Chattanooga Vet Center
We offer confidential help for Veterans, service members, and their families at no cost in a non-medical setting. Our services include counseling for needs such as depression, PTSD, military sexual trauma (MST), and grief counseling. We can also connect you with more support in VA and your community.
Our commitment
- We offer a range of services, from talk therapy to recreational activities. Our team will work with you to identify your goals and make a plan to meet them. We'll help you and your family build meaningful connections to improve your quality of life.
- Our counseling is confidential. We won’t share any information about you or the services you receive without your permission—except in a life-threatening situation. Our records can't be accessed by other VA offices, the Defense Department, military units, or community providers.
- We encourage you to contact us, even if you're not sure you're eligible. We'll find a way to connect you with the help you need.
Locations and contact information
Main Location
Direct line
Hours
- Mon. 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Tue. 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Wed. 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Thu. 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Fri. 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Sat. Closed
- Sun. Closed
Other locations
Vet Centers are community based to be more accessible in areas where you live.
We also have non-traditional hours that change periodically given our community’s needs. Please call us to find out more.
Need help after hours?
Our call center is available 24/7. Call us anytime at 877-927-8387.
Prepare for your visit
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First-time visitor? Stop by during our office hours or give us a call and let’s discuss how we can help. Call 423-855-6570 to schedule an appointment with one of our counselors.
We understand that this may be a new experience for you. Here’s what you can expect on your first visit:
- You’ll be asked to complete an intake packet, which includes Vet Center confidentiality, demographic information, release of information (optional), and assessments as appropriate.
- You’ll be evaluated to ensure that you and those around you are safe.
- You and your counselor will begin to establish and develop a treatment plan that is appropriate to your needs.
- Follow-up appointments will be scheduled as appropriate as determined by your counselor.
We’re located at the cul-de-sac at the end of Premier Drive across the street from the Social Security Admin building. There’s ample parking with reserved parking for Veterans and service members with disabilities and Purple Heart Veterans.
If you have problems finding our building, call us at 423-855-6570. We’ll gladly give you directions.
You don’t need to be registered for care at VA, rated for a service-connected disability, or receiving any other form of VA benefits. On your first visit, we’ll check for one or more of the following:
- Discharge documents (such as a DD214)
- Receipt of certain awards
- Deployment orders
- Other documents that show qualifying military service
Request your military service records online
If you don’t have these documents on hand, come in and we can work with you to establish your eligibility and answer any questions you might have.
You can access us through the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA). Call 423-629-1487. They’re open Monday through Saturday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.
Check for updated routes and schedules on CARTA
You can also contact the following organizations for transportation assistance:
In the spotlight
New Vet Centers and Satellite Locations Announced
To improve access to counseling, we are adding three Vet Centers and six satellite locations across the US and its territories. We will continue to expand our program to meet Veteran demand and provide local support to those who served.
Veterans speak on Vet Centers
Veterans explain how Vet Centers helped them in their transition from military to civilian life. “Vet Center saved me, saved my life.”
A Nashville Gold Star mother on learning to live again
Nashville Gold Star mother Sallie Woodard describes the Vet Center as a “safe place,” a “live saver,” where she found healing after losing her son.
Counseling services
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We offer couples and family counseling to support you as you work toward meeting your goals.
We have a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) onsite to offer family and couples counseling.
Specialty care includes:
- Couples counseling and support
- Spouse and significant other groups
If someone close to you has died or you’re adjusting to a difficult life change, we’re here to support you.
Loss is inevitable in life, whether it’s a family member, close friend, beloved pet, relationship, or significant lifelong dream or goal.
We have a certified grief/bereavement counselor on staff ready to help you move forward in life in the absence of your loss.
These videos will help you learn more about the treatment methods we offer:
What is cognitive behavioral therapy?
How grief affects your brain and what to do about it
Traumatic bereavement: Helping children and young people who are struggling in schools and colleges
If you’re struggling with issues like PTSD, depression, grief, anger, or trauma, we offer counseling and other support. We’ll work with you to help you achieve your personal goals.
We offer individual and group counseling.
Specialty care includes:
- Era-specific groups (Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq)
- Peer support groups to educate all Veterans and service members on VA benefits and initiatives that are available as well as to connect Veterans with Veteran-centric resources in the community
- Drum therapy
The most effective treatment method is the one that works best for you and moves you to a place of healing and personal growth. We provide the following treatments:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Prolonged Exposure Therapy
- Motivational interviewing
- Grief counseling
If you experienced sexual assault or harassment during military service, we can help you get the counseling you need. Any Veteran or service member, including members of the National Guard and Reserve forces, who experienced military sexual trauma is eligible to receive counseling. This applies to people of all genders from any service era.
Nobody joins the military with thoughts that they’ll be sexually harassed, sexually abused, objectified, or made to feel less than human. The sense of betrayal at the hands of your “military family” is traumatic. Left untreated, it can affect your ability to thrive.
