center where he provides court-ordered evaluations for individuals who have been found unfit to stand trial by the Illinois Circuit Courts and ordered into outpatient fitness restoration services. He also provides other therapeutic services (including individual therapy, consultation, and psychological evaluation) and clinical supervision to master- and doctorate-level practicum students and interns. He is a graduate of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology’s Clinical Psy.D. program and is currently a licensed clinical psychologist in Illinois and Georgia. Smith has received training in a variety of clinical settings serving diverse populations, including community mental health centers, college counseling centers, schools, and inpatient behavioral health hospitals. Smith was previously employed as a forensic psychologist at West Central Georgia Regional Hospital (WCGRH) in Columbus, Georgia, where he conducted forensic evaluations (competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, civil commitment/risk assessments), provided expert testimony in Georgia Superior and State Courts, and provided clinical supervision of master-level mental health counselors and doctorate-level practicum students. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in forensic psychology at WCGRH and a pre-doctoral internship in clinical psychology, forensic psychology, and applied behavior analysis at Georgia Regional Hospital at Atlanta in Decatur, Georgia. Smith is a member of the American Psychological Association and the American Psychology-Law Society.
Shabotonay Ridgeway
Clinic Coordinator
Shabotonay Ridgeway oversees initiation of services and medical billing. She has extensive experience in financial and insurance billing administration in health care settings with additional expertise in medical records and documentation compliance. She holds a B.A. in in Behavioral Science with an emphasis in Criminal Justice from New York Institute of Technology. She also holds additional certifications in medical billing and coding and health care administration.