Center City Philadelphia 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 within 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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- After your initial contact with the Center City 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.
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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
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- The Center City Vet Center has free parking at the Parkade 8th Street parking garage which is located directly across from the entrance on Arch Street.
- It is a 4-level parking garage.
- After getting a ticket and parking, there is an elevator and stairwell that exit left for 8th St. Turn left on 8th Street toward Arch Street. Cross over Arch Street and turn left. The first door is the Arch Street entrance on your right.
- The Vet Center will provide a validation ticket for exiting the garage.
Our Vet Center is conveniently located for public transportation from Philadelphia and New Jersey. There are 3 forms of public transportation available with multiple routes, all of which have stops within a block of the Center City Philadelphia Vet Center.
Here are links to get detailed information.
- Septa for bus or train schedules in the Philadelphia area
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NJ Transit for Bus schedule from New Jersey(NJ)
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PATCO for the Train Schedule from New Jersey (NJ)
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.
Coffee Events with Veterans
THANK A VET- Tuesdays 0700-1000 American Legion Post #17 622 Atlantic Ave. Collingswood, NJ 08108
Coffee and Conversations- Thursdays 1000-1200 Carlton Rouh Veterans Center 777 Blackwood Clementon Rd. Lindenwold, NJ 08021
Coffee &Chat
We will have coffee for Veterans on 4th Monday of the Month 9-11 This for clients meet fellowship with Veteran Outreach Program Specialist. Please RSVP with me or your Counselors.
Counseling services
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We offer couples and family counseling to support you as you work toward meeting your goals.
The Center City Philadelphia Vet Center has male and female counselors who work with families, including Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists and Licensed Clinical Social Workers.
Our counselors implement the following clinical therapeutic modalities:
- Family Systems
- Emotionally Focused Therapy
- Gottman Method
- Strategic Family Therapy
- Structural Family Therapy
- Attachment-based Family Therapy
In addition, counselors may provide education to family members regarding the Veteran’s military related problems and/or post military readjustment. We will offer future groups in communication skills and spousal support.
If someone close to you has died or you’re adjusting to a difficult life change, we’re here to support you.
Center City Philadelphia offers counseling to family members who have lost a service member while on active duty.
Our staff works to help you process how the loss has affected you and help you reconnect with life.
We can provide Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to address issues related to grief and bereavement.
If you or a loved one are in—or may be in—a potentially abusive or violent relationship, we can help.
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.
The Center City Philadelphia Vet Center is staffed with LGBTQ+, Queer affirming therapists.
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 the Center City Philadelphia Vet Center, our staff work in a variety of therapeutic modes, including:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Psychodynamic therapy
- Client-Center Therapy
- Supportive 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.
At the Center City Philadelphia Vet Center, our staff are trained to work with military sexual trauma and address the unique factors that arise in a military setting. Our staff stays current through monthly consultations and focused training sessions.
We provide information about the effects of experiencing military sexual trauma and offer talk therapy to help you process effects of the MST in your life and relationships.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is also available at the Center City Philadelphia Vet Center.
If you’re a Veteran from a minority community, we can help you find counseling, support, and referral services to meet your specific needs.
At the Center City Philadelphia Vet Center, we have diverse clinical and office staff, including a bilingual Spanish speaking counselor.
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.
The Center City Philadelphia Vet Center is a supportive environment for Veterans to connect to each other and to understand and manage their symptoms of PTSD. We provide a mix of individual and group counseling. Our services are not time limited. Veterans can complete a course of evidenced based therapy and continue in treatment for continued therapy and support.
We provide evidenced based therapies for individual treatment of Veterans and service members, including
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
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 Center City Philadelphia 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
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.
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 Center City Philadelphia Vet Center has a female Veteran counselor and other female counselrrs .
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.
Here at Center City Philadelphia Vet Center, our staff utilize interventions in helping Veterans and service members with PTSD, addiction and substance abuse, including
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Rational Emotive Therapy (RET)
- Motivational Interviewing (MI)
- Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET)
- Harm Reduction
- 12-step facilitation
If you’re homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, we can help you connect with resources in your community.
We can connect you with resources in our community, including
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.
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 Center City Philadelphia Vet Center can also connect you to Veterans 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.
The Center City Vet Center developed a Veteran Community Engagement Board where Veterans and community stakeholders engage with Vet Center staff to provide feedback on services and work together to build better community relations.
We collaborate with grass-roots and community agencies to help Veterans and meet their needs.
We offer secure and confidential individual and group counseling through telehealth. You can schedule a phone or video appointment for Vet Center 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:
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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.