The most effective treatment is one that suits you best. We offer treatment modalities such as, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), which will help you to process memories of your trauma and confronting the emotions that come from those memories.
We have both male and female counselors trained to help you overcome the trauma of MST.
Note: Ask for “Zoe” when you call us. You’ll be handed off to a counselor, immediately, without being asked for additional personal information.
If you have symptoms of PTSD after a traumatic event, we can help. We offer assessment and support through private counseling and group therapy. We can also refer you to VA or community counseling for treatment and therapy resources.
Trauma can happen to anyone at any time. Whether it’s related to combat, sexual assault, or other life-threatening experiences, the human brain will not allow these memories to go unaddressed no matter how hard we try to “stuff them down” or “push them aside.”
These memories, and the emotions that go with them, will often come out in the form of anxiety, depression, or outright anger. You don’t have to suffer alone. All of our counselors are trained to help you overcome the memories and emotions associated with your traumatic event(s).
Both cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure therapy are the most researched and effectively proven treatments for addressing PTSD. Learn more about them by playing the following videos.
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.
We offer peer support groups that provide education and connection to help in your transition from deployment or leaving the military. The peer groups can help with the following:
- VA benefits and initiatives
- Connection to resources in the community
- Employment assistance
- State and local Veteran Service Officers in your community
Supporting you in your transition from military service to civilian life is what we do best. We are available to help you find your footing after your military service.
Referral services
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We can help you overcome substance use problems, from unhealthy alcohol use to life-threatening addiction. We'll connect you to services for your specific needs.
We understand that self-medication is a common means of attempting to control the emotions that are controlling us. We understand that addiction is complex, sensitive, and can sometimes be lifelong. All of our counselors are trained in substance use treatment.
Call our Veterans Crisis Line at 988 and press 1 to get support anytime day or night. This service is private, free, and available 24/7. Our Vet Center can also connect you with ongoing counseling and services.
If you prefer, you can text the Veterans Crisis Line using your mobile device at 838255 or chat online by using the Veteran Crisis Line chat feature.
We can help connect you to VA and community resources that will support you in achieving your goals.
Our counselors and our outreach specialists are ready to help connect you to community resources.
This may include assisting you with connections for:
- Veteran housing
- Assistance for homeless Veterans
- Employment assistance
- Veteran rehabilitation and education (VR&E)
- Local food pantries or low-cost food distribution centers
- State and local Veterans Service Officers or Veteran-centric organizations
Other services
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We provide private organizations and community agencies education on our Veteran community and military culture. Together, we build referral networks to expand support for Veterans, service members, and their families.
We have strong connections to the City of Chattanooga, as well as to the Veterans and service members who live here.
Our Outreach Program Specialist meets monthly with the Chattanooga Area Veterans Coalition and attends numerous community outreach events each year. We also work to expand our partnerships to help Veterans and service members find the resources they need. Please call us if you would like to learn more.
How Vet Centers are different than a medical clinic
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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.
You may be eligible for Vet Center services no matter your discharge status or eligibility for VA health care. And we encourage you to contact us, even if you’re not sure if you’re eligible. If we can’t help you, we’ll find someone who can.
If you’re a Veteran or service member (including National Guard and Reserves), you’re eligible if you meet any of these service requirements:
- You served on active duty in any combat theater or area of hostility, or
- You provided mortuary services or direct emergency medical care to treat the casualties of war while on active duty, or
- You were a member of an unmanned aerial vehicle crew that provided direct support to operations in a combat theater or area of hostility, or
- You served on active 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, or
- You’re a current or former member of the Coast Guard who participated in a drug interdiction operation, or
- You’re a current member of the Reserve Component assigned to a military command in a drill status, including active Reserves, and you need to address a behavioral health condition or psychological trauma that is related to your military service
If you’re a Veteran or service member (including National Guard and Reserves), you’re also eligible for Vet Center services if any of these descriptions is true for you:
- You’re a Vietnam Era Veteran who used Vet Center services before January 2, 2013, or
- You experienced military sexual trauma (no matter your gender or service era), or
- You currently use any covered VA educational assistance benefits
What are the covered educational assistance benefits?
- Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty
- Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve
- Post-9/11 GI Bill
- Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E)
- Veterans’ Educational Assistance Program (VEAP)
Remember: You don’t need to be enrolled in VA health care to be eligible for Vet Center services. You don’t need to have a service-connected disability. And you can have any character of discharge.
You can use our counseling and other support services when your participation would support the growth and goals of the Veteran or service member in your family. If the Veteran or service member considers you family, so do we.
You can also use our bereavement services if any of these descriptions is true for your family:
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The Veteran or service member died while serving on active duty, or
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The Veteran was using Vet Center services at the time of their death, or
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The Veteran or service member died by suicide
No. You don’t have to be enrolled in VA health care or have a service-connected disability.
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.
Call us at
Our confidential call center is staffed by combat Veterans from several eras and family members of Veterans.
You can talk to us about your military experience, issues around transitioning out of military service, or trauma. We’ll help connect you to resources and support at a Vet Center near you.