Lakeland Vet Center
Symptoms of PTSD, such as feeling on edge, having trouble with sleep, or losing motivation, may be getting you off track. We can provide the tools to manage these problems. Call us to learn how we can help.
Learn more about PTSD and treatments
We offer evidence-based practices and specialty care such as these therapies:
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Prolonged Exposure (PE)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Adaptive Disclosure
- Whole health activities such as mindfulness and yoga
- Seeking Safety
We know being a parent can be difficult. We provide gender-specific support groups to discuss the challenges of parenting and learning new parenting skills.
We offer individual and group therapy to women Veterans. We can connect you with a group that may include mentorship, creative arts, or community reading. We work closely with the Women Veterans Program Manager at our local VA to help you get the specific care you need.
We support Gold Star families. We offer grief and bereavement counseling if your service member died while serving on active duty and to family members of Veterans who were receiving services at the time of their death.
Read more about Gold Star families
We can help get you connected to the Veterans Benefits Administration and National Cemetery Administration and navigate burial and survivor benefits using the Planning Your Legacy Toolkit.
Go to VA's toolkit for burial benefits and pre-need planning information (PDF)
We offer unique individual and group therapies to support your needs.
We have group therapies such as these:
- Readjustment group
- Mindfulness drop-in group
- Era-specific groups such as Vietnam and Global War on Terror
- Community reading groups
- Whole health
- Women Veteran groups
- Parenting and relationship support groups
- Seeking Safety
We offer evidence-based therapies such as these:
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Internal Family Systems (IFS)
- Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
- Prolonged Exposure (PE)
Our counselors use a trauma-informed care approach to provide therapy and supportive services to those who have experienced military sexual trauma (MST).
We have groups for MST survivors to focus on processing trauma and receiving support from other MST survivors. Please call if you're interested in joining a group.
We proudly celebrate diversity among those we serve and can connect you with bilingual services for individual or group counseling with us.
We proudly celebrate diversity among those we serve. We work closely with the LGBTQ+ Veteran care coordinator at our local VA and can make direct referrals.
We have counselors trained to provide support to you or someone you know experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV), often called domestic violence.
If you're feeling unsafe and need additional support, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
We're here to welcome you home. We provide a community where you can connect with other Veterans and service members.
Whether you're returning from deployment or leaving the military, we can help you connect with the right people for these kinds of tasks:
- Getting connected with local Veteran Services
- Applying for VA health care
- Reviewing VA benefits
- Employment and training opportunities
Give us a call, we’ve got your six!
You can also text the Veterans Crisis Line at 838255 or visit the site for confidential chat.
Find help at the Veterans Crisis Line
Our primary focus is your safety. If you feel hopeless, suicidal, or in need of crisis care, just let your counselor know. Together, we can work to help you stay safe and improve your world.
We can help you with the following:
- Understanding VA medical benefits and documents needed for enrollment
- Finding a VSO to file claims and other benefits paperwork
- Connecting with representatives for VA education benefits
- Learning more about VA and state burial benefits
- Learning more about housing and VA home loans
We can also connect you to local Veterans Services Organizations.
We work with the Substance Use Disorder Program at James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa. This program is located at 10770 North 46th Street.
If you're looking for substance abuse programs or clinics please call 813-631-7100 or 813-972-2000 and wait for the automated response to choose the correct department.
To complement our counseling services, we partner with entities, such as these:
- Local first responders
- The American Legion The American Legion is a Veterans service organization aimed at advocating patriotism across the U.S. through diverse programs and member benefits. They're located at 1375 Ariana Street in Lakeland, Florida. You can contact them at 863-683-8710.
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.