Michael Witkovsky, MD, MS

Psychiatrist

 

I am a psychiatrist certified in general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry. Over the past three years, I have been developing a specialty in working with persons with addiction issues. My education was at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.  My residency training was at University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics. I have been practicing in Dane and surrounding counties for the past 15 years.

My interest in psychiatry is long standing; I remember listing it as a job preference as early as high school. My goals are to not only treat diseases, but also to prevent them from happening or worsening. This fostered my interest in child psychiatry where I felt that I could make the most difference in the life of a person, their family and their community. This perspective has motivated me in my work with adults by recognizing that if it takes a village to raise a child, then the grown-ups and their institutions need to be in good health, too. I have come to see psychiatry as not just the relief of symptoms, but also a path to understanding the entire person and the context of their lives; the story of how they became the person they are and how to move forward when stuck or ill.

The context of my life is living in Middleton with my family of 4 children and a variable number of pets. Although I grew up on the south side of Chicago, I spent every summer of my youth in the Lake Delton area. I continue to feel an affinity for this area whether it is exploring the outdoors, having season tickets for Badger hockey, or learning to cook with local foodstuffs. I am honored to give back to this community which was a major part of my growing up.