Harlem 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), bereavement, family counselling, 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
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.
View more Harlem Vet Center locationsWe 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 how we can help. Call 646-273-8139 to schedule an appointment with one of our counselors or ask about our services.
After your initial contact with the Harlem Vet Center, a staff member will contact you to schedule an appointment. You can expect to be contacted within 1-2 business days. You will be able to schedule your first appointment within a timely manner based on availability.
Same day services are available for urgent situations.
If you know you will miss an appointment, please notify us as soon as possible so we can reschedule your appointment and make that time available for another Veteran.
The entrance is located on 124th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues.
Street parking is available. You must follow local and city rules for parking and meters. You can also use one of the local paid parking garages.
The Harlem Vet Center is easily accessible by public transportation. We are a 5-minute walk from the 4, 5, and 6 trains on a 125th Street train station. There are also multiple buses that run in the area that you can access. Please visit Home | MTA to plan your visit.
You do not need to be registered for care at VHA, 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.
In the spotlight at Harlem Vet Center
Not connected to a Vet Center? We’d love to hear from you!
We’re looking to learn from Veterans, service members and their families about their awareness of our Vet Center or what prevents them from using our services. Your feedback can help them access counseling, outreach, and referral services.
Keeping Veterans engaged during the pandemic
We’re working hard to keep Veterans engaged during this period of telehealth by hosting Veteran meet-ups, bike rides, lunches, and outdoor discussions. If you’re interested, call for more information.
Virtual groups offered
We currently have virtual groups that have helped many Veterans stay connected and engaged.
Our groups include:
- Vietnam Veterans group
- Surviving 2023
- Photo group
- Writing group
Call for more information.
Counseling services
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We offer couples and family counseling to support you as you work toward meeting your goals.
Harlem Vet Center has licensed therapists who offer marriage and family counseling to Veterans and service members, both virtually and in person.
The Harlem Vet Center has counselors who can provide services such as:
- Individual counseling for couples, spouses, children and significant others
- Couples counseling
If someone close to you has died or you’re adjusting to a difficult life change, we’re here to support you.
The Harlem Vet Center can offer counseling and other support, such as:
- Bereavement counseling for families who have lost a loved one while they were serving on active duty
- Grief counseling
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 an array of general clinical and evidence-based therapeutic treatments for a broad range of mental health and emotional needs.
At the Harlem Vet Center, we offer individual and group counseling. We also provide referral services to appropriate resources in our community.
Care at our center includes:
- One-on-one hour-long counseling sessions targeted at your individual needs
We also offer group counseling. Our specialty groups include:
- Vietnam Combat Veterans
- OEF/OIF groups
- Combat Veterans (era integrated)
- Women Veterans
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 are here to provide ongoing support and therapeutic services to address the unique needs of sexual trauma.
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.
We provide an array of expert clinical services to address all aspects of both combat and non-combat trauma.
At the Harlem Vet Center, we offer individual and group counseling.
Care at our center includes:
- Anger management
- Stress management
- Activity engagement
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.
The Harlem Vet Center understands 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
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 easily refer Veterans and service members in need of such services to excellent programs for outpatient treatment or residential care at the local VA or 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.
Harlem Vet Center can connect you with the VA Suicide Prevention Coordinator.
We can help connect you to VA and community resources that will support you in achieving your goals.
Harlem Vet Center can help you with the following:
- Understand VA medical benefits and provide guidance on documents needed for enrollment
- Find a VSO to file claims and other benefits paperwork
- Connect you to representatives for VA education benefits
- Overview and referral for VA and state burial benefits
- Learn more about housing and VA home loans
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.
Harlem Vet Center supports local Veterans and service members through partnerships with government and community agencies, including:
- Law enforcement and other first responders
- Borough of Manhattan Community College
- Baruch College
- Department of Veterans Services NYC
- State and local elected officials
- National Guard and Reserve components
We offer workshops and classes if you want to connect with other Veterans but don't want a group counseling setting.
Historically we have offered various groups and workshops such as fly tying and writing group. Ask your counselor about any groups that you are interested in or that we may offer.
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:
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You served on active duty in any combat theater or area of hostility, or
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You provided mortuary services or direct emergency medical care to treat the casualties of war while on active duty, or
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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
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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
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You’re a current or former member of the Coast Guard who participated in a drