Photo By Lt.Cmdr. Alicia Sacks | 250115-N-FT324-2288. GUANTANAMO, Cuba (Jan. 15, 2025). Lt. Cmdr. Mikaela Pitcan,...... read more read more
ROTA, Spain (June 19, 2025) – As the U.S. Navy marks its 250th year of global maritime service, its commitment to warfighter readiness remains unwavering and for Lt. Cmdr. Mikaela Pitcan, that mission is both professional and personal.
Pitcan, a native of Oviedo, Fla., is currently stationed at Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Rota, Spain, where she serves as a clinical psychologist supporting the mental health needs of forward-deployed Navy personnel and their families. But her impact extends far beyond the Iberian Peninsula.
Mental resilience is key to deployability—strengthening a warfighter’s ability to perform, recover, and stay mission-ready in any environment.
Most recently, Pitcan completed a nine-month deployment to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as a high-priority augment in support of Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO). While deployed, she served as the sole psychologist and trusted mental health advisor to more than 1,500 Joint Task Force (JTF) warfighters across nine tenant commands.
“This deployment underscored how critical mental readiness is in high-operational tempo environments,” Pitcan said. “Whether it’s deployment stress, isolation, or mission fatigue, ensuring our warfighters are psychologically resilient is key to maintaining mission success.”
As the only clinical psychologist on the ground, Pitcan provided 24/7 support to leadership and warfighters alike, advising on complex issues such as alcohol misuse, suicidal ideation, disordered eating, and other conduct concerns. She led a team of behavioral health technicians and launched more than 30 outreach and stress mitigation events, reaching over 6,000 service members.
Pitcan attributes some of her early understanding of resilience to her time in high school performing arts. “When I played piano for theater throughout high school, I learned that no matter what happens backstage, the show goes on,” she said. “It’s a mindset that has stayed with me and one that I try to instill in the people I support.”
Her path to Navy service began through a psychology internship at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Encouraged by her father, a Navy medicine veteran, Pitcan pursued a career where she could provide care to populations in critical need of mental health support.
“Every patient I see is an operator, a parent, a leader; someone trying to perform under pressure,” Pitcan said. “Our job in Navy medicine is to make sure they’re not just physically ready, but mentally prepared for what comes next.”
NMRTC Rota serves as a force multiplier in Navy Medicine’s strategic global medical support mission throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East while also supporting operational readiness and maintaining a strategic repository of expertise at the Naval Hospital Rota Military Training Facility within the Iberian Peninsula.
Navy Medicine is represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals – provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea, and ashore.
| Date Taken: | 06.19.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.19.2025 13:41 |
| Story ID: | 501080 |
| Location: | ROTA, ES |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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