At the age of 7, Carolyn Reabe, MD knew that she wanted to be a doctor.
Dr. Reabe grew up in Brookfield, WI and chose UW-Madison for her undergrad. “When selecting my courses, I could not get into the chemistry class that I wanted, so I chose a Russian Language course for fun. I ended up really liking it and went on to major in Russian Language and Literature in addition to Pre-Med,” she said.
She then traveled to Oklahoma to attend medical school and complete her psychiatry residency.
“I really liked the first and second year of behavioral medicine courses and during my rotations found that I enjoyed talking to people and hearing about their life. I like hearing a person’s life story and how they cope.”
Dr. Reabe worked in Tulsa, practicing inpatient and outpatient psychiatry for about 5 years before returning to Wisconsin. In 2008 she started an outpatient psychiatry practice in Sheboygan. In the Fall of 2022, she joined Prairie Ridge Health in Columbus.
Dr. Reabe explains that Inpatient Psychiatry is for people who are ill with acute safety issues, such as suicidality or severe depression and need a higher level of psychiatric care.
Outpatient Psychiatry is for people who need medication treatment or psychotherapy but are stable enough to live at home.
“In outpatient care, I’ve gotten to have long-term relationships with my patients,” said Dr. Reabe. “For some patients I have seen them every 3 to 6 months for the past 14 years. I know their life story and now the rest of their life story. I get to see people get better, get married, have children, grow old with their spouse, go back to work. I enjoy the continuity of care with the patient.”
Dr. Reabe is board certified through the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She sees patients ages 18 and up at Prairie Ridge Health in Columbus. Each patient completes a thorough intake questionnaire over the phone before scheduling an appointment. The information is reviewed to determine if treatment is needed. From there, an in-person intake visit is scheduled. “During this 45-minute visit we go over medical history, social history, and complete a comprehensive evaluation,” said Dr. Reabe.
On the second visit, a treatment plan is determined. Patients are seen once a month to start, then every three to six months.
Dr. Reabe is one of two psychiatrists at Prairie Ridge Health. Sean Ackerman, MD, is a psychiatrist who sees youth ages 5 to 22.
“It’s unique to have a small town that has two psychiatrists,” said Dr. Reabe. “It’s a blessing for Columbus to have two psychiatrists who are ready to take care of the community.”
In her free time, Dr. Reabe enjoys exercising (she was a yoga instructor for five years), travel, the outdoors, water sports, and spending time with her family.
For more information about Dr. Reabe visit her online profile, to schedule an appointment with Dr. Reabe call 920-623-2200.
