Today we’d like to introduce you to Verkeitta Jones.
Hi Verkeitta, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My path into mental health care began at the ground level of healthcare, working as a home health aide. That early experience shaped how I understand care. Not as a service delivered in isolation, but as something that has to fit into real people’s lives, homes, and circumstances. From there, I moved into nursing and spent years working across a range of behavioral health settings, where I saw firsthand how fragmented and inaccessible mental health services can be, especially for individuals already navigating complex systems.
Over time, I realized that many people weren’t struggling because they didn’t want help, but because the system itself made care difficult to access, impersonal, or overwhelming. That realization pushed me to pursue advanced training as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and to think more critically about how care is delivered, not just what care is provided.
Vera’s Loving Hands was created out of that reflection. I wanted to build a practice that emphasized clarity, consistency, and respect for the person on the other side of the screen. Today, my practice operates fully via telehealth, allowing me to serve individuals throughout Florida and Washington State while removing common barriers such as transportation, scheduling conflicts, and geographic limitations.
At this stage, my work sits at the intersection of clinical care, systems thinking, and leadership. I continue to work within large healthcare systems while also building an independent practice designed to be sustainable, ethical, and patient-centered. Rather than rushing growth, I’ve focused on building thoughtfully. Prioritizing quality, boundaries, and long-term impact over volume.
Where I am today reflects both experience and intention. I’m still building, but I’m building with purpose: creating care models that are humane for patients and sustainable for clinicians, and contributing to conversations about how mental health care can evolve to meet people where they actually are.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a perfectly smooth road, but the challenges I have encountered have been more structural than dramatic. One of the earliest lessons I learned was that working hard and being clinically competent does not automatically translate into sustainable or accessible care. Many systems are built around volume, speed, and constant availability rather than longevity or quality.
As I advanced in my career, one challenge was learning how to navigate large healthcare systems while maintaining my own professional values. It takes time to understand where you can influence change and where you need to protect your energy and boundaries. Balancing the desire to help broadly with the need to practice sustainably is something many clinicians face, but few are formally taught how to manage.
Building an independent practice alongside ongoing clinical and leadership roles also comes with a learning curve. Telehealth creates incredible access, but without intentional structure it can easily recreate the same burnout patterns seen in traditional care settings. Learning how to pace growth, set limits, and design care thoughtfully has been an important part of that process.
Overall, the challenges have not slowed the work. They have refined it. Each obstacle has pushed me to be more deliberate about how I practice, who I serve, and how I define success, and those lessons continue to guide the way I build and lead today.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Vera’s Loving Hands LLC ?
Vera’s Loving Hands is a telehealth-based psychiatric practice designed to make mental health care more accessible, consistent, and sustainable for both patients and clinicians. I provide psychiatric evaluation and medication management through a fully remote model, serving individuals throughout Florida and Washington State.
My work focuses on thoughtful, relationship-centered care rather than volume-driven treatment. That means clear expectations, appropriate pacing, and a strong emphasis on collaboration and follow-through. Telehealth allows me to meet people where they are, while still maintaining structure and clinical rigor.
Alongside direct patient care, a significant part of my professional life involves systems-level thinking. I am intentional about how care is delivered, how boundaries are set, and how practices can be built in ways that protect clinicians from burnout while still prioritizing quality outcomes for patients.
At its core, my work is about designing care models that are humane, ethical, and durable. Rather than chasing scale for its own sake, I focus on building practices that can grow responsibly and adapt as the needs of patients and communities change.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Something that often surprises people is how much I rely on stillness and nature to stay grounded. I’m not someone who seeks constant stimulation, and I’m not naturally a “people person” in the traditional sense. I do my best thinking and reflecting near water, whether that’s the ocean, a river, or a quiet shoreline. Being in those spaces helps me reset and stay clear in both my personal life and my work.
That time alone is also where much of my writing happens. I’m currently working on a book for psychiatric nurse practitioners that focuses on sustainability, boundaries, and building practices that are healthy for both clinicians and patients. While my work is people-facing, the clarity behind it often comes from moments of quiet.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.veraslovinghands.net
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verkeitta-j-a3b68b13b/
