Welcome to Heel to Heal Counseling


Where we move towards healing together.

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Practicing Walk and Talk Therapy in Virginia


What is walk and talk therapy? It’s exactly what it sounds like - and so much more! To break it down, walk and talk therapy is a unique form of therapy that combines traditional, talk-based psychotherapy with the physical exercise of walking. By combining physical movement and counseling, this type of therapy strengthens the connection between the mind and the body. The simple act of walking while talking out life’s issues creates an environment of possibility and change. Jenna Reece, LPC began Heel to Heal Counseling out of a desire to create a therapeutic situation where clients can get their minds as well as their bodies moving.

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Effects of Walking on Mental Health

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Facilitates the release of endorphins, which relieve constant worry and lighten your mood

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Helps diminish clinical depression and reduce physical symptoms of anxiety

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Walking with a companion reduces feelings of isolation connected to mental health struggles

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Improves your sleep quality, often alleviating sleeping problems such as restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, narcolepsy and insomnia

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Can delay mental and cognitive decline, especially in older individuals

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For kids and teens, can improve reasoning and intellectual performance in school

Staunton Primary Care

I work one-on-one with adults and specialize in the following areas:

  • Depression/anxiety
  • Mood disorders
  • Relationship issues/divorce and recovery
  • Women’s health/body image issues
  • Low self-esteem
  • Grief/loss

About Jenna Reece, LPC

I consider myself very lucky to have found my passion for helping others early in life and plan to continue on this journey as long as I can. I find that I am always learning from others and from life, soaking up information and pushing myself to explore new things, evolving constantly into the person I want to be. Man, this is hard at times! In life, we seem to encounter many obstacles to success, love and happiness. It is here that I believe that counseling can be so beneficial to those struggling with the things life throws at us and more importantly, the things we throw at ourselves (self-defeating thinking and feelings of inadequacy).

I received my bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Oswego State University of New York and my master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Radford University. I have worked in many different mental health settings ranging from state agencies to prisons to private practice. I have worked with many different populations and continue to enjoy working with all types of people and situations, helping people work through things important to them.

I hope to provide you with a warm and safe environment in which you can feel comfortable discussing and expressing your concerns and your personal goals as well as the stressors in life you are facing at the moment that seem to be keeping you stuck. My desire to create the best possible environment for open discussion that makes a difference to you is why I started Heel to Heal.

In Heel to Heal, I practice a unique combination of therapies known as the walk and talk method. This method gets clients moving - literally and figuratively. Spending time outdoors can be incredibly grounding and relaxing in times of stress. As they walk, clients are allowed to set their own pace, which can be physically and emotionally empowering. In fact, research studies show that physical activity can improve overall mental and physical health and reduce levels of depression and anxiety.

My approach to therapy with individuals is integrative, always trying to meet the individual where they are and what fits best for them. I often utilize cognitive behavioral strategies, focusing on challenging and reframing negative thought patterns that seem to keep us stuck and repeating unhealthy patterns of behavior that hinder us from achieving personal growth. I believe in providing a warm, safe and non-judgmental environment for individuals to help them take a leap towards change and I am here to guide you, always being mindful to keep a consistent thread of kindness, empathy and openness to enable you do to so.

I work one-on-one with adults and specialize in the following areas:

  • Depression/anxiety
  • Mood disorders
  • Relationship issues/divorce and recovery
  • Women’s health/body image issues
  • Low self-esteem
  • Grief/loss

“Moving our bodies is one way to help move our minds, just as, in turn, our thoughts and feelings can alter our use of our bodies. In the broadest sense, of the term, working out allows us to stretch not only our physical but also our mental muscles.

Therapists see people at a time when their lives are in flux. Crisis theory suggests that at times of crisis people may be most amenable to change. Therapists are, above all else, change agents and in an ideal position to assist the client in not only in assessing issues, but also in developing new coping methods.

The combination of exercise and therapy, addressing both cognitive and physiological processes and their interactions, may be more powerful than either alone.”


- Kate F. Hays, author of Working It Out: Using Exercise in Psychotherapy