Meet the Board of Directors
Officers
President: Patricia Walker, Ph.D.
Vice President for the Collaborative Partnership with Smart Love Family Services: Carla M. Beatrici, Psy.D.
Vice President of Operations: Sara Johnson, Ph.D.
Treasurer: Kari Terrill, Psy.D.
Secretary: Marian Sharkey, Ph.D.
Continuing Education Coordinator: Laura Bentley, LCPC
Professional Biographies
Patricia Walker, Ph.D.
President
Dr. Walker is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice who provides Inner Humanism® psychotherapy to adults experiencing a wide array of difficulties in their personal and professional lives, couples counseling, parent counseling, and psychotherapy consultation to mental health professionals. Dr. Walker received her B.Sc. in psychology from McGill University and her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Waterloo, Canada. Dr. Walker is on Faculty at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine where she teaches clinical ethics to psychology doctoral interns and serves on the selection and training committee of the clinical psychology doctoral internship. She is President of the Board of the Intrapsychic Humanism Society and Professional Development Committee Chair. She is a past Chair of the Women’s Issues Section of the Illinois Psychological Association where she led programs and policies promoting the professional interests of women psychologists and the psychological happiness of women using psychological services and in the broader community. Dr. Walker has given talks to mental health professionals applying Inner Humanism in a therapeutic relationship process approach to psychotherapy ethics and risk management, in advanced psychotherapy skills to promote change through the therapeutic relationship, in helping women through the therapeutic relationship develop stable self-esteem and minds of their own, as well as the development of personal meaning in child development based on the theory of Intrapsychic Humanism. She has given talks to public audiences on overcoming gender bias and work-life balance.
Carla Beatrici, Psy.D.
Vice President for the Collaborative Partnership with Smart Love Family Services
Dr. Carla Beatrici is a Clinical Psychologist with over 30 years of clinical experience providing psychotherapy to individuals of all ages and with a specialization in child and adolescent mental health. Dr. Beatrici is the Co-Executive Director and Clinical Director of a not-for- profit organization Smart Love Family Services located in Oak Park and Chicago. The clinic provides a range of services including counseling for all ages, testing services, and parent education seminars. Dr. Beatrici runs the counseling program where she provides clinical training and supervision to ensure the provision of high quality mental health care. She has also developed and implemented Smart Love and Inner Humanism® staff training programs for healthcare professionals in many settings, including Easter Seals, Early Head Start, the American Medical Association, and Children’s Memorial Hospital. These trainings focus on helping caregivers create positive caring relationships with children as a way to build stable inner self-esteem. Dr. Beatrici is an adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at Loyola Medical Center where she teaches Developmental Theories to psychiatry residents.
Sara Johnson, Ph.D., LCSW
Vice President of Operations
Sara Johnson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 15 years of clinical and administrative experience. She has worked with children, adolescents, and adults in a variety of settings including: a child welfare agency, a therapeutic day school, a substance abuse program, and outpatient counseling centers. Dr. Johnson also has extensive experience coordinating and evaluating services for children and families in the foster care system, as well as providing supportive services to individuals with special needs and disabilities. Dr. Johnson received her MSW and Ph.D. from the School of Social Work at Loyola University Chicago where she has served as an adjunct faculty member.
Kari Terrill, Psy.D.
Treasurer
Dr. Kari Terrill is a licensed clinical psychologist with over a decade of experience delivering therapeutic services to children, adolescents, adults, and parents across diverse settings, including community mental health centers, schools, and outpatient clinics. Dr. Terrill currently serves as the Assistant Director of Training at Smart Love Family Services, a nonprofit organization with offices in both Chicago and Oak Park. In this leadership role, she oversees clinical and administrative supervision for staff and trainees, supporting the development of therapeutic practices rooted in compassion and relationship-based care. Earlier in her career, Dr. Terrill served as Director of Learning Services, a program she helped develop during her postdoctoral fellowship. This innovative program applies principles of Intrapsychic Humanism to support children and adolescents in enhancing emotional well-being, achieving academic success, and reaching their full potential. Dr. Terrill is a committed advocate for the application and advancement of Intrapsychic Humanism in clinical practice, training, and education. She is also a member of the Illinois Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association.
Marian Sharkey, Ph.D., LCSW
Secretary
Dr. Marian Sharkey is the Director of Training at Smart Love Family Services where she provides clinical training and supervision. She has been in private practice for over 25 years and has worked with individuals of all ages in a variety of inpatient and outpatient community mental health and psychiatric hospital settings. Dr. Sharkey received her M.S.W. and Ph.D. from the School of Social Work at Loyola University Chicago where she was the founding editor-in-chief of the school’s journal, Praxis: Where Reflection & Practice Meet. She has been an adjunct faculty member in the School of Social Work at Loyola University and serves on the Board of the Intrapsychic Humanism Society. Dr. Sharkey has presented at local and national conferences on the topics of the reflective use of theory in clinical practice and the theoretical principles and practice of Inner Humanism®.
Laura Bentley, LCPC
Continuing Education Coordinator
Laura Bentley, is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor who graduated from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology with a M.A. in Counseling Psychology. She is experienced working with children, adolescents, and families involved with the juvenile justice system and has provided individual therapy, family therapy, parent guidance and group therapy in other outpatient settings. Laura is committed to journey with her clients to achieve happier, healthier lives.
Stephen Budde, Ph.D.
