Lincoln Vet Center
We provide support for substance use. We can help connect you to specific treatment with partnerships through VA Medical Centers in Lincoln, Omaha, and Grand Island.
Other options in the community include, but are not limited to:
We have 2 counselors each with years of experience working with couples, during and after military service. All of our counselors regularly provide education to clients and family members regarding military-related issues or post-military readjustment.
In addition, counselors commonly implement concepts from the following therapeutic modalities:
- Family systems
- Gottman Method
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
We engage with various Lincoln and greater Nebraska events and organizations to better serve and refer Veterans and service members. Some of our partners are:
- State and County Veteran Service Offices
- Local VA CBOC
- National Guard and Reserve units
- Military-based organizations at local universities and colleges, such as UN-L Military & Veteran Success Center
- Veteran Treatment Court
Look for the Mobile Vet Center in your community, or give us a call to see where we may be next.
We offer bereavement counseling to to family members of service members who died while serving on active duty or to family members of Veterans who were receiving services at the time of their death.
We can also provide information on community resources for additional grief or loss support, such as Mourning Hope.
Our counselors provide individual counseling for a variety of needs.
We also offer multiple groups for Veterans across various eras of service and experiences. Group therapy offers connection and support from others who may have similar challenges. Call us to learn about available groups.
Our current groups include:
- Vietnam
- Combat Veterans
- Post-9/11
- Women
- First Responders
- Posttraumatic Stress Education and Coping Skills
Our counselors are sensitive to the needs of those who have experienced sexual trauma during military service. We have both male and female counselors available with years of direct care experience with MST (Military Sexual Trauma) clients and/or regular consultation with experienced MST counselors.
All counselors have attended and continue to participate in various trainings to learn about providing services to those who have experienced MST.
Our counselors all have specialized training and experience providing trauma-informed and trauma-focused care. We may use the following treatment approaches, among others, through individual, family, or group counseling:
- Education and coping skills development
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
We recognize that there’s a learning curve as you move from military service to civilian life. We’re here to help reduce barriers and provide guidance through this transition.
- Family or couples counseling to address changing roles and responsibilities at home
- Individual counseling to integrate military and civilian experiences
- VA benefits and claim information
- VA medical care
- Education and employment benefits and assistance
Our counselors will work with you to develop plans for safety, reduce symptoms, and make any needed adjustments in care. This may include making additional referrals. We’re here to help you get to the right place and to feel better overall.
We can connect you with various Veteran and service member resources in the community, such as these:
- VA benefits and claim information
- VA medical care
- Education and employment benefits and assistance
- Housing assistance
We offer recreational groups for you to connect with others in a relaxed, peer-focused environment, such as these:
- Strum (guitar at all levels)
- Biking (seasonal)
- Walking for Wellness (seasonal)
We can also offer referrals to VA Whole Health.
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.