Dr. Jennifer Kaufman Walker: Making Mental Health Accessible in Middleburg and Beyond
Written by Kaitlin Hill | Photos by Shannon Ayres
The phrase “New Year, New Me” has gained popularity in the last decade as health-based New Year’s resolutions have become more widespread. But beyond gym memberships, clean eating, dry Januaries, and daily step counts, focusing on mental health is receiving well-deserved and increased attention as part of a broader picture of wellness.
For Dr. Jennifer Kaufman Walker, a licensed counselor and the owner of True North Psychological Services in Middleburg, the importance of supporting mental well-being is her life’s work and a passion she pursued from early in her education.
“I started my venture into the psychology world while I was an undergraduate at the University of Lynchburg.” Outside of school hours, she further pursued her career path with various organizations related to mental health. She says, “I started doing the crisis line and sexual assault response program, where I would go into emergency rooms and court. I realized this was definitely the field I wanted to be in.”
Walker then earned her master’s at Marymount University and worked at the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute while also helping out at a domestic violence shelter. She adds, “I graduated and went to George Washington University for my Ph.D. While there, I worked at the Arlington County Jail doing competency and capacity. I was also able to supervise and do individual counseling at the community center.”
Along the way, she met her husband, a Middleburg native. Following the birth of her daughter, she was nearing the completion of her Ph.D. when “I found out I was pregnant with my son. The night before my defense.”
All the while, she says, “I had been working with Health Connect America for eight years, doing in-home therapy for children.”
Walker opened True North in Middleburg in 2023. The practice has five specialists, including Walker, and offers a long list of services, such as individual, family, and couples therapy as well as career counseling, advocacy services, and referrals for testing. But the cornerstone of her practice is accessibility.
“I realized through all of my different avenues … that there was a huge need for counselors that were well versed, that offered private settings, that could help navigate the mental health system, but also be affordable.” She continues, “So, I opened my own practice, True North Psychological, with an emphasis on the ‘name your price’ sliding scale. I don’t turn anyone away based on an inability to afford my services.”
Her philosophy on payment could be described as akin to the honor system. She explains, “I just ask what you are comfortable paying based on your income. You don’t have to prove anything to me. I just trust what you tell me and I honor that fee.”
In addition to Virginia, Walker is licensed in the District of Columbia, Maryland, West Virginia, Florida, and Michigan — making her services accessible to a broader pool of patients.
Walker also became a certified counselor for first responders. She says, “I’m one of only a handful in Virginia.” In these cases, she often deals with trauma, crisis, grief, and loss. She specializes in these areas in her work with adolescents, as well.
“I decided to focus on grief and loss after I lost my father to pancreatic cancer,” She shares. “I made a promise to him to take care of myself and to make it a priority while doing this work. I think that has guided me significantly. To be a good therapist, you have to take care of yourself first and foremost.”
For Walker, this manifests in a “mind-body connection,” which she encourages her patients to monitor as well. “Anything occurring in our body affects our mind… I always recommend blood work — blood work that looks at inflammation levels, thyroid function, and [more].”
She continues, “The best thing people can do on a daily basis is a body scan. Check if your shoulders are scrunched to your ears, then release them. Move down your arms to your hands, your feet, your stomach, all of them. This is going to create a level of awareness so that you can be more proactive instead of reactive to your stress.” Something as simple as breathing is important, too. “When we don’t breathe correctly, we are sending our nervous system into a fight or flight response.”
Not one to leave an avenue of aid unexplored, Walker recently wrote a children’s book that covers topics relevant to family dynamics. “What Is A Family?” follows Bubs, a baby deer, as she discovers the answer to that question. The book is inspired by a personal experience. While working on her farm, Walker “found an abandoned baby deer. It was visibly dehydrated. Its mom hadn’t returned for several days, so it followed me.”
When encouraged to leave it be and let nature take its course, “I couldn’t do it,” she says. “Against my better judgement, I had this amazing experience of raising this fawn until she went off on her own… When she did go off, I was consumed with worry. I realized she felt like part of my family.”
This experience reminded her of her work with foster children while at Health Connect and the need for child-friendly resources to discuss difficult family dynamics. And, though her own daughter’s initial response to the book was somewhat skeptical, Walker shares, “That made me realize it had this ability to start conversations. It’s allowed for deeper connection and dialogue, even with my own daughter.”
As an author, mother, and counselor, there is seemingly no limit to what Walker can do or wants to do in psychological services while maintaining accessibility for her clients. While she is considering expanding the size of her office, she doesn’t want to lose the “one-on-one connection with those already in the practice.” She finishes, “I’m accessible at all times,” and laughs, “unless I am sleeping. But I will always respond that day. The size of my practice allows for that … and I love that.” ML
Published in the January 2025 issue of Middleburg Life.