family development. “I still had to take a certification test to become a certified counselor,”
said Leigh-Anne with a quick laugh.
Another big development for Leigh-Anne at GSU was meeting her future husband,
Bobby White. The two married in 2001 and moved to Virginia for Leigh-Anne’s internship
as a victim advocate for children with a domestic violence shelter called DOVE (Domestic
Violence Ended). The time there was also enough to convince Bobby that Virginia was no
place to be in the winter. “That winter was one of the coldest
winters the area had ever had,” laughed Leigh-Anne.
In 2003, the couple made Bobby’s hometown of Vidalia
their home, and Leigh-Anne went to work at The Refuge
Domestic Violence Shelter. After a year or so, she decided to
look for work in mental health. “I really wanted to make a
difference in the sector of mental health, so I went to work
at Pineland Behavioral Health / Developmental Disabilities.”
Her job in “supported employment was as an advocate to
help people with substance abuse and mental health and
developmental disabilities find work in the community.”
When a position opened up for site coordinator, she applied
and was accepted. While working at Pineland, she also
completed her masters in counseling and psychology.
In 2009, after six years at Pineland, Leigh-Anne
took a position with Melinda Graham and Associates out
of Hinesville as lead counselor on an Intensive Family
Intervention Team for Toombs County and the surrounding
areas. “We provided intervention services to keep kids
in our community out of the youth detention center,
psychiatric hospitals, and long-term facilities.”
After three years, Leigh-Anne knew it was time for a
change. “It was good work, but I could feel myself beginning
to burn out,” she said. In 2012, she was hired by the Paul
Anderson Youth Home (PAYH) to provide their boys with
art therapy. “The course was called ‘Creative Fitness.’” She
introduced the young men to acrylics and oil pastels. “We
ABOVE Leigh-Anne offers a variety
of therapy and counseling services.
BELOW The artwork hanging on
the walls throughout Leigh-Anne's
office is a reminder that sometimes
art can be as important as words.
104 TOOMBS COUNTY MAGAZINE