About Us
Who We Are
Johnnie McNeil is the founder of The Listening Ear Counseling and Mediation Services serving Nashville, Tennessee, and surrounding counties. She became a Certified Temperament Counselor in 2012 and a Licensed Pastoral Counselor in 2013 with The National Christian Counselors Association in Sarasota, Florida. She is a Listed Rule 31 Family/General Civil Mediator, Adult, and Juvenile Victim Offender Mediator.
In 2015 she served as the Director, teacher, and Counselor for the Aphesis House Male Excel Program for Ex-Offenders. She was very instrumental in helping many of the men who attended her classes to believe in themselves, change their way of thinking, and move on to become productive citizens.
Since 2016, she has offered her services as a volunteer counselor for her church and a mediator for Nashville Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC) to mediate court-ordered cases.
Johnnie earned her B.S. degree in Political Science with an emphasis in Pre-law from Tennessee State University. She has worked with the public for 30-plus years as a realtor where she counseled her clients and mediated/facilitated contracts between her buyers and sellers. Because of her desire to see people healed, delivered, and set free from negative thought patterns, and conflicts from misunderstanding, she furthered her education in counseling where she focused on Temperament Counseling which helps individuals to get to know themselves and understand others better.
Johnnie strongly believes that in order to change your life, you have to change the way you think and that is based on the Word of God. Her training and experience with the public have prepared her to be the kind of counselor and mediator that is needed for such a time as this.
Motivating people and helping them to overcome their negative thought patterns is a passion of hers because she believes life is beautiful and it depends a lot on your mindset.
She enjoys picnicking, walking in the park, going to symphony concerts, and theatrical plays, traveling, and spending time with her family, especially her granddaughter who keeps her laughing. Johnnie wants you to know you can find joy, peace, love, and happiness too, but it begins in your mind.
Johnnie As A Speaker
Johnnie โPearlโ McNeil, who is affectionately called, Pearl, is a speaker who loves to engage the audience with thought-provoking questions that motivate change in the lives of those who are reluctant to be themselves for fear of rejection, abuse, or physical hurt.
She is very aware of why people hide behind a mask of smiles, laughter, and humor as their cries go unheard and unnoticed. Recognizing much of the pain people deal with presently is an accumulation of unresolved traumatic things that have happened in the past that cause added stress, low self-esteem, and mental anguish in the present.
Ms. McNeilโs desire is to help people live their best lives free of mental stress and anxiety by changing how they view themselves and developing a positive attitude. She has participated in several speaking presentations- live and virtually- namely on such topics as The Unheard Cries of the Hurting, Why We Do What We Do, and How to Stop Overthinking
Ms. Pearl has served as Coordinator of COP Life Enhancement Services for seven years and as a Volunteer Mediator with NCRC since 2013. She loves what she does! And subsequently became the Founder of The Listening Ear Counseling and Mediation Services in 2021.
She is a licensed Pastoral Counselor, a Certified Temperament Counselor, and a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 Mediator who resolves matters pending before the court.
Dr. Polly Yarbrough
Dr. Yarbrough, affectionately called by her first name, โPolly,โ is a Born-Again Christian who loves God, loves people, and loves what she does. She is a loving wife of over 30 years, a mother of three beautiful and successful children, and a loving grand of six wonderful grandchildren.
She is a counselor who is well-respected in the counseling field in Nashville, TN where she resides and worked in the mental health field for over ten years at Cumberland Heights Substance Abuse Treatment Center after retiring from United Methodist Publishing House as one of their top Human Resource representatives.
Dr. Yarbrough is a graduate with a B.A. Degree from Tennessee State University and earned her masterโs in professional counseling and her Doctorate in Biblical Counseling from Covington Theological Seminary. She is also a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor and a Licensed Pastoral Counselor.
Although she has retired from her last job at Cumberland Heights, she is still a very active member of The Listening Ear Counseling and Mediation Services Team where she participates in presentations to help people understand themselves and how to overcome the battles of their minds from depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, suicidal ideation, and substance abuse, and she is willing to help you too.
Eld. Curtis Long
Mr. Long is well known by his ordained title, Elder Curtis Long. He is a person who is very serious about ministry and the people he counsels. He has a heart of gold and is a very loving husband of over 40 years and a loving father of 1 son.
He is a graduate of Tennessee State University with a B.S. in Government and Public Affairs and some Post Graduate Work in Guidance and Counselling. He was Director of the Department of Education at his local church and was a participant in the Outreach Ministry as well.
Mr. Long was a counselor and correctional officer with the Tennessee Department of Correction for Juvenile and Adult Offenders and was known for his positive influence on those he counseled. He was inspirational in helping many offenders realize that the quality of life was determined by the choices they made. His teaching and encouragement helped many juveniles and adult offenders to understand they could determine how their lives would be by their choices.
Eld. Long is currently a part of The Listening Ear Counseling and Mediation Services where he brings a wealth of knowledge, wisdom, and healing to many people who are hurting mentally, physically, and spiritually. He has changed the lives of many people through the wisdom he imparts, and he believes he can help you change your life for the better too.
