Director, University Counseling Center
Knieba Jones-Johnson is a licensed marital and family therapist and clinical supervisor who has over 25 years in the counseling field, specifically working with marginalized communities and individuals impacted by complex trauma.
Prior to becoming the director of the UCC, Knieba’s role at SLU was as the director of therapeutic support of Shut It Down, a program aimed to dismantle the school-to-prison nexus by helping educators, school administrators and district officials understand the intersections between race, equity, trauma and mental health. In addition, she was the program director for the Felony Drug Education Class at the St. Louis City Circuit Attorney’s Office.
Before moving to St. Louis in 2016, Knieba served as the clinical supervisor for a mental health agency and non-public school in Los Angeles, where she managed a clinical internship program and provided professional development workshops and trainings on racism and violence, mindfulness, self-care and community wellness. As a clinician certified in several evidence-based practices (TF-CBT, CBITS, MAP and Seeking Safety to name a few), Knieba has worked in a number of milieus- including residential treatment, private practice, in-home, multiple school districts, locked psychiatric facilities for adolescents and as an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University. Knieba has also been a certified trainer for the Crisis Prevention Institute, a speaker for the Southern California Trainer’s Network, and a member of both ABPSI and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Knieba received her B.A. from Loyola Marymount University in psychology with a minor in African American studies and her master’s degree in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University. She enjoys yoga, hiking, interior design, event production, football and traveling.