Charleston, WV 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 Charleston Vet Center, a counselor 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.
Cancelling or rescheduling an appointment:
If you know you will miss an appointment, please notify us as soon as possible so we can reschedule your appointment and make that time available for another Veteran.
First-time visitor or walk-ins:
If you are a first-time visitor, stop by during our office hours or call
Many of our services are available on a walk-in basis.
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.
The Charleston Vet Center is located in the Northgate business park on Deitrick Blvd and Tracy Way. From I-64, take the WV-114/Greenbrier Street exit (EXIT 99) and turn onto Greenbrier St/WV-114 toward Yeager Airport. At the second stoplight, turn left onto Deitrick Blvd., following this road until you see the Vet Center sign, and turn right into our parking lot.
Accessible parking is located directly by our front entrance or you can park in any available parking spot.
Public Transportation: The Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority (KVRT) has several bus routes with stops at the Northgate Business Park. Routes 10 and 28 offer morning and evening transit options Monday through Friday. For a full and updated schedule, please visit the Schedules – KRT – Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority (rideonkrt.com)
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.
Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) Group!
Interested in connecting with other GWOT Veterans? Join a group where you will find other Veterans who can relate to your experiences and who are working toward similar readjustment goals. Give us a call to get started.
Fishing Rod Building Group
Interested in learning how to build a custom-made fishing rod and connect with other Veterans? Join us for our new rod building group! Give our Vet Center a call for additional details.
Counseling services
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We offer couples and family counseling to support you as you work toward meeting your goals.
“If you consider them family, so do we.”
Charleston Vet Center counselors incorporate therapeutic techniques using the following modalities while serving you and your loved ones:
- Supportive Family Therapy
- Internal Family Systems Therapy
- Systemic Family Therapy
- Strategic Family Therapy
- Gottman Method
In addition, our counselors will provide education to family members regarding the Veteran's military related problems and/or post military readjustment.
If someone close to you has died or you’re adjusting to a difficult life change, we’re here to support you.
At the Charleston Vet Center we offer counseling and other support such as:
- Bereavement counseling for families who have lost a loved one while they were serving on active duty
- Grief counseling
- Contact information to the Veterans Benefits Administration and National Cemetery regarding possible burial and survival benefits
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.
To help you achieve your goals, our counselors use a wide variety of therapeutic techniques and/or strategies to meet your individual needs.
Some of the therapeutic techniques and strategies we use include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Cognitive Processing Therapy
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
- Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
- Humanistic/Client-Centered Counseling
- Mindfulness-Based Counseling
- Internal Family Systems
We also collaborate with community agencies on occasion to offer additional outdoor therapy and community events to our clients.
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.
The Charleston Vet Center has counselors who utilize a trauma-informed care approach to provide therapy and supportive services to MST survivors.
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 the Charleston Vet Center, we offer individual and group counseling to address symptoms of PTSD.
Working from a trauma-informed approach, we use a number of treatment modalities to help you achieve your goals. Care at the Charleston Vet Center incorporates therapeutic techniques and interventions embodied in:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Cognitive Processing Therapy
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
- Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
- Humanistic/Client-Centered Counseling
- Mindfulness-Based Counseling
- Internal Family Systems
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 understand that the transition from military to civilian life can be a challenge. We offer a variety of ways to assist you in that process such as:
- How to get VA medical benefits and register for care
- Where to go to file claims and other forms
- Understanding your VA education benefits
- Housing and home loans
- Education and referral for VA burial benefits
The Charleston Vet Center can also connect you to Veterans Service Organizations in your community.
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 Charleston 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 Charleston Vet Center's goal is to provide a comfortable environment for all 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.
At the Charleston Vet Center, we work closely with the Local Recovery Coordinator and other staff within the mental health department at the Hershal Woody Williams VA Medical Center. We also work closely with residential treatment programs and have knowledge of the local support groups offered within your community.
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.
You are not alone. We are here to help and we will walk along side you in our journey to healing.
We can help connect you to VA and community resources that will support you in achieving your goals.
Charleston Vet Center staff can assist you by coordinating services that will help you:
- Understand how to begin receiving VA medical benefits and how to register for care
- File claims and other forms
- Understand VA education benefits
- Determine VA burial benefits
- Understanding VA housing and home loans
- Be aware of and connected to the Veterans Service Organizations in your community.
Charleston Vet Center can also connect you to Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) partners and others who can help with the readjustment process.
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 offer secure and confidential individual and group counseling through telehealth. You can schedule a phone or video appointment for Vet Center services.
Is distance to the Vet Center an issue for you? Or, does your busy schedule make it difficult for you to come to the Vet Center for services? We can help.
We’ll help you achieve your job and career goals. We can connect you with one-on-one support, counseling, and training.
We have a Vocational Rehabilitation Program Coordinator on-site daily and can assist you with scheduling an appointment.
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.