Hidden Gems: Meet Judith Gray of Inner Balance Psychiatry

Today we’d like to introduce you to Judith Gray.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I fell in love with psychiatry during my clinical rotations in nursing school. While we rotated through many specialties such as labor and delivery, NICU, intensive care, geriatrics, and others, psychiatry was the area where I felt the strongest connection. Part of that came from having an instructor at Kent State University who was deeply passionate about the field, but even beyond that, I found myself genuinely looking forward to those clinical days. I enjoyed talking with patients, understanding their stories, and being part of their care in a way that felt meaningful and natural to me. Unlike some other rotations, it never felt draining or boring; it felt like the right fit from the beginning.

After nursing school, I started my psychiatric career in inpatient psychiatry at Summa Health in Akron, where I gained strong experience working with acute psychiatric conditions. Later, I transitioned into outpatient psychiatry at University Hospitals, which allowed me to continue building my clinical skills while seeing the long-term impact of psychiatric treatment and follow-up care.

After earning my master’s degree in psychiatric nursing and years of clinical experience, I felt ready to create something of my own that reflected the kind of care I believe in. In August of last year, I launched my private practice, Inner Balance Psychiatry, with the goal of providing accessible, thoughtful psychiatric care in a setting where patients feel heard, respected, and supported. It has been a meaningful journey, from discovering psychiatry as a student to now building a practice that reflects my passion for mental health care.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One of the biggest challenges has been learning everything that comes with running a business beyond providing care, especially understanding business requirements, taxes, accounting, and all the administrative responsibilities that are not typically part of clinical training. Our strength is in delivering quality psychiatric services, so navigating the business side required a steep learning curve. Thankfully, we connected with Evan Badzik, an experienced accountant who works with many businesses similar to ours, and his guidance has been incredibly valuable.

Time management has also been a major challenge with building a practice while actively seeing patients requires constant balance. At the same time that I was providing services, I also had to develop systems behind the scenes, such as creating the onboarding process, networking with therapists and referral partners, and improving the website to make the patient experience smoother from the very first contact.

My husband’s background in computer science has been a tremendous support throughout this process. Although he works full time, he often sacrifices his evenings after 6 pm. to help with the website and many of the technical logistics that were essential in getting the practice running efficiently.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Inner Balance Psychiatry is a private psychiatric practice focused on providing psychiatric evaluations and medication management for adults in a way that feels accessible, thoughtful, and personalized. We offer both in-person care and telehealth services, which allows us to meet patients where they are and make mental health care easier to access. Our goal is to create an environment where patients feel heard, respected, and involved in their treatment rather than feeling rushed through an appointment.

We are known for taking time to look carefully at the full picture, whether someone is dealing with anxiety, depression, mood disorders, trauma, attention concerns, or other psychiatric symptoms. One area that often stands out in our practice is that we value thorough assessment before treatment decisions are made, especially in cases where symptoms may overlap across diagnoses.

What sets Inner Balance Psychiatry apart is the balance between clinical professionalism and personal connection. We believe psychiatric care should be both evidence-based and compassionate. Patients often tell us they appreciate feeling genuinely listened to and not judged.

Brand-wise, I am most proud of building something that reflects both quality care and trust. From the patient onboarding experience to our communication style and referral relationships with therapists and other providers, every part of the practice has been built intentionally to make care feel smooth and respectful. I want readers to know that Inner Balance Psychiatry was created with the belief that mental health treatment should feel collaborative, clear, and centered around the patient’s long-term wellbeing.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Meeting with therapists and primary care offices in the area has been very helpful in building referral relationships and expanding my professional network. It has allowed me to create meaningful connections within the community and establish trusted referral sources for patients.

As far as mentorship, my experience has been that I gained mentors from the different places where I have worked over the years, especially since about 90 percent of my healthcare experience has been in psychiatry. I learned to recognize each person’s strengths and to know who to reach out to depending on the specific clinical or professional situation. For that reason, I value having multiple mentors, because no one person is strong in every area, and different perspectives have been important in my growth.

Pricing:

• Self pay visit is $225
• Self pay Follow up Visit is $150
• We also take Commercial/private insurance
• We also take Medicare and Medicaid

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.innerbalancepsychiatry.net/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innerbalancepsychiatryohio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1TErsE6a9E/