Gary Area 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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You can call 219-736-5633 to schedule an intake appointment.
Once you contact us, we will help you schedule your initial appointment. After your initial intake appointment we will help schedule you with a counselor.
If you know in advance that you won’t be able to make an appointment, or you’re needing to reschedule for any reason, please notify us as soon as possible so we can reschedule and make that time available for another Veteran or service member.
If you call our main line after hours, or on weekends or holidays, you’ll automatically get connected to the Vet Center Call Center, which is open 24/7.
We have parking spaces in front of and on the side of the building. You can park in any available space.
We have accessible parking and an accessible entrance available.
The Broadway Metro Express makes stops across the street from our center.
Go to the Broadway Metro Express website for routes and schedules
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.
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.
Help for Homeless Veterans
If you are a Veteran who is homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness, we strongly encourage you to contact the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at
County Service Officers
If you're in need of filing a claim with the Veterans Benefits Administration, a local trained County Veterans Service Officer can assist you with this process.
Counseling services
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We offer couples and family counseling to support you as you work toward meeting your goals.
We strongly encourage spouses, significant others, and families to be involved in the Veteran's and service member's healing process. This can provide an opportunity for your family members to learn more about your needs and ways to best support you during your treatment.
If someone close to you has died or you’re adjusting to a difficult life change, we’re here to support you.
We provide bereavement counseling to:
- Family members of service members who died while serving on active duty
- Family members of a Veteran who was receiving Vet Center services at the time of their death
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 individual and group counseling. Our specialty groups include the following:
- Vietnam combat Veteran
- OEF/OIF
- Combat Veteran
- Yoga for Warriors
- Meditation
We commonly address concerns such as these:
- Anxiety and stress reactions
- Depression and lack of motivation
- Sleep difficulties
- Anger
- Difficulties adjusting to civilian life following a deployment or activation
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 team offers counseling and support to those who have experienced military sexual trauma (MST).
Our team works in partnership with the local VHA MST coordinators to provide necessary referrals and wrap-around care for all Veterans and service members in need of these services.
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 feeling on edge and on guard, having trouble with sleep or mood, or just feeling unlike yourself following a major event or critical incident, we can help. We'll teach you tools to manage these problems and get back on track. Asking for help takes courage and we provide the private, comfortable setting with expert counselors to help you take that next step.
Find out about your treatment options
We commonly address concerns such as these:
- Anxiety and stress reactions
- Depression and lack of motivation
- Sleep difficulties
- Anger
- Difficulties adjusting to civilian life following a deployment or activation
We offer effective treatments such as these:
- Group therapy
- Solution-focused therapy
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.
Our team maintains a network of resources to make referrals that meet your unique needs, at the right time, as you transition from military service. These referrals will assist you in accessing benefits that you have earned through your service.
We can help refer you to the right place for topics such as these:
- Service-connected disability claims (we'll refer you to local Veterans Service Officer)
- Education questions (we'll refer you to VA Education Department and school Veteran Advocates)
- Home Loan questions (we'll refer you to VA Home Loan Department)
- Employment assistance (we'll refer you to WorkOne)
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.
Our team can help. When together we identify a challenge with substance abuse or addiction, our team will offer referral to VA resources or community options to meet your level of need.
Local VA options include:
- Adam Benjamin Jr. CBOC - Outpatient Addiction Treatment Program (ATP)
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center - Inpatient or Outpatient Addiction Treatment Program (ATP)
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.
Our team of Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW) work with the Suicide Prevention team at the local VAMC to coordinate your care and make appropriate referrals when needed.
We can help connect you to VA and community resources that will support you in achieving your goals.
Our team of licensed clinical social workers (LCSW) offer confidential help for eligible Veterans and service members at no cost in a non-medical setting.
When additional needs arise during the course of your care, we'll assist you in connecting to other VA and community resources to meet your unique goals.
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 outreach services to meet the needs of our military-connected community and those who serve them.
If you're interested in having our team support your outreach event, deliver clinical training for service providers, or drill for your National Guard or Reserve unit, please call us at 219-736-5633.
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
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.