Anoka 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, posttraumatic 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? Stop by during our office hours or give us a call and let's discuss how we can help.
Call 763-503-2220 to schedule an appointment with one of our counselors.
Non-traditional hours are available for scheduled visits only.
Walk-in appointments are available based on the availability of counselors.
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.
We have free parking in a well-lit parking area located at the rear of the Vet Center.
Please feel free to park in any available space.
We have accessible parking spaces and an accessible entrance available.
Pubic transportation is available using Metro Transit. There is a stop 5 blocks away.
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.
Employment readiness
Need resume or job-search assistance?
Employment coaching is available by appointment with our highly connected employment readiness volunteer.
Call 763-503-2220 to schedule an appointment with our volunteer employment coach.
VA claims specialist
If you need help with your VA claim, we have a claims specialist to support you in the process, available by appointment. Please call us at 763-503-2220 to schedule.
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 and can provide services such as:
- Couples counseling
- Individual counseling for couples, spouses, children, and significant others
- Opportunities for family members to learn about your needs and ways to best support you during your treatment
If someone close to you has died or you’re adjusting to a difficult life change, we’re here to support you.
We offer counseling and other support, such as:
- Grief counseling
- Bereavement counseling for families who have lost a loved one during active duty
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.
We offer individual and group counseling. Our specialty groups include:
- Combat Veterans group
- Two Vietnam-era coffee talk groups
- Women's Veteran Support group
- Veteran Sobriety group
- Cinema Group
We also provide evidence-based treatment, such as:
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Family Systems Therapy
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.
We have male and female counselors available based on your preference.
If you’re a Veteran from a minority community, we can help you find counseling, support, and referral services to meet your specific needs.
We specialize in serving the unique needs of Veterans of color. Give us a call to learn more.
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.
We offer evidence-based therapies, including:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Our specialty groups include:
- Combat Veterans group
- Vietnam-era coffee talk groups
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 are here to welcome you home. We provide a community where you can connect with other Veterans and service members.
Whether you are returning from deployment or leaving the military, we can help you connect with:
- VA Benefits and healthcare
- State and local benefits
- Employment resources
Whole health puts you—instead of your illnesses or conditions—at the center of care. We’ll work with you to develop a personalized health plan based on your values, needs, and goals.
Whole health focuses on what matters to you, not what is the matter with you. We have groups to help with your self-care:
- Guitar for Vets (G4Vets)
Call us to join one of our groups!
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 work closely with and refer to the VA Medical Center and community providers, to best support your needs.
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 work closely with and refer to our local VA Medical Center suicide prevention coordinator, if needed.
We can help connect you to VA and community resources that will support you in achieving your goals.
We can help connect you to and register for the following:
- 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
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.
Some of our established partners include:
- National Guard and Reserve units
- State universities and community colleges
- Veteran Service Organizations
If you or your organization would like to learn about working with Veterans, military culture or how you can support the Veteran community, we can provide individual or group educational briefings. Give us a call for more information.
We offer secure and confidential individual and group counseling through telehealth. You can schedule a phone or video appointment for Vet Center services.
We want to make counseling convenient for you. We use virtual platforms such as WebEx and VA Videoconnect. If you can’t make it in-person because of a hectic schedule, daunting traffic, or another reason, we can schedule a telehealth appointment with you. You can join individual or group counseling, by grabbing your smartphone or laptop, having an internet connection, and finding a private location. We'll be there for you!
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
-
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.