After spending ten years in the mental health and social services field, Lichele White saw an opportunity to create something deeply personal and mission-driven. She founded an organization focused on supporting individuals at their present stage and assisting them on their healing journey. What started as a solo therapy practice in 2020 has evolved into Rooted in Recovery Therapeutic Services. This vibrant and esteemed mental health practice now provides individual, group, and family therapy to clients throughout Virginia.

Rooted in Recovery plays a crucial role within a larger circle of care crafted by Lichele White, who leads the nonprofit, A Few Good Roots, and manages the New Roots Treatment Center. Through these intertwined initiatives, a comprehensive continuum of support is offered. This includes counseling services and treatment for substance use, alongside essential community resources. These resources encompass food pantries, clothing closets, and a state-certified sober living home, all designed to support individuals on their journey to recovery.

This all-encompassing, holistic strategy allows her team to address every facet of well-being—mind, body, and environment.

When it was time to grow, Lichele realized she needed assistance in managing the business aspects of expansion. Motivated by her bank’s advice, she contacted the Capital Region Small Business Development Center (SBDC) just sixty days prior to finalizing the purchase of a new building. “I assumed services would be costly and complex,” she remembers. “I was delighted to learn that the support was no cost.”

Through personalized business advising, financial training, and loan preparation assistance, the Capital Region SBDC guided Lichele through the process to secure SBA funding to purchase her first building, turning her vision for growth into reality. With the loan approved and business plan refined, she quickly hired four new staff members and increased her services by 30%.

“Once I followed their process, everything fell into place,” Lichele said. “I realized I should have called the SBDC months earlier.”

Beginning in Virginia and now proudly licensed in Maryland and North Carolina, Lichele White is dedicated to broadening her impact while remaining steadfast in her mission: to guarantee that recovery and compassionate mental health support are available to everyone. Plans are underway to establish additional offices in both North and South Carolina.

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