Residential, Day & Evening Treatment Centers for Adults with Eating Disorders

Who We Are

Dr. Ellen Leigh, Clinical Director, is a Clinical Psychologist with advanced training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and expertise in treating individuals with eating disorders. She has many years of experience working in inpatient, residential and partial hospital programs. Dr. Leigh received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She completed her internship at Harvard Medical School on the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Unit at McLean Hospital. While on Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, Dr. Leigh trained with the founder of Cognitive Therapy, Aaron Beck, M.D., at the Center for Cognitive Therapy. Dr. Leigh is a Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy.

Dr. Leigh has gained expertise in assessing and treating a broad range of difficulties that often co-occur in people with eating disorders (e.g. anxiety and mood disorders, addictions). She collaborated and published with Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., on adaptations of Dialectical Behavior Therapy. She was the Director of Substance Abuse Outpatient Services in the Department of Psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center and on the Faculty of Albert Einstein College of Medicine. While at the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy, she served as the Director of Behavioral Medicine. She performed psychological and neuropsychological testing in NIMH funded studies of Bipolar Disorder. For several years, Dr. Leigh was the Senior Psychologist at the Eating Disorders Center of North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System/Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She received advanced training in the assessment of eating disorders at Oxford University.

In her role as Clinical Director, Dr. Leigh oversees all direct clinical services delivered to the residents of Laurel Hill Inn. She conducts thorough assessments of potential clients to determine appropriateness for admission to our residential level of care and provides weekly supervision to our clinical staff. She is responsible for administrative functions, program development for all levels of care, and collaborates with providers in the community whose patients are being treated at Laurel Hill Inn.

Dr. Melanie Hudson, Assistant Clinical Director, is a Clinical Psychologist with specialization and extensive training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Dr. Hudson has professional experience working in a breadth of treatment settings including inpatient, residential, outpatient and in private practice treating individuals diagnosed with eating disorders. Dr. Hudson has experience in the application of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and is trained in traumatic stress interventions targeting specific treatment issues such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Dr. Hudson has expertise in the management of individuals diagnosed with complex dissociative disorders, co-morbid psychiatric disorders, mood and anxiety spectrum disorders and substance abuse disorders.

Dr. Hudson received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Santa Clara University in California and her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in San Francisco. Dr. Hudson worked as a primary therapist in the Eating Disorder Recovery Program at Del Amo Hospital located in Torrance, CA. She completed a clinical research position involving in-depth interviewing and assessment of female survivors of childhood sexual abuse at Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and received extensive training at UCLA’s Anxiety Disorders Clinic.

In her role as Assistant Clinical Director, Dr. Hudson provides individual therapy, group facilitation and treatment planning for all clients in our residential treatment program. She works in close collaboration with our multidisciplinary clinical team in order to provide personalized and comprehensive treatment for each client she serves.

Dr. Michelle Spomer, Program Director of our Evening Treatment Program, has extensive training and expertise working with women’s issues, particularly in the treatment and management of eating disorders in older adolescents and adults. She gained experience working in several levels of care including residential, partial hospital and outpatient programs in which she provided individual, group and family therapy. Dr. Spomer is experienced in the assessment and treatment of a variety of illnesses that impact the functioning and treatment of those suffering from eating disorders and co-morbid illnesses, including trauma. In her role as Program Director, Dr. Spomer is responsible for program management, direct provision of clinical services, and the supervision of all clinical staff serving in the program.

Dr. Spomer received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo and her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. During her two-year internship at the University of Rochester’s counseling center, Dr. Spomer provided individual, couple’s and group therapy to the students and staff of the university community, with a special interest in the treatment of eating disorders.

She completed two successive post-doctoral training programs at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School; her first year at the Women’s Treatment Program and the second year at the Inpatient Eating Disorder Center where she was subsequently hired as a staff psychologist.

Amy Carroll, LICSW, Program Director of our Day Treatment Program, has extensive experience working with women with eating disorders and substance dependency issues. Amy received her Master of Social Work degree from Portland State University in Portland Oregon in 2004.

Amy has over ten years of experience working in the mental health field. She has worked in several residential programs as a case manager and as an outpatient therapist in various settings. She has provided individual, family and group therapy to a diverse client base and has perfected the use of CBT and DBT in her therapeutic groups.

Amy worked as a counselor at Laurel Hill Inn’s Residential Program from 2000-2002 and then moved to Portland where she obtained her Master of Social Work degree. She returned to Laurel Hill Inn as a Clinical Case Manager in 2006. She has also facilitated group therapy in our Intensive Outpatient Program.

In her role as Program Director, Amy is responsible for meeting with prospective clients to determine if Day Treatment is the appropriate level of care for the client. She provides direct client care and group facilitation. Administrative responsibilities include program development, community outreach, weekly staff supervision and collaboration with our clients' outpatient treatment teams. Amy is responsible for obtaining initial treatment authorizations from the insurance companies and for continued stay reviews.

Dr. Suzanne Gleysteen has been the Medical Director for Laurel Hill Inn since the program opened in November of 2000. Within her private practice, Dr. Gleysteen has a specialty in treating individuals with eating disorders. She has lectured at numerous medical conferences on the subject of eating disorders. Her topics have included Primary Care, Management of Eating Disorders, Medical Complications of Eating Disorders, and Osteoporosis Screening, Prevention and Treatment.

Dr. Gleysteen is an attending physician in Internal Medicine at one of Boston's largest hospitals and is an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Gleysteen is also Clinical Preceptor at a large Boston area medical practice that is a major training site for medical residents and doctors specializing in internal medicine.

