Dr. Bellesheim conducts inpatient and outpatient pediatric neuropsychological evaluations and related services at the Grand Rapids Campus for kids and teens with complex neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions.  

Dr. Bellesheim obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Missouri in 2020. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology/rehabilitation psychology at Michigan Medicine – University of Michigan in 2022. Dr. Bellesheim worked as a pediatric neuropsychologist at Hasbro Children’s Hospital before joining Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in 2024.   

Dr. Blackbird, who joined Mary Free Bed in 2001, is board certified in rehabilitation psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. She’s a member of Division 22 of the American Psychological Association. Her special interests include working with patients and families dealing with spinal cord injury, cancer, stroke, neuromuscular/neurodegenerative disorders, dementia and acquired brain injury. Her focus is on helping people develop resilience and coping strengths in the face of trauma, disability and other major life transitions.

Dr. Blackbird did therapy and diagnostic practicums at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab (formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago) and at the University of Chicago, Billings Hospital. She completed her internship at Illinois Masonic Medical Center and a fellowship at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital and Hahnemann University Hospital.

Dr. Bonita earned his doctorate degree in clinical psychology from Western Michigan University. He completed his predoctoral internship at the Battle Creek VA Medical Center and went on to join the VA as a staff psychologist working in a recovery framework with veterans struggling with issues such as homelessness, depression, trauma and substance use.  

He joined Mary Free Bed in 2018 and provides services with the Pain Psychology Team. In addition to chronic pain, his interests include helping people recover from anxiety, depression and sleep disorders. 

Dr. Craner Cooper is a clinical psychologist and the team leader for pain psychology at Mary Free Bed. She completed her doctoral degree at the University of Maine, an internship at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and a postdoctoral fellowship in Health Psychology at the Mayo Clinic. She is board certified in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology and has an adjunct assistant professor affiliation with Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. Dr. Craner Cooper also has an appointment as a research associate in the Center for Research and Innovation at Mary Free Bed.

Her clinical and research interests focus on the way individuals interpret and respond to somatic symptoms, such as chronic pain, and how these can be modified in treatment to improve outcomes. She has over 40 publications in this area. Dr. Craner Cooper, who joined Mary Free Bed in 2017, also is interested in evaluating treatment outcomes and dissemination of evidence-based practices for chronic pain.

Dr. Donders has been with Mary Free Bed since 1988. He is board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology in clinical neuropsychology, rehabilitation psychology and pediatric clinical neuropsychology. He is the associate editor of the journals Assessment, Child Neuropsychology and Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology. He has more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals and has edited or co-edited 6 textbooks.

Dr. Donders is a fellow of the National Academy of Neuropsychology and of Divisions 40 (Society for Clinical Neuropsychology) and 22 (rehabilitation psychology) of the American Psychological Association. He has received national recognition for his work from the American Board of Rehabilitation Psychology (Diller Award, 2012), the National Academy of Neuropsychology (Reitan Award, 2019) and the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (Distinguished Neuropsychologist  Award, 2022.)

Dr. Jaskiw earned his doctorate degree in counseling psychology from Springfield College, where he received specialized training in the areas of health, rehabilitation and sport and performance psychology, with a research area in sport injury rehabilitation. He completed his predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship in health psychology through the VA Bedford Healthcare System. He gained extensive training and experience in PTSD treatment during his tenure as a staff psychologist at the Bedford VA Medical Center Mental Health Clinic.

Prior to his doctoral degree, Dr. Jaskiw completed his master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling at Valparaiso University, followed by working as a behavioral support consultant at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. His areas of interest include trauma, spinal cord injury, chronic pain, sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, traumatic brain injury and post-concussion.

A master’s-level psychologist who specializes in the treatment of chronic pain, Eric joined the Mary Free Bed Pain Rehabilitation Program in 2016. Eric focuses on the use of evidence-based psychological treatment for chronic pain, helping patients get back to the things in life which are most important to them. In addition to individual therapy, Eric enjoys providing group treatment for chronic pain and research into pain and its treatment. He values the development of a collaborative relationship, working with patients to achieve goals that increase quality of life.

Eric received his master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Western Michigan University and practices as a Limited Licensed Psychologist. He’s a certified alcohol and drug counselor and has experience in the treatment of pain, mental health issues and substance use disorders in several different settings.

Kayla is a clinical social worker with experience in inpatient and outpatient settings. She specializes in palliative and supportive care and holistic treatment for pain management. She has partnered with the Michigan Association of Community Mental Health Boards to teach other health care professionals about first-line holistic interventions for pain management.  

Kayla received her bachelor’s and master’s degree, with honors, in social work from Indiana Wesleyan University.  

Denis graduated with his master’s degree in counseling psychology from Western Michigan University in 2020. He has worked alongside individuals who have experienced traumatic brain and orthopedic injuries in several roles since 2016. His passion is instilling hope throughout the rehabilitation process by working through difficult emotional problems that can follow significant medical events. Denis’ interests include traumatic brain injury, stroke and post-concussion. He joined Mary Free Bed in January 2023. 

Dr. Perra specializes in working with patients with chronic illnesses and the many ways health issues can impact our lives. She joined Mary Free Bed in 2020 with 12 years of experience across chronic pain, rehabilitation and hospital settings.

Dr. Perra earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Loyola University Maryland. Her areas of focus include interdisciplinary care, evidence-based psychotherapies, collaborative treatment planning, the sociocultural context of mental health and training and supervision.

Ashlee received her master’s degree in counseling psychology from Western Michigan University in 2018. She started at Mary Free Bed in 2019 providing neuropsychological testing for all ages. She has since expanded her role to include inpatient pediatric rehabilitation psychology, inpatient cognitive testing and post-concussion assessments. She is passionate about working with kids but enjoys working with patients of all ages.

Dr. Skedgell obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Nevada Las Vegas in 2019. She completed an internship and a post-doctoral fellowship in pediatric psychology at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital in 2020. Dr. Skedgell worked as a pediatric psychologist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital before joining Mary Free Bed in 2023.  

Dr. Skedgell sees kids in inpatient and outpatient settings at the Grand Rapids campus.

Maggie, who joined Mary Free Bed in 2016, has served patients with developmental and acquired disabilities in a variety of positions since 2010. She began working in the rehabilitation field with University of Michigan’s Spinal Cord Injury Modeling Systems in 2013 and has continued her work in both research and clinical capacities.

She earned a master’s degree in clinical psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Her interests include cancer rehabilitation, post-concussion, spinal cord injury and trauma assessment and treatment.