Psychiatrist Osteopathic Physician Mother Wife World Traveler Art Enthusiast Crafter Food Aficionado Highschool Dropout Lover of Roller Coasters Lego Enthusiast

Hi, I’m Dr. Joanna Gratton and I’m not your typical psychiatrist.

I didn’t exactly have the traditional path into medicine, but I did know I wanted to be a doctor from when I was 5 years old. My best friend’s Dad was a neurosurgeon and I thought that was the coolest job in the world. My Mom, who is a nurse practitioner, supported my passion by enrolling me in anatomy classes and buying me random dead things from the butcher, such as cow brains, to dissect. I lost my way during Middle school and high school, struggling with societal expectations, and preferred staying home and reading books of my choice. That lead to being given a choice - either repeat my senior year or drop out. I dropped out. Yup, I am a high school drop out, but my journey was only just begining.

Before I left high school, I completed a 30 day Outward Bound course in the Rocky Mountains. Carrying a ridiculously heavy backpack up and down mountains day after day changed something in me. Determination, resilience and confidence took root and ultimately changed who I am as a person.

The Evergreen State College took me in and raised me up into adulthood. Professors, mentors and friends helped cultivate my love of medicine and I once again knew my path was to become a physician. I am proud to be a member of the inaugural class at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, where I learned about Osteopathic tradition, philosophy and treatment. My initial plan was to become a family doctor - essentially James Harriott, but for people. My first internship after medical school was Family Medicine in Portland, Maine. Towards the end of my internship I suddenly felt I wasn’t following the right path. I remembered my psychiatry rotation in medical school and realized it was the only time I could engage with my patients on a deeper level and be able to focus on all the intricracies of their physical, emothional and spiritual needs.

I switched my specialty to Psychiatry and have never looked back. I only had to walk down the street to start my next chapter at Maine Medical Center for residency. My career has been exciting and varied, from intensive outpatient to inpatient to heading up a state hospital. Once I turned fifty, I knew I wanted to rest of my career to be a cumulation of everything I have learned . I needed to shed the last vestiges of my desire to fit into somebody else’s box and that included embracing my natural hair. Stillpoint Psychiatry encompasses my love of people, the universe and psychiatry. I hope you’ll join me so we can find your unique path.

The Corkscrew - The actual first roller coaster I rode at Cedar Point, age 10