San Luis Obispo 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? Stop by during our office hours or give us a call and let's discuss how we can help
- Many of our services are available on a walk-in basis
- Please call
to schedule an appointment with one of our counselors - Non-traditional hours are available
If you are unfamiliar with the area, please don't hesitate to call for directions.
If you are travelling by bus, SLO Transit line 1A stops at the corner of Laurel and Southwood located just a few hundred feet from the Vet Center.
Disabled accessible parking is available directly in front of the Vet Center.
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 also 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.
Counseling services
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We offer couples and family counseling to support you as you work toward meeting your goals.
San Luis Obispo Vet Center has Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists onsite to offer family and couples counseling.
Specialty care at our center includes:
- Significant Others Support Group
- EFT (Emotional Focused Couples Therapy)
- Gottman couples therapy protocol
If someone close to you has died or you’re adjusting to a difficult life change, we’re here to support you.
If you're having trouble adjusting to a difficult life change or someone close to you has died the San Luis Obispo Vet Center can offer counseling and other support, such as:
- Bereavement counseling for families who have lost a loved one while they were serving on active duty
- Also eligible are family members of Reservists and National Guardsmen who die while on duty.
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.
San Luis Obispo Vet Center offers individual, group and family counseling:
- Veteran Support Groups
- Activity Groups
- Trauma Focused Therapy Groups
- Skill Building Groups
- Wellness Groups
Specialty care includes:
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
We also offer therapeutic activities such as outdoor events, workshops and BBQ's.
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.
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 San Luis Obispo Vet Center offers evidence-based therapies, including:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
- 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.
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.
San Luis Obispo Vet Center partners with community organizations to offer therapeutic activities such as:
- Tai Chi Group
- Chair Yoga Group
- Organic Gardening Group
- Mindfulness Group
- Archery Group
- Adaptive Surfing
- Ziplining
- Deep Sea Fishing
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.
At the San Luis Obispo Vet Center, we offer a Women Veterans Support Group which meets in the evenings should you have work, school or childcare responsibilities which make it a challenge to attend such groups during the day.
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.
If you’re homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, we can help you connect with resources in your community.
At the San Luis Obispo Vet Center, we can connect you with the Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH), Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) programs or other community resources for those that are unhoused.
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.
San Luis Obispo Vet Center can connect you with crisis care as well as with ongoing counseling and services.
We can help connect you to VA and community resources that will support you in achieving your goals.
San Luis Obispo 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
San Luis Obispo 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.
San Luis Obispo Vet Center supports local Veterans through partnerships with government and community agencies. We help local organizations understand how they can collaborate with the Vet Center and other VA programs to benefit Veterans, Servicemembers and the community as a whole.
We offer secure and confidential individual and group counseling through telehealth. You can schedule a phone or video appointment for Vet Center services.
Veterans in rural communities may be able to connect remotely with San Luis Obispo Vet Center counselors and staff to receive services.
We offer workshops and classes if you want to connect with other Veterans but don't want a group counseling setting.
The San Luis Obispo Vet Center offers workshops and seminars throughout the year. Topics have included:
- VA Benefits for Survivors and Dependents
- Self-Care for Caregivers
- PTSD, Readjustment and the Family
- Health and Wellness Through the Holidays
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.