Meet The Team

Arianna Johnson

CEO | Owner

I received my diploma from Suffolk Community College on Long Island, New York. I worked in Special Education at Suffolk Public Schools. From then, I rose through the ranks to become a Director at a number of Tidewaters Group homes. Getting to know and assist these young people in learning and dealing with their mental health and well-being is what has inspired me to work with adults as well. I want to educate folks on how to use their existing knowledge and abilities for positive reinforcement. I envision myself as a comfortable, sensible, well-appointed, and well-groomed individual. Parents and children in Mental Health skill Building respond with collaboration, excitement, and pleasurable activities. My morals and growth are the results of my exposure to my parents and the communities surrounding me, mostly in Virginia's tidewater region. My ambition is to use my expertise as a highly motivated residential counselor to provide unparalleled relationship-building and interpersonal skills to persons suffering from mental illness. I've had training in crisis intervention, crisis prevention, and interpersonal communication. My lessons are not just for people suffering from mental diseases, but also for their families and friends. Others who may merely want a fresh perspective on what is going on in their life and the lives of those around them.

Anita Whitehurst

Director

Anita Whitehurst is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Virginia. She is a graduate of Norfolk State University and pursuing a Doctoral Degree in Strategic Leadership at Liberty University. Ms. Whitehurst has over 16 years of counseling in education and over 3 years in teaching early childhood education. Ms. Whitehurst has worked as an Intensive In-home counselor; she helped her clients understand their feelings, identify issues, and learn new skills and coping strategies. Let her help you overcome challenges, events, or obstacles that have affected your mental well-being. We can work together on creating healthy coping strategies and create a safe place to work out solutions for ourselves. Remember, you don’t have to have severe symptoms to see a counselor. Several people seek therapy at Family Connections 757 because they feel a benefit from talking about their issues/concerns with a compassionate and non-judgmental counselor. Improvement may not happen overnight, but you should see changes, even if it’s just a better understanding of your feelings and thoughts. Ms. Whitehurst’s counseling goals are to facilitate behavior change, Improve the client’s ability to establish and maintain relationships, enhance the client’s effectiveness and ability to cope, promote the decision-making process, and facilitate client potential as well as development.