Stephen Budde, Ph.D., LCSW, is the Executive Vice President of the Juvenile Protective Association (JPA), a Lecturer at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, and a part-time therapist and researcher at Smart Love Family Services. Dr. Budde has over 30 years of experience in child welfare and mental health as a researcher, teacher, administrator, trainer, consultant, and therapist. He has provided consultation on best practices, evaluation, and quality improvement to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center, Children’s Advocacy Centers of Illinois, Illinois Children’s Justice Task Force, non-profit child welfare and mental health agencies, and philanthropic foundations. Dr. Budde’s research and practice interests include the power of relationships and relationship oriented intervention strategies, implementation and outcomes evaluation, continuous quality improvement, engagement and retention in services, psychiatric hospitalization outcomes, clinical decision making, conceptualizing and measuring child well-being, mental health interventions in early childhood and schools, and philosophy of science.
Cheryl Irmiter, Ph.D.
Dr. Irmiter is the Executive Director for the Institute of Medicine of Chicago, a consultant, and on faculty at Loyola University of Chicago School of Social Work. She is a nationally recognized invited expert with numerous peer-reviewed journals, a published book, and various education and practice products and services. In 2016, Dr. Irmiter was recognized by her peers as a Gerontological Society of America, Social Research, Policy and Practice Fellow. With nearly three decades of experience in the health care industry, she integrates her business, clinical, research and policy experience to ensure everyone has the opportunity for the best possible life. As a clinician, she treated adults and older adults for mental health and substance abuse/dependence in various health settings. As a health outcomes and translational researcher, she translates policy and research into practice and education, as well as the concepts of human development, pathology and treatment into policy, research, education, and programs.
Emily B. Carroll, A.M.
Emily B. Carroll received her A.M. in Clinical Social Work from the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration in 1966 and her B.A. in Psychology and English from Smith College in 1964. Mrs. Carroll was most recently Clinical Supervisor at the Juvenile Protective Association and also served as Program Manager for the Smart Love Parenting Center. She was Coordinator of the Emergency Housing Program at the Stone Institute of Psychiatry of Northwestern Memorial Hospital for seventeen years and the Senior Social Worker in adult inpatient psychiatry at Northwestern for eleven years. She has also worked at United Charities of Chicago, Stock Yards District and Madden Mental Health Center.. She has taught social work interns from Loyola University Chicago and the University of Chicago, and Art Therapy students from the School of the Art Institute. As a faculty member of the Feinberg School of Medicine she supervised and taught medical students and interns.
Martha Heineman Pieper, Ph.D.
Martha Heineman Pieper, Ph.D. is an author and psychotherapist who works with children and parents and serves as a consultant to agencies and other mental health professionals. She graduated from Radcliffe College and received her Ph.D. in clinical social work from the University of Chicago. She is a founding Board member of Smart Love Family Services, for which she provides ongoing consultation and insight to the clinical and early childhood education staff. She also serves on the Board of the Intrapsychic Humanism Society. Both of these non-profit agencies are based on Intrapsychic Humanism, the comprehensive psychology of child development, psychopathology and treatment developed by Dr. Pieper and her late husband, William J. Pieper, MD. in Intrapsychic Humanism: An Introduction to a Comprehensive Psychology and Philosophy of Mind (Falcon II Press, 1990), the best-selling parenting book, Smart Love: The Comprehensive Guide to Understanding, Regulating, and Enjoying Your Child (Smart Love Press, LLC, 2011), and the popular adult self-help book, Addicted to Unhappiness: How Hidden Motives for Unhappiness Keep You From Creating the Life You Truly Want, And What You Can Do (2nd Edition, Smart Love Press, LLC, 2019). Martha Heineman Pieper, Ph.D. also authored two best-selling, award winning children’s books, Mommy, Daddy, I Had a Bad Dream! (Smart Love Press, LLC, 2012) and Jilly’s Terrible Temper Tantrums: And How She Outgrew Them (Smart Love Press, LLC, 2017), as well as The Happiest Preschool: A Manual for Teachers with Kelly Perez (Smart Love Press, LLC, 2024). She has written and presented on Inner Humanism® psychotherapy, and also on applications of the theory of Intrapsychic Humanism to teaching, parenting, foster care, the question of free will, and children’s dreams and fantasy life, among other topics. Many of her presentations and articles are available as On Demand webinars for continuing education credit here.
Ilinka Novakovic, LCSW
Ms. Novakovic is a licensed clinical social worker in private practice with over a decade of experience providing individual psychotherapy and parent counseling for adults. In her work as a psychotherapist, her goal is to help her clients recognize their self-worth and to build on their innate potential for happier and more constructive lives. In addition to her private practice, Ms. Novakovic is a part-time staff member at Smart Love Family Services, an agency whose counseling services are based on the theoretical approach of Inner Humanism. Ms. Novakovic was a participant in the development and implementation of the agency’s parent seminars, child development courses, and parent coaching and consultation programs. Ms. Novakovic has presented seminars to parents about child rearing and the social, emotional and psychological development of children. She has also developed and presented to other practitioners and mental health providers on the theory of Inner Humanism and its application in their settings.
Annemarie Slobig, Psy.D.
Annemarie Slobig, PsyD, serves as the Chair of the Clinical Psychology Department at The Chicago School in Chicago, IL. She has held leadership roles in an APA accredited clinical psychology doctoral program for over 20 years. Dr. Slobig has worked in a wide variety of clinical settings, including inpatient and outpatient hospitals, residential treatment, community mental health, transitional housing, and independent practice. She provides psychotherapy and consultation guided by Intrapsychic Humanism in her private practice in Oak Park, IL.