Chicago Heights Vet Center
We can connect you to services to help with substance use. We can also provide free services to address the underlying issues.
We refer Veterans and service members to our local VA facilities and to community partners for detox, treatment, and medication management.
Some of our partners include:
We strongly encourage spouses, significant others, and families to be involved in the Veteran's and service member's healing process. This can provide an opportunity for your family members to learn more about your needs and ways to best support you during your treatment.
We value community partnerships, and we're intentional about engaging with our local communities regularly.
Some of our established partners include:
- National Guard and Reserve units
- State universities and community colleges
- Veteran Service Organizations
- Illinois Department of Veteran Affairs
- Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network
- Illinois Joining Forces
We offer counseling and other support such as:
- Bereavement counseling for families with a loved one who died during active duty
- Grief counseling
We offer individual and group counseling. Our specialty groups include:
- Vietnam Combat Veterans
- OEF/OIF groups
- Combat Veterans (era integrated)
- Women Veterans
Our counselors are trained and experienced with providing counseling for military sexual trauma (MST).
- We have male and female counselors available for individual counseling
- We strive to create a harassment-free and all-inclusive environment
- We offer group counseling sessions for those who have experienced MST
- We can also facilitate enrollment and treatment in VA health care for any physical injuries related to your MST
The MST experience doesn’t have to be reported.
If you're feeling on edge and on guard, having trouble with sleep or mood, or just feeling unlike yourself following a major event or critical incident, we can help. We'll teach you tools to manage these problems and get back on track. Asking for help takes courage and we provide the private, comfortable setting with expert counselors to help you take that next step.
Learn more about your treatment options
We commonly address the following concerns:
- Anxiety and stress reactions
- Depression and lack of motivation
- Sleep difficulties, including sleep problems caused by shift work
- Anger, aggressive behavior, and reckless behaviors
- Difficulties adjusting to civilian life following a deployment or activation
Here are some of the evidence-based treatments we offer:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Group Therapy
- Narrative Therapy
- Solution Focused Therapy
We recognize that completing military service can come with a variety of new challenges. Navigating the VA system and other benefits alone can be overwhelming. We can provide assistance getting connected to the appropriate resources for:
- Enrollment in VA health care benefits
- Filing a military-related disability claim
- Finding employment opportunities
- Using VA education benefits
- Using your VA home loan
- Connecting to state benefits and services
We understand that searching through a variety of Veteran resources can be challenging. Let us help you navigate these resources. We can refer, connect, and explain how to gather information on your VA benefits. We can connect you with VA benefits and local Veteran agencies, such as:
- Access your VA medical benefits and enroll in VA health care
- Benefits VA offers to Post-9/11 Veterans
- Veterans service records
- Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (ILDVA)
We can connect you with your local Veterans Service Office (VSO). They can also assist you with the following:
- General VA benefits consultation
- Disability pension survivor/dependency indemnity claims (DIC)
- Appeals
- Military service records requests
- Correction applications
- Discharge status upgrade
- Burial/funeral reimbursements
- Education
- Flag requests
- Referrals
Busy schedule? We get it. We have easy-to-use telehealth platforms that allow us to provide you with the same high-quality services virtually. Please let your assigned counselor know, and we'll accommodate you to the best of our ability. All you need is a smartphone (or similar device), internet connection, and a private location.
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.