Lancaster Vet Center
We work closely with the Lebanon and Coatesville VA Medical Centers to provide referral to their inpatient and outpatient substance use programs.
We also provide education for family members and loved ones, highlighting common challenges within the Veteran community, and how they can be supportive of their Veteran or service member’s readjustment to civilian life.
If you or your organization would like to learn about working with Veterans and military culture and how you can help support the Veteran community, we can provide individual or education briefings. Give us a call for more information.
If you’re a Gold Star family member, we’re here for you, no matter how distant or recent your loss.
We respond to referrals from the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) to provide support to family members affected by the loss of a service member. Learn more about the mission of TAPS
We offer both individual and group counseling and commonly address these concerns:
- Anxiety or stress reactions, like PTSD
- Depression or lack of motivation
- Grief
- Sleep difficulties
- Anger or aggressive behavior
- Impulsivity and risk-taking behaviors
- Addictions
- Difficulties adjusting to civilian life after a military trauma
The group we currently offer is:
- Readjustment support group
Some of the evidence-based treatments our providers offer are:
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Motivational Interviewing (MI)
- Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
We have both male and female counselors who are equipped to facilitate your healing journey after experiencing a military sexual trauma.
If you’re feeling on edge and on guard, having trouble with sleep, motivation, or mood, or just feeling unlike yourself following a major event or critical incident, we can 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.
Transitioning after your military service can come with a variety of challenges, and we’re here to help. Navigating the VA system and other benefits alone can be overwhelming. We can point you toward helpful resources in your area. The following county-based offices can provide you with benefits assistance, and they have certified Veterans Service Officers to help guide you through the process:
The following county-based offices can provide you with benefits assistance, and they have certified Veterans Service Officers to help guide you through the process:
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.