Zakeya Jones, LMSW
Trauma Therapist
Doing things differently doesn’t mean you’re doing them wrong.
If you’d rather start your journey with someone over the phone, call us at 313-288-2689.
Who I work with
Maybe you just went through a big change in your life: You got a new job that requires you to work in-office vs. from home. You just entered into a new relationship or left an old one. You’ve retired or moved and now everything you’ve been avoiding (maybe for years) started creeping back up, wanting to be seen.
Whatever it is, you’re out of your comfort zone and realizing maybe what you’ve done to push through for so long might not be meeting your needs anymore. Keeping busy or finding ways to unwind might have given you some relief, but lately, you might be noticing that you’re still overwhelmed, even when you’re doing all the things that usually help.
You might stare at a screen late at night and ask Google or ChatGPT what’s “wrong” with you because you believe if you were just “normal,” life wouldn’t be so hard right now. Maybe you wonder why you struggle so much when you don’t think anything especially bad happened to you. Sure, phrases like “I love you” may not have been part of your family’s vocabulary, but mostly things were perfectly fine.
Or maybe you can point to a specific situation that changed your life forever and you’re ready to stop being haunted by the past. But then you think, “This bothered me, but maybe it wasn't a big deal.” It’s possible you’ve come across terms like ADHD, autism, or trauma that rang true for you, but you aren’t quite sure.
You’re at the point now where you’re able and ready to ask for and receive help.
My areas of specialty
I believe we can’t judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree. By that I mean, we need to approach life and therapy in a way that works for you, instead of trying to make you someone you’re not. Chances are, that’s what you’ve been doing your whole life.
What we do in each session will depend entirely on you. Some days, we can work on building skills like emotional regulation to help you get through the next week. Other sessions will get into the meat and potatoes of it all and dig deep into what happened to you, how you reacted then, how you continue to react, and why.
Where appropriate, I’m going to challenge you, especially when you start brushing off what you’re feeling with humor, downplaying what you’ve been through, or speaking poorly about yourself. I want us to be able to laugh together while still making space for the things that are harder to talk about..
I’m here to help you understand that there’s nothing fundamentally “wrong” with you. You’ve likely just been living as a triangle trying to fit inside a round hole. I want you to walk out of every session with a little more love for the person you are.
My background & training
I’ve always wanted to be the kind of person I needed growing up—someone empathetic and willing to really, truly listen. So when I tell my clients I’m here for them, I mean it.
I have a master’s degree in social work from Michigan State University. I work with people who are neurodiverse, maybe with diagnosed or suspected ADHD or autism, or who have experienced trauma (whether they recognize it or not). I also have experience treating people recovering from substance use.
I can incorporate a variety of methodologies into our work together, including CBT, DBT, motivational interviewing, and IFS-informed methods and parts work. We’ll use our time together to help you uncover the root of what you’re going through rather than focusing on the surface-level issues. That’s where lasting change happens.
Insurance companies I work with
AETNA
Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO
Blue Care Network
Cigna
Michigan Medicaid