Therapist opens practice in Sisters

Carol Ann Yankey's goal with her practice is "to help others achieve mental and emotional wellness." With that mission in mind, she has launched Common Ground Counseling Services in Sisters.

While she works with all kinds of people, her particular specialty and favorite form of work is with children. That often ends up involving the whole family.

"What will usually happen," she says, "is someone will bring their child and want me to 'fix' their child. I drag the whole family into it, because I can't 'fix' anybody."

Yankey just likes kids.

"We raised our two kids and helped raise it seems like a million others," she said.

In her practice, she notes, "The youngest I've had is 4. junior high is my favorite - goofy little child-adults."

Sometimes a child's issues can be traced to undiagnosed ADD, or they may be on the autism spectrum. Sometimes they're facing the stress of family troubles.

Yankey works with couples, too. That usually starts with a visit from the woman in the relationship.

"Women, specifically, will come in. Their husbands don't want to," she said. "It takes a little while with guys. You have to build trust."

Yankey and her husband, Scott, a geologist, moved here from Kansas after Carol fell in love with the area while visiting for a wedding. The beautiful setting suits the couple.

"I like to be outside at my home, and my husband likes to be outside in the mountains," Yankey said.

Yankey's practice relies on helping people articulate issues. That's the key to starting to find solutions.

"Everyone can fix their own problems," she believes. "But sometimes they're so stuck that they're not thinking. Just saying it, you have a light bulb go off."

Yankey has an extensive counseling background and has worked in Illinois, South Carolina, and Kansas. She delights in delving into research and consulting with other counselors on best practices.

Common Ground Counseling Services is located at 424 S. Fir St. in Sisters. For more information contact Yankey at 785-320-0869.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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