Aurora Vet Center
Our counselors will assess substance use. We make referrals to the VA Medical Center or local community providers when a higher level of care is needed.
We use harm reduction techniques to help you maintain sobriety or decrease substance use.
Our counselors are trained in a variety of evidence-based family therapies, including these:
- Gottman Family Therapy
- Warrior to Soulmate Curriculum
We offer a spousal support group to provide education about readjustment counseling and concerns of Veterans adjusting to civilian life. This group supports and encourages spouses in their role as a caretaker or family member of our Veteran clients.
Veterans must be engaged in services with us for spouses to participate in the spousal support group.
We're connected to the wider community—both VA and other organizations.
We host open houses so community members, Veterans, service members, and their families can meet our staff and connect with services.
If you'd like to learn more about working with us, please call us.
There are all kinds of losses in life, in addition to the death of a loved one. We're also here to support you through difficult life transitions, including:
- Changes in jobs or education
- Divorce
- Coping with issues related to changes in mobility or aging
- At times even retirement can provide a person with difficulty
Our counselors are trained in several different areas, including these:
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Depression
- Anger Management Techniques
- iRest© Meditation
We offer a virtual Cognitive Writing Group monthly.
We're also currently developing a Dialectical Behavior Therapy Group. There's more to come in the next month! Call for information.
We meet survivors of MST where they're at. Not only do we offer evidence-based treatments for trauma—such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)—but we'll also work with you on boundary setting, internal resource development, and self-care as a start to the more intensive trauma therapies.
We'll set goals for treatment, but we'll do this at your pace and with your collaboration.
People of all genders experience military sexual trauma. We have both male and female therapists available if you have a preference.
Talk with your counselor about the right approach for you.
We offer individual, group, and family/couple therapy.
Our counselors are trained in a variety of evidence-based practices, including these:
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Several counselors are trained in mindfulness and meditation practices specific to Veterans and service members.
We offer several wellness-based activities to improve mind-body awareness, including these:
- Tai chi
- Hiking
- Cognitive writing
Transitioning out of the military can be potentially exciting or maybe stressful. We can help with this transition.
We can also connect you with state and federal benefits related to education and career counseling.
We're connected to the wider VA community.
There are county, state, and federal resources available. We can provide contact information to link you with these resources.
If you give permission, your Vet Center counselor can coordinate care with your VAMC providers.
How we're different than a clinic (FAQs)
How we’re different than a clinic
What are Vet Centers?
Vet Centers are small, non-medical, counseling centers conveniently located in your community. They’re staffed by highly trained counselors and team members dedicated to seeing you through the challenges that come with managing life during and after the military.
Whether you come in for one-on-one counseling or to participate in a group session, at Vet Centers you can form social connections, try new things, and build a support system with people who understand you and want to help you succeed.
Who is eligible to receive services at Vet Centers?
Vet Center services are available to you at no cost, regardless of discharge character, and without you needing to be enrolled in VA health care or having a service-connected disability. If you’re a Veteran or service member, including members of the National Guard and Reserve, you can access our services if you:
- Served on active military duty in any combat theater or area of hostility
- Experienced military sexual trauma (regardless of gender or service era)
- Provided mortuary services or direct emergent medical care to treat the casualties of war while serving on active military duty
- Performed as a member of an unmanned aerial vehicle crew that provided direct support to operations in a combat theater or area of hostility
- Accessed care at a Vet Center prior to January 2, 2013, as a Vietnam-Era Veteran
- Served on active military duty in response to a national emergency or major disaster declared by the president, or under orders of the governor or chief executive of a state in response to a disaster or civil disorder in that state.
- Are a current or former member of the Coast Guard who participated in a drug interdiction operation, regardless of the location.
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Are a current member of the Reserve Components assigned to a military command in a drilling status, including active Reserves, who has a behavioral health condition or psychological trauma related to military service that adversely effects quality of life or adjustment to civilian life.
We encourage you to contact us, even if you’re unsure if you meet these criteria. If we can’t help you, we’ll find someone who will.
Our services are also available to family members when their participation would support the growth and goals of the Veteran or active-duty service member. If you consider them family, so do we. We also offer bereavement services to family members of Veterans who were receiving Vet Center services at the time of the Veteran’s death, and to the families of service members who died while serving on active duty.
Do I have to be enrolled in VA health care to access Vet Center services?
No. You don’t have to be enrolled in VA health care or have a service-connected disability.
What about my privacy?
Safe and confidential. Our records can’t be accessed by other VA offices, the DoD, military units, or other community networks and providers without your permission or unless required to avert a life-threatening situation. Here, you can be as open as you want—there’s absolutely no judgment.