Melbourne Vet Center
We work closely with and provide referrals to our local VA Medical Center substance use programs.
We have a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) on our team to support you and your family. Our LMFT specializes in the Gottman Method.
Learn more on the Gottman Method
We understand the benefits of including family members in treatment. We’re honored to be able to support the Veteran’s and service member’s readjustment with these additional services.
If you or your organization would like to learn about military culture or how to support the Veteran and service member community, we can provide individual or education briefings. Give us a call for more information.
We work closely with the following community partners:
We provide a caring, supportive place to process loss. We offer services like these at no cost:
- Bereavement counseling for families who have lost a loved one while they were serving on active duty
- Grief counseling
- Contact information to the Veteran Benefits Administration and National Cemetery Administration regarding possible burial and survival benefits.
We offer individual, group, family, and couples counseling for a variety of mental health concerns.
Our services include one-on-one hour-long counseling sessions tailored for the Veteran or service member's needs. We also offer various group counseling options like these:
- Persian Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan Veterans
- Vietnam Veterans
- Spouses and significant others
Evidence-based practices are available, including, but not limited to these:
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
- Motivational Interviewing (MI)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Interpersonal Therapy
- Whole Health
We are also able to connect you with local resources for additional support (as needed) to help with your readjustment goals.
We have male and female counselors available to provide individual counseling. We can incorporate trauma-focused evidence-based therapies.
We offer individual and group counseling and can provide several trauma-focused evidence-based therapies, including these:
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Conjoined Therapy for PTSD (CBCT)
We know that completing military service can come with a variety of new challenges. Navigating the VA system and other benefits can be overwhelming. We can provide education and connections for these challenges:
- Enrollment in VA health care benefits
- Filing a military-related disability claim
- Connection to employment opportunities
- Housing and home loans
- Connecting to state benefits and services
Your safety is our priority. If you feel hopeless, suicidal, or in need of crisis care, just let your counselor know so you can work together to help you feel safer and more optimistic about your future. We also collaborate with Suicide Prevention Coalitions in multiple counties and refer to the local VA Medical Center.
We offer peer-led activities and partner with several organizations. We also provide information on how to register or enroll in various Veteran benefits, such as these:
- How to get VA medical benefits and register for care
- Where to go to file VA claims and other forms for disability
- How to access or connect with your VA educational benefits
We can also connect you with the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and other services that can help with the transition from military to civilian life.
If you have any difficulty getting to one of our locations, please call to discuss video and phone options.
We also provide a creative arts group for women on Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. If you’re interested in joining, give us a call.
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.