Evanston 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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Call 847-332-1019 and speak to one of our friendly staff members. Appointments are not required, but helpful. Same-day services are available.
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.
Parking is available in the rear of building. Look for the parking signs labeled “Vet Center.”
Accessible parking is also available.
The entrance to the building is located on the corner of Howard and Dodge at the front corner of the building.
We’re located on the CTA bus line.
It’s easy to access us from almost anywhere in the Chicagoland area.
Visit Chicago Transit Authority for specific travel routes from your location
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.
Community partnership
We have many community partners with organizations that support Veterans to enhance Veteran care.
One of our partnerships was recently featured in an All-American Dream video with linebacker Sebastian Cheeks.
Event calendar
Please contact us for interest in attending upcoming events.
Counseling services
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We offer couples and family counseling to support you as you work toward meeting your goals.
We offer these unique therapies to support your needs:
- Gottman Method
- Family therapy
- Couples counseling
- Parenting groups
If someone close to you has died or you’re adjusting to a difficult life change, we’re here to support you.
We offer grief and bereavement counseling if your service member dies while serving on active duty.
We can help connect you to the Veterans Benefits Administration and National Cemetery Administration to navigate burial and survivor 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.
We offer unique individual and group therapies to support your needs.
Our therapy groups include the following:
- Readjustment group
- Era-specific groups such as Vietnam and Global War on Terror
- Whole health
- Parenting and relationship support groups
We use evidence-based therapies like these:
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Prolonged Exposure (PE)
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.
Our counselors use a trauma-informed care approach to provide therapy and supportive services to those who have experienced military sexual trauma (MST).
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.
If you’re experiencing PTSD symptoms—such as feeling on edge, having trouble with sleep, or having issues with motivation or mood—let us know. We can provide the tools to manage these problems.
Call us to learn more about PTSD and available treatments.
We offer evidence-based practices and specialty care like these:
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Prolonged Exposure (PE)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Whole health activities such as mindfulness and yoga
Find resources and other support options at VA’s National Center for PTSD
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’re here to welcome you home. We provide a community where you can connect with other Veterans and active-duty service members.
Whether you’re returning from deployment or leaving the military, we can help you connect with these tasks:
- Applying for VA health care
- Reviewing VA benefits
- Finding employment and training opportunities
- Connecting with your local Veteran Service Officer
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 offer trained counselors to address substance use problems through individual and group counseling.
Call us for more information about the Recovery Now group, which meets on various days and times.
If you need additional support or a higher level of care, we collaborate with the Lovell VA Medical Center. We can also refer you to other agencies in the 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.
If you need help and want to connect with another Veteran, we’re here. Some of our staff are Veterans, too. We understand Veteran and military experiences and can provide one-on-one counseling. We can connect you with our local VA suicide prevention coordinator for additional support.
We can help connect you to VA and community resources that will support you in achieving your goals.
Understanding your benefits, navigating health care, and choosing what is best for you are sometimes difficult tasks to manage. We can help connect you with benefits, services, and programs that support your transition from the military.
Let us help you with these tasks:
- Enrolling in VA health care and connecting with primary care
- Finding where to file a disability claim and the necessary steps to take
- Using your VA education benefits
- Finding how to apply for and use your VA home loan
- Accessing VA burial and survivor benefits
We can help you make direct connection with a Veteran Service Officer in your city or town and the local Veterans Service Organizations.
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 work with our local partners and use our resources to advocate for your needs. We collaborate with partners to support our Veteran community.
Some of our partners include:
- Evanston Community Based Outpatient Clinic (VA Clinic)
- Chicago Park District
- Niles Public Library
- America Works
- Local first responders
- The National Guard, Reserve, and active-duty units
- Universities in our local community
If you or your organization would like to learn about working with Veterans and military culture and how you can help support the Veteran community, we can provide individual or education 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 to our center because of a hectic schedule, daunting traffic, or other reasons, we can schedule a telehealth appointment with you.
You can join individual or group counseling. You’ll just need a smartphone or laptop, an internet connection, and a private location.
We offer workshops and classes if you want to connect with other Veterans but don't want a group counseling setting.
We have a rotating schedule of workshops often including job resources, navigating benefits, and community connections.
Contact us for more information.
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.