Whitteney Guyton of Portsmouth, owner of Synergy Health Systems LLC, a growing conglomerate that offers mental health care, skilled home health care, and psycho-social rehabilitation at various sites in Hampton Roads, is finalizing plans for a three-building facility in the Sassafras area of Gloucester.

The facility, which was built by former owner Patrizia Nesbitt as a place to house disabled and elderly adults, will now be used to house children with mental health issues. Guyton said during a recent interview that it has taken several months of planning, refurbishing, and hiring staff to get the first of the three buildings, which she has named “Creek Manor,” ready, but that she expects to have children living there by late April or early May.

The home, which has room for up to 18 people, is currently licensed to house a dozen children ages 11-15, said Guyton. She said she’ll be receiving referrals from the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice, hospitals, and the community services board system. In addition to services for children living at the facility, she said, Creek Manor will have qualified mental health professionals who can provide counseling for any child, whether or not they live on-site.

Justin Conyers of Suffolk has been appointed to serve as the clinical director for the facility, said Guyton, while a house manager, program manager, and residential counselors have been hired locally.

The other two buildings on the property will take longer to open, said Guyton, since one of them still has adult occupants and the other needs renovation. But by the end of the summer, she hopes to be housing up to 41 children, ranging in age from 6 to 18, with the older ones in an independent living situation and allowed to stay until they’re 21 “if they’re productive.” She said she would like to purchase a local store or restaurant to teach them job skills.

Guyton said she hadn’t intended to expand her business to Gloucester, but when an employee told her about the availability of the Nesbitt property, she was intrigued. It took one visit to Gloucester and its friendly, welcoming community—along with a look at the spacious “clubhouse” in Creek Manor—for Guyton to decide she was ready to buy.

“I absolutely love Gloucester,” said Guyton. “Every time I come here, I feel good. It’s, like, a real town. People talk to you. They’re so helpful.”

Creek Manor

Creek Manor is a large, sprawling building with a living room, large kitchen, office, classroom space, a therapy room, and large bedrooms, with each containing either two or three beds and accompanying dressers and closets. A beauty shop provides an opportunity for teaching hairdressing skills, and Guyton said her brother, Christopher Kimbrough-Guyton, will be setting up that program.

The crowning jewel of the structure is the large, high-ceilinged clubhouse room, painted red, which Guyton is dedicating to her grandmother, Nell. It has its own kitchen and is outfitted with retro-style tables and booths in varying shades of bright red. A corner area has a widescreen television and large sectional sofa for movie nights.

Guyton said she was thrilled to find that the building already had central security, fire alarm and sprinkler systems. There are even telephones in the hallways. “You don’t take that for granted,” she said.

Guyton said she wants the residents of Creek Manor to feel like they’re at home, not in an institution. “I teach my staff, ‘you go home,’” she said. “This IS their home.”

Background

At 40 years old, Guyton has begun to make her mark on the world. A native of Illinois and a self-professed “nerd,” she started her first business at the age of 12, when she made paper flower bouquets and sold them to friends for special occasions. By the time she was in the eighth grade, she had developed a form to keep track of her orders. After graduating from high school, she came to Virginia to attend college and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Norfolk State University, then went on to earn a master’s degree in counseling also from NSU.

A stint at a private residential facility for children with mental health disorders followed, along with a second job working as a crisis counselor for people with HIV.

Then Guyton went corporate and accepted a job in upper management with a multinational e-commerce and transportation corporation. She worked there for four years before deciding that she just didn’t want to work for other people at all.

“So I started working for myself,” she said. “I decided I wanted to be as big as Walmart and have thousands of employees, but I wanted to make them all feel like they own the company, too.”

Guyton established Flow Consulting in 2009, giving advice and assistance to people who wanted to set up group homes. In 2016, she started Synergy Health Systems, and is now focused on its continued growth. She is also a partner in other businesses that are unrelated to mental health care, including a brewery in Hampton—1865 Brewing Company.

Guyton is married, and her wife, Darmeshia, is a self-employed interior designer and real estate professional.