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Billings Vet Center

Small group of diverse Veterans talking and smiling with a Vet center counselor, American flag in the background.

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 within the 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

2795 Enterprise Avenue
Suite 1
Billings, MT 59102-7479

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
Billings Vet Center entrance

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

Select a topic to learn more.

Walk-ins are always welcome but will not usually see a counselor the same day; unless you are in crisis.  Feel free to come in, enjoy a cup of coffee, ask questions, pickup some information, and browse our small library (and feel free to take a book or two home).

Appointments can be made by either calling or stopping by.  

Telehealth appointments are also available to those who live far away or those who would just prefer this for any reason.

The Billings Vet Center is located on the corner of Overland Avenue and Enterprise Avenue in the Claimstake Center office complex.

Street traffic is usually light and parking generally abundant. Designated accessible parking is conveniently located near the front entrance.

Overland and Enterprise Avenues are wide enough and less traveled enough to accommodate livestock and utility trailers without too much difficulty. 

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.

If you need a ride transportation is available.  Please call:

  • DAV Transportation:
  • Veteran Transportation Service (VTS):

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. 

Groups

The Billings Vet Center not only has individual counseling, but groups too. These include group counseling, but also:

  • Leather Working
  • Crochet

Call the Vet Center for more information on these and other groups

The Billings Mobile Vet Center (MVC)

Montana is sometimes described as one big small town spread over a large area. It's not always easy to get to Billings, but with the MVC we can help bring the Vet Center to you!  The MVC is available for events. All you need to do is ask. 

Counseling services

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We offer couples and family counseling to support you as you work toward meeting your goals.

The pressure of military life can put a strain on marriages and family relationships.  Not only do we say "thank you for your service" to the Veteran/service member, but also to the military spouse and family.

Spouses and significant others are welcome to be in counseling sessions with the Veteran/service member's approval.

Services are provided at no cost.

We offer marriage and couples counseling.

If someone close to you has died or you’re adjusting to a difficult life change, we’re here to support you.

Bereavement counseling is available to family members who have lost a military service member while their loved one was serving on active duty.

  • Bereavement counseling is at no cost to the family members
  • Eligibility is dependent on active duty status; regardless of peace time or war

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.

Everyone is different and all of us have individual tastes and interests. What connects with one person may not with another. When it comes to mental health, there are different options that work better with different people.  Some people do better in one-on-one counseling; others in a group or activity.  Here at the Vet Center we have options to see which approach is a good fit for you.  Some of these are:

  • Individual Counseling: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)
  • Group Counseling: Peer, Moral Injury, Anger Management
  • Activities : Leather Working, Crochet, Archery

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.

Great care is taken to ensure that victims of military sexual trauma (MST) are afforded a safe, confidential, non-judgmental and supportive environment as they seek help and healing.

  • Help is available regardless of gender
  • Your records will not be shared with other VA or DoD offices, without your expressed written consent
  • We have male and female counselors available
  • MST Counseling is primarily individual counseling at this time

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.

You joined the military and learned that team work is essential for success. There were times you could have gone it alone but didn't have to. Down range, calling for support was not just an option, it was critical.  The same holds true now.

Whether you served in combat or peacetime the trauma you experience while on active duty can affect the rest of your life.  You don't have to "go it alone."  Whether you're a Veteran or still on active duty, here at the Vet Center, you're safe and services are confidential.

We're available to both you and your family.

All of our counselors and staff are either Veterans or a military spouse.

We offer both individual and group counseling.

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.

You've served your county.  Now, whether you're getting out, retiring, or just returning from a war zone, what's next?  "Where do I go from here and what are some options?" or "How will I adjust to civilian life?" may be questions you're asking.  Let us help.

  • Free confidential counseling is available 
  • Explore options with our community connections

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.

Body, Mind, and Spirit; as human beings we are wonderfully complex, relational creatures! What affects one part of us affects the whole.  Therefore, it is reasonable to address all aspects of our personhood: physical, mental, and emotional or what is called "Whole Health" or "Holistic." Some of the ways this is done at the Vet Center is:

  • Leather Working
  • Crochet

Referral services

Select a topic to learn more.

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.

Substance abuse can take control of your life.  There is help and options available to help overcome addiction to drugs and alcohol.  The Vet Center can help you maintain sobriety through the support of caring:

  • Individual Counseling
  • Group Counseling to include a Veteran's A.A. Group on Tuesday evenings (call for details)

Contact these other resources for additional assistance:

  1. Inpatient and outpatient VA treatment programs, call
  2. Local civilian resource: visit Rimrock Rehabilitation Counseling or call

 

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.

There are many organizations that are eager to assist Veterans, service members and their families.  Here are just a few:

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.

Here are some local organizations and services available to Veterans and service members:

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: 

  • The Veteran or service member died while serving on active duty, or

  • 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 (TTY:711). We’re here 24/7.

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.