Erie Vet Center
Erie Vet Center has a licensed social worker onsite to offer family and couples counseling.
Erie Vet Center offers bereavement counseling in an individual setting by a trained bereavement counselor.
Erie Vet Center offers individual counseling by counselors with specific training related to military sexual trauma care.
Erie Vet Center offers individual and group counseling.
We also offer evidence based therapies such as
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Internal Family Systems (IFS)
We understand that the transition from military to civilian life can be a challenge. We offer a variety of ways to assist you in that process such as:
- How to get VA medical benefits and register for care
- Where to go to file claims and other forms
- Understanding your VA education benefits
- Housing and home loans
- Education and referral for VA burial benefits
The Erie Vet Center can also connect you to Veterans Service Organizations in your community.
The Erie Vet Center offers therapeutic activities such as
- Mindfulness
- Guitar therapy
We have women's groups working with our women Veterans. We also work closely with the Erie VA women's coordinator for support.
Community support can be visited at Mercy Center for Women
We also provide referral to VA and local community counseling resources. Drugs and Alcohol services are located close by.
We work closely with the Erie VA homeless team.
Food pantry needs can be found at Second Harvest Food Bank.
If you’re returning from military service, we’ll help you transition to civilian life. We can connect you with educational and career counseling, mental health services, and other programs and benefits that will support your transition.
Erie Vet Center supports local Veterans through partnerships with local universities, businesses, military installations, and National Guard Armories. We also provide referrals to Veteran Service Organizations in the community.
The Erie Vet Center offers individual and group counseling.
Specialty care includes
- A variety of specialty groups to include Women's Groups, War Zone Groups, Music Groups
Evidence-based therapies
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT
- Music Therapy
- Evidence based therapies such as: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Internal Family Systems (IFS)
We continue to refine telehealth programs and support.
We can refer you to a local Vocational rehabilitation and employment specialist. We work closely with the Northwest Pennsylvania Career Link.
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.