Sussex County 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, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the psychological effects of military sexual trauma (MST). 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? Give us a call and let's discuss how we can help. Call
Making an appointment:
After your initial contact with the Sussex County Vet Center, the Vet Center Director will be notified to call you to schedule an appointment. You can expect a return call within 1-2 business days, and we should be able to schedule your first appointment within 2-10 business days, depending on schedule availabilities.
Anyone in crisis will be seen within the same day.
Contacting us:
You can call us anytime during our posted hours of operation. If you need to call outside of those times, on weekends, or holidays, the Vet Center Call Center is available 24/7 at 877-927-8737.
- We have a large well-lit parking area. Please feel free to park in any available space.
- The Sussex County Vet Center is in Suite 1 which is the corner office, next to the Delaware Department of Revenue Office sign, just as you enter the parking lot to your left.
- Dedicated accessible parking and entrance to Vet Center for those with mobility issues is available. If there are any issues, please call us at
and we can come out and assist you.
Public Transportation (DART bus) routes 212 and 203 have stops that are near the Vet Center. Visit DART for route maps and schedules or call DART Information Center at
You do not 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 will look 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.
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.
Sussex County Vet Center Groups
Groups include:
- Spouses and Significant Others
- PTSD Skills and Strategies
- All War Veterans
- Female Veterans
- Iraq and Afghanistan
- Vietnam
VA Suicide Prevention and Vet Center Outreach Teams at Delaware State Fair
Delaware State Fair on Veteran / Military Appreciation Day
Wednesday / 27 July 2022 / 12:00pm to 8:00pm
Stop by and talk with the Department Of Veteran Affairs and Vet Center Outreach Team's on VA Benefits and Mental Health Services.
Counseling services
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We offer couples and family counseling to support you as you work toward meeting your goals.
Sussex County Vet Center has Licensed Marriage and Family therapists who can provide services such as:
- Individual counseling for couples, spouses, children, and significant others
- Spouse and Significant Other groups
- Couples counseling
If someone close to you has died or you’re adjusting to a difficult life change, we’re here to support you.
Sussex County Vet Center offers counseling and other support such as:
- Bereavement counseling for families with a loved one who died during active duty
- Grief counseling
If you're a Veteran who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, or a related identity, we can help you find counseling, support, and referral services to meet your specific needs.
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.
At Sussex County Vet Center, we offer individual and group counseling. We also provide referral to VA counseling resources and therapy resources in your community. Specialty care at our center includes:
- Individual hour-long counseling sessions targeted at your individual needs.
- Group counseling for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, Vietnam Veterans, and Spouse/Significant Others.
- Evidence based therapies
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.
Male and female counselors are available at Sussex County Vet Center to provide individual counseling.
If you’re a Veteran from a minority community, we can help you find counseling, support, and referral services to meet your specific needs.
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.
At Sussex County Vet Center we offer individual and group counseling.
Care at our Center includes:
- Anger management
- Stress management
- Activity engagement
Evidence based therapies such as:
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PET)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
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.
The Sussex County Vet Center understands that the transition from military to civilian life can be a challenge. We have personnel that are knowledgeable on a wide range of federal and state benefits for Veterans and their families, including guidance regarding VA Compensation and Pension claims, retirement benefits, and survivor benefits.
If you’re a woman Veteran transitioning to civilian life, we can help you find counseling, support, and referral services to meet your specific needs.
The Sussex County Vet Center is staffed with women counselors who can focus on the needs of women Veterans and your cultural transformation along with any readjustment issues you may experience. The Sussex County Vet Center's goal is to provide an environment free from harassment that meets the unique needs of women Veterans.
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.
Our counselors can provide professional guidance. Please call the Sussex County Vet Center at
If you’re homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, we can help you connect with resources in your community.
Sussex County Vet Center can connect you with HUD-VASH or other community resources.
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.
We can help connect you to VA and community resources that will support you in achieving your goals.
Sussex County Vet Center can help you know where to go and how to register for
- How to get VA medical benefits and register for care
- Where to go to file claims and other forms
- Understanding your VA education benefits
- Education and referral for VA burial benefits
- Housing and home loans
Sussex County Vet Center can also connect you to other Veteran Service Organizations in your community.
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.
Sussex County Vet Center partners with Army National Guard units and state and local law enforcement.
We offer secure and confidential individual and group counseling through telehealth. You can schedule a phone or video appointment for Vet Center services.
With the expansion of telehealth service due to the pandemic the telehealth services are an option post pandemic. If you are unable to come to the Sussex County Vet Center for a variety of reasons such as not being able to take time off from your busy schedule and/or not feeling well, we can accommodate you with telehealth services.
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:
-
The Veteran or service member died while serving on active duty, or
-
The Veteran was using Vet Center services at the time of their death, or
-
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.