About Us
Treatment Philosophy
The treatment team at Bayberry begins with the belief that each client is unique and equipped with the skills and abilities to live a joyful and fulfilling life. As human beings, we are too often subjected to emotional injury, ruptured attachments, and overwhelming circumstances for which we may not fully understand. For some, these life challenges can lead to unhealthy coping behaviors such as disordered eating, especially when we feel unsupported or alone in our discomfort. Combined with a trauma history and/or a co-occurring mood disorder, a diagnosable eating disorder can emerge. As with many behavioral and physical diagnoses, early intervention has been shown to improve long-term outcomes.
The Bayberry treatment philosophy is built upon an evidence-based platform using both cognitive interventions (e.g., Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness, and Nutrition education) and experiential interventions (e.g., Internal Family Systems, Trauma-Informed Movement, and Expressive Arts techniques). Our integrated therapeutic approach aims to help those who struggle with shame and self-criticism, often resulting from early experiences of feeling alone in extremely unpleasant circumstances.
Our clients learn to experience self-compassion and other-oriented compassion, helping to regulate mood and generate feelings of safety, self-acceptance, and comfort. Coping strategies such as disordered eating are re-imagined as desperate attempts for self-protection that can be replaced with new strategies that support sustainable healing and recovery.
Bayberry is a behavioral health organization that approaches disordered eating and mood disorders through the lens of mental health. We are happy to work and coordinate your treatment program with your extended treatment team, including your medical provider, psychiatrist, and nutrition professional.
Is it Disordered Eating or an Eating Disorder?
Disordered eating is used to describe a range of irregular eating behaviors that may or may not warrant a diagnosis of a specific eating disorder. Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED) are diagnosed according to specific and narrow criteria.
Many individuals with disordered eating symptoms are diagnosed with Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED). However, similar to AN or BN, OSFED has specific criteria that must be met for the person to receive this diagnosis. For example, people with OSFED share the common trait of having disordered thoughts and behaviors about food and eating.
Warning signs of OSFED include:
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Preoccupation with food and eating
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Low self-esteem, shame, and guilt (especially guilt attached to weight and appearance)
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Refusal to eat certain foods
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Preoccupation with body shape or weight, often leading to tracking weight and becoming upset over even minor fluctuations
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Disconnect between self-perception of one’s body and how it is seen by others
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Anxiety around food and meal times
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Foods labeled as “safe or unsafe”, “good or bad”
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Prioritizing exercise and dieting over social engagements
What is a Mood Disorder?
A mood disorder may be indicated when your general emotional state or mood is distorted or inconsistent with your circumstances and interferes with your ability to function. You may be extremely sad, empty, or irritable (depressed), or you may have periods of depression alternating with being excessively happy (mania). Moderate or severe anxiety can also affect your mood and often occurs along with depression.
Mood disorders and eating disorders are chronic and complex conditions that are often co-occurring (1). Persons with an eating disorder diagnosis are highly likely to have a co-occurring mood disorder, ranging from 42% - 71%. In addition, a person with an eating disorder will have a 48% - 81% likelihood of a co-occurring anxiety disorder, and a 23% - 37% likelihood of a co-occurring substance use disorder.
(1) Reference: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2011). Clients With Substance Use And Eating Disorders. Advisory, Volume 10, Issue 1.
Our Team
Tom McCann, PhD
Executive Director
Dr. McCann earned his PhD in Organizational Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and received adjunct training in Internal Family Systems and Nonviolent Communications. Dr. McCann is also trained in Co-Active Coaching and is a member of the American Psychological Association Society of Consulting Psychologists. Dr. McCann holds a MS degree in Human Resources Management from Troy University and a BS degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Prior to opening his practice at Bayberry, Dr. McCann was the co-founder and Executive Director of an eating disorders residential and outpatient treatment program for adults and adolescent females. It was in this setting that Dr. McCann envisioned the benefits of clinical interventions in a non-clinical population and the application of mind, body, behavioral, and somatic approaches to consulting and coaching. It is the integration of evidence-based psychological assessments and interventions for which informs his practice and approach to working with individuals and teams in all types of organizations. An important aspect of Dr. McCann’s practice is his extensive experience in business and leadership roles in multiple settings. His career began as an officer in the US Army Corps of Engineers. Following his time in the service, Dr. McCann worked in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry in multiple roles, including executive sales leadership, training and development, business development, marketing, and consulting.
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Sara Wilton, LMHC-A
Lead Therapist
Sara Wilton graduated Magna Cum Laude with Distinguished Honors in Psychology from Loyola University. She became a Research Assistant at Johns Hopkins and then Brown University on multiple studies with a focus on child and adolescent neurocognition. In 2019, Sara began her role as a Pediatric Psychiatric Milieu Therapist on the Inpatient Medical-Psychiatric Unit at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. This role enhanced Sara’s clinical experience with disordered eating and trauma through leading group therapy and process groups which catalyzed her specialty focus on neuroplasticity and trauma. Sara is currently the Director of Clinical Outreach and Recruitment as well as the Lead Clinical Research Coordinator at Comprehensive Psychiatric Care. She was at the forefront of the creation of their Providence site in all aspects of development and has gained significant experience in the world of clinical practice start-up and business outreach. She is currently a nationally ranked top performer for patient recruitment and retention in her OCD, PTSD, and MDD clinical research trials. Sara feels exceptionally lucky to have found her passion in this field which involves utilizing a holistic treatment model. As a yoga teacher and integrative medicine student, she stives to implement mindfulness and holistic wellness practices when possible. Simultaneously, she leads neuroscience clinical research trials and has a deep appreciation for the scientific integrity of evidence-based practices. Sara’s clinical focus is to ensure that patients receive the best uniquely tailored combination of treatment models. She is in her second year as a full-time Clinical Mental Health Counseling Masters student at Rhode Island College and is absolutely elated to be a Practicum Intern at Bayberry Psychology and Consulting.
Alyson Gaylord, MS, RD
Registered Dietitian
Alyson Gaylord, MS, RD, (she/her/hers) is a registered dietitian who aims to provide clients with a patient, supportive, and encouraging space throughout their treatment process. It is her goal to provide clients the necessary education to fight back against diet culture, shifting focus away from “smaller is better”. Aly specializes in the treatment of disordered eating and eating disorders, as well as the physiological complications of Low Energy Availability (LEA) and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). Aly utilizes motivational interviewing (MI) to challenge clients’ preconceived notions regarding food and body while practicing from a weight-inclusive, Health at Every Size® (HAES) approach. Aly’s primary goal is to help clients rebuild trust in their bodies to regulate appetite and metabolism, honoring both hunger and cravings. Aly completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Connecticut, obtaining a bachelor's degree in Dietetics. She then went on to obtain her RD licensure and complete her master’s degree in Health Promotion Sciences at the University of Connecticut, where she had the opportunity to work with clients struggling with disordered eating and/or eating disorders. In this setting, Aly’s passion for helping this population grew immensely.
Mary "Meg" Gilbar, RD
Registered Dietitian
Welcome! My name is Meg and I am a Registered Dietitian that specializes in eating disorders and co-occurring mental disorders. My approach is HAES inspired, inclusive, trauma informed and individualized. Disordered eating, unfortunately, can manifest in many ways and runs rampant in the media and in the social/cultural constructs that we live in. My favorite thing in the world is helping others to heal their relationship with food and their bodies, unlearn diet culture and begin to free the mind from the confinement of their eating disorder! I can't wait to meet you and be a part of this journey with you!
Teri McCann, PhD, LP,
CEDS-S, CRC
Clinical Director
Dr. McCann earned a Doctor of Philosophy at Kansas State University and a Masters in Clinical Psychology from Mississippi State University. Her doctoral research at Kansas State focused on children’s food cognitions, as well as infant attachment research while at Vanderbilt University. In addition, Dr. McCann has completed post-graduate studies in the unique needs and experiences of the gifted and talented population. Her research and studies have informed her more than 30 years of clinical practice serving a diverse group of clients. Dr. McCann is a member of the American Psychological Association, The Rhode Island Psychological Association, The Academy of Eating Disorders, and has earned the Certified Eating Disorders Specialist Supervisor (CEDS-S) designation from The International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals. Dr. McCann has training in a variety of treatment modalities, including extensive training and certification in the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model. Her work with clients and as a consultant/supervisor are done through the lens of IFS, leveraging the model to treat eating disorders and complex trauma. Based on a need she saw in her community and the power of the Internal Family Systems model in treating eating disorders, Dr. McCann previously founded and operated a residential and outpatient treatment center for women with eating disorders. As Founder, she served as both Clinical Director and Chief Clinical Officer of the residential, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient programs. In this capacity, and in her previous private practice setting, Dr. McCann focused on individual treatment planning and providing healing (rather than symptom control) for complex trauma and attachment trauma. Dr. McCann has devoted her professional career to bringing cognitive, behavioral, and experiential interventions to her clients that are experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression, or have a history of trauma. She has specialized in working with clients for which those symptoms have manifested into disordered eating. Dr. McCann has also focused much of her professional attention on the gifted and talented population, recognizing the unique challenges and demands facing this group when they may feel out of synch with their peers or academic programs.