Prior to admission some clients are seen by Dr. Gleysteen in order to assess their current medical status. Following admission to the program, Dr. Gleysteen sees most of our clients as needed, usually weekly or more often if necessary. If clients live locally, they will continue to see their own physician on the same schedule as Dr. Gleysteen, weekly or more often if necessary.

Dr. Jeanne Serafin, Staff Psychiatrist, has joined our clinical team on a part-time basis. She is a board certified psychiatrist who completed her residency through Harvard Medical School at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center. While there she was chief resident in psychopharmacology. Dr. Serafin has maintained a private practice in psychotherapy and psychopharmacology for almost 20 years. She has specialized in, among other things, the treatment of eating disorders and treatment resistant depression. In addition to her training in psychopharmacology Dr. Serafin is trained in behavioral medicine and clinical hypnosis.

As a clinician, her perspective is well rounded and incorporates the biological, psychological and social aspects of those she is treating. She is acutely aware of the value of medication in the treatment of eating disorders and in the importance of minimizing side effects in medications chosen to treat her clients.

Dr. Serafin received her Doctor of Medicine Degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and her Bachelor of Science Degree from Simmons College in Boston. She was a Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Boston University Medical Center. Finally Dr. Serafin has been practicing meditation for over 15 years and has a deep appreciation for the skills that the meditative traditions can provide.

Carole DoCouto, M.Ed., R.D., Director of Nutrition Services, has extensive experience working with clients suffering from chronic eating disorders in inpatient, residential and outpatient settings. Carole maintains a small private practice specializing in nutrition management of individuals with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder and diabetes.

In her role as primary nutritionist for the residential treatment program, Carole evaluates the nutritional and behavioral components of our client’s eating disorder symptoms and provides ongoing nutritional recommendations. She meets individually with clients weekly, provides cooking instruction and facilitates nutrition education groups for the program. Carole is responsible for nutrition training and supervision of staff as it pertains to menu planning and meal preparation for our clients, development of group content and patient treatment protocols. She consults with the nutritionists at our day and evening treatment programs and provides nutrition education to families and supports during our monthly family weekend.

Carole received her M.Ed., in Nutrition Education from Tufts University in Medford Massachusetts and graduated magna cum laude. She completed her two-year dietetic internship at Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston. She worked for many years at Massachusetts General Hospital and was an instructor at the MGH Institute of Allied Health.

Robert Bordonaro, LICSW, Director of Admissions at Laurel Hill Inn, has over 16 years of experience in the eating disorders field. Bob has extensive experience working as a clinical case manager and in the role as Director in inpatient, residential, day and evening treatment programs within the Massachusetts eating disorder community.

Bob completed his Master of Social Work degree at Simmons College in Boston and holds a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree from Boston College. He has worked as a milieu and group therapist at two different residential treatment programs at McLean Hospital; one focused on the treatment of patient’s with borderline personality disorder, including a variety of co-morbid issues; at the second residential program Bob worked exclusively with women with eating disorders.

In addition to the screening and evaluation of all clients entering our residential and day treatment programs, Bob is a group facilitator and a highly valued mentor to other members of our clinical team.

Bob regularly schedules visits to LHI for his Golden Retriever, Daisy, who is a certified and trained dog therapist. Clients and staff alike thoroughly enjoy their petting sessions with Daisy and we consistently observe that our clients’ mood visibly brightens when Daisy stops by our home.

Dr. Valerie Gurney, Clinical Consultant, served on the faculty at Cornell University's Weill Medical College. During her time at Cornell, Dr. Gurney worked at the Cornell Eating Disorder Program, a nationally recognized program for the treatment of eating disorders. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Ohio University in Athens. Dr. Gurney was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Eating Disorders at Brown University's School of Medicine in Providence, Rhode Island. She provided outpatient treatment for eating disorders as well as consultation services to inpatient and day hospital programs at Butler Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.

Bill McDonald, President and Company Founder, received separate Masters degrees in Social Work and Business Administration from Boston College and a Bachelors Degree in Economics from Boston College.

As a social work student, Bill completed a one-year internship at McLean Hospital in Belmont where he worked on a cognitive behavioral inpatient treatment unit. He worked as a clinical social worker providing services to families and children for several years.

After receiving his Masters Degree in Business Administration, Bill left the human services field to work for one of the nation’s largest computer manufacturers for over ten years. He began his business experience as a strategic financial analyst in the systems engineering division. He then became a senior sales representative for the same company and sold high performance computer systems to Government Research Laboratories and Original Equipment Manufacturers.

In the latter part of the 1980’s Bill began developing and maintaining group homes for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. These homes provided residential settings where adult men and women with chronic mental illness were able to live in the community.

Linda McDonald, Vice President and Company Founder, has an extensive business and marketing background and was a corporate account manager for ten years for a national telecommunications company. Linda spent more than seven years developing her own dance and movement curriculum for adult women and taught several classes per week. Linda’s programs were designed to help women improve their body image, self-esteem and self-confidence.

Linda is the initial contact for those considering treatment at Laurel Hill Inn. She provides clients and families with program information and schedules program visits by prospective clients. She works with insurance providers and families to coordinate payment for treatment.

Linda oversees all non-clinical operations at the residential, day and evening programs. She is responsible for marketing Laurel Hill Inn’s programs to referral sources and the public. She exhibits regularly at local and national eating disorder conferences. Linda collaborates with our professional staff and is actively involved in the hiring process for all clinical and administrative positions at Laurel Hill Inn.