Commander Mary Vieten, a board certified clinical psychologist, served on active duty from 1998 – 2008, with tours at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Roosevelt Roads (Puerto Rico), and Naval Air Station Patuxent River. In 2008 CDR Vieten transferred to the Select Reserve, where she has held several positions, including the Officer-in-Charge of the Headquarters Detachment, and Regional Detachment Director for New England, Expeditionary Medical Facility, In 2014, she was recalled to active duty and assigned to the staff of the Navy Chief of Chaplains where she trained over 1000 military chaplains worldwide in pastoral response to operational and military sexual trauma.
She has completed two deployments in support of OIF/OEF. Dr. Vieten is the Executive Director of Warfighter ADVANCE, which provides intense training programs, such as The ADVANCE 7-Day, for active duty and veteran warfighters with operational stress and reintegration issues. ADVANCE is a non-medical 7-day training program that uses a variety of means to change the trajectory of the warfighter’s (active duty or veteran) post-deployment life, so that rather than an existence characterized by an endless cycle of mental illness diagnoses, medications, medical appointments and disappointments, the warfighter has a life characterized by pride, productivity, healthy relationships, continued service, and advocacy for the same outcomes for their fellow service members. Her civilian practice, Operational Psychology Solutions, serves clients who are military, paramilitary (e.g., police, EMS, contractors), veterans, and civilians who work or have worked in high-risk operational environments. Sheactively encourages her clients to pursue trauma recovery and resilience outside of the medical model, and proactively educates them on the dangers of psychopharmacology. Dr. Vieten serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the International Society for Ethical Psychology & Psychiatry, and on the Board of Directors for Operation Grateful Nation (Massena, NY).
