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Scranton 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.

Locations and contact information

Main Location

1002 Pittston Avenue
Scranton, PA 18505

Direct line

Hours

  • Mon. 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Tue. 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
  • Wed. 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Thu. 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Fri. 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Sat. Closed
  • Sun. Closed
Scranton Vet Center

Other locations

Vet Centers are community based to be more accessible in areas where you live.

View more Scranton Vet Center locations

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

Click on a topic for more details.

First-time visitor? Give us a call and let's discuss how we can help. Call 570-344-2676 to schedule an appointment with one of our counselors. 

We understand that you may not know what to expect for your first counseling appointment with the Vet Center. On your first visit:

  • You’ll receive and be required to complete an intake packet that includes Vet Center confidentiality,  demographic information, release of information (optional), and assessments as appropriate.
  • You’ll be evaluated to ensure that you and those around you are safe.
  • You and your counselor will begin to establish and develop a treatment plan that's appropriate to your needs.
  • Follow-up appointments will be scheduled as appropriate as determined by your counselor.

Anyone in crisis will be seen the same day. 

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 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.

Our Vet Center is serviced by the County of Lackawanna Transportation System (COLTS). 

Our center offers free on-street parking, including 2 designated Handicap accessible spots for Vet Center clients only.

Our center is located on the corner of Pittston Avenue and Maple Street next to the Polish National Credit Union on the south side of Scranton. 

In the spotlight at Scranton Vet Center

Counseling services

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

Our services are available to family members when their participation would support the growth and goals of the Veteran or active-duty service member. If you consider them family, so do we.

Our center has a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) on staff.

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

We also offer bereavement services to family members of Veterans who are receiving Vet Center services at the time of the Veteran’s death and to families of service members who died while serving on active 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.

We offer group and individual counseling evidence-based practices such as

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EDMR)
  • Cognitive processing therapy  (CPT)
  • Supportive therapy

Our Vet Center offers a variety of group counseling sessions at our main office as well as many of our community access points. Our groups include:

  • Drug and alcohol groups
  • Specific theater groups
  • PTSD groups
  • Social groups

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.

We offer individual and group therapy sessions.  We have skilled male and female counselors on staff to meet your needs.

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.

Our Vet Center has counselors who specialize in PTSD counseling and we host PTSD group counseling sessions at our main Vet Center as well as several of our community access points.

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.

Scranton Vet Center personnel work closely with County Directors and VSOs within the DAV, VFW, and American Legion to answer questions on a wide range of federal and state benefits for Veterans and their families, including guidance regarding VA compensation and pension claims, retirement benefits, and survivor benefits.

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 can facilitate referrals to Wilkes-Barre VA medical center or agencies in our community.

If you’re homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, we can help you connect with resources in your community.

The Scranton Vet Center's team can connect you with VA’s HUD-VASH Program, Supportive Services for Veteran Families, and many other community resources and partners.

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 

We 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.

We work with numerous community providers and stakeholders including: Together4Vets, Camp Freedom, Patriots Cove, Vet Courts, PA Link, and various drug and alcohol treatment providers along with other community and VA resources.

We have recently entered into a partnership with State Correctional Institution (SCI) Dallas to provide groups to the Veteran employees.

We’re on numerous outreach committees within VA with the goal of networking and providing outreach in the 12 counties we serve in Northeast Pennsylvania. We’re continually exploring new Community Access Points (CAP) and making new connections in the rural communities we serve.

How we’re different than a 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?

They're benefits from any of these programs

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.