Fort Lauderdale 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 5:30 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? Give us a call and let’s discuss any questions you may have.
Many of our services are available on a walk-in basis.
Making an appointment
Call 954-714-2381 to schedule an appointment with one of our counselors.
After your initial contact with us, the Vet Center Director will work to match you with a counselor. You can expect a return call within 1 to 2 business days, and we’ll schedule your first appointment within 2 to 10 business days.
Veterans or service members in crisis will have their needs addressed immediately.
Contacting us
You can call us anytime during our posted hours of operation. If you need to call outside of those times, on weekends, or holidays, the Vet Center Call Center is available 24/7 at 877-927-8737. Calling our main line after hours will automatically send you to the Vet Center Call Center.
Canceling or rescheduling an appointment
If you know you’ll miss an appointment, please notify us as soon as possible so we can reschedule your appointment and make that time available for another Veteran or service member.
We’re located in a small office building on 3666 W Oakland Boulevard. We’re on the east end of the Lauderdale Lakes Plaza, across the street from YouFit.
There’s plenty of free parking in the front and on the side of the building. Accessible spots are located directly in front of the Vet Center.
We’re accessible by public transit.
Get more information or find a schedule at Broward County Transit
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 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.
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.
Our groups
- Vietnam support and wellness group
- War-related PTSD support group
- PTSD process Vietnam Vets group
- Vet Talk: Psychoeducational Series
- Trauma Conscious Yoga
- Women’s empowerment group
Please contact us at 954-714-2381 for more details.
Veterans financial webinar series
This weekly webinar covers a variety of financial topics pertaining to Veterans and their families.
Classes are held every Thursday at 10:00 a.m. via Zoom.
For more information, you can contact the organizer at 305-401-3029.
Counseling services
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We offer couples and family counseling to support you as you work toward meeting your goals.
We have a licensed marriage and family therapist available to provide couples counseling and individual therapy to Veterans, service members, and their families.
If someone close to you has died or you’re adjusting to a difficult life change, we’re here to support you.
We offer bereavement counseling to family members who experienced the death of a loved one while on active duty, including members of the Reserve and the National Guard.
We also offer services to family members of a Veteran or service member 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 provide individual, group, and family counseling to Veterans, service members, and their families using a variety of different modalities.
Our groups include:
- Vietnam support and wellness group
- War-related PTSD support group
- PTSD process Vietnam Vets group
- Women’s empowerment group
Please contact us at 954-714-2381 for more details or to ask about enrolling in a group.
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 have male and female counselors available to meet your specific 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.
Most of our counselors are Veterans themselves and can often relate to a returning service member.
We provide counseling to Veterans and service members with symptoms associated with PTSD and educate their families through a variety of different modalities, including individual, group, and family counseling.
Our groups include:
- War-related PTSD support group
- PTSD process Vietnam Vets group
Please contact us at 954-714-2381 for more details or to ask about enrolling in services.
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 recognize that completing military service can come with a variety of new challenges. We can provide education and connection for:
- Enrollment in VA health care benefits
- Filing a military-related disability claim
- Connection to employment opportunities
- Using VA education benefits
- Using your VA home loan
- Connecting to state benefits and services
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 also refer you to programs within the VA health care system and 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.
We work closely with the local VAMC’s suicide prevention coordinator, as well as local state and federal law enforcement, to keep our clients and Veterans in the community safe.
We can help connect you to VA and community resources that will support you in achieving your goals.
We are a Veteran-related information hub. We can connect you with the resources needed to take advantage of your benefits, including:
- Broward County Elderly and Veteran Services
- Career Source Broward
- Mission United of Broward County
- VFW Stone of Hope Project
- Nova Southeastern University Military Affairs
Visit 211 Broward to find more information on these Veteran resources
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 partner with several Veteran organizations in the community such as these:
- Broward County Elderly and Veteran Services
- Career Source Broward
- Mission United of Broward County
- VFW Stone of Hope Project
- Nova Southeastern University Military Affairs
Please call if you or your organization is interested in learning more about ways to partner with us.
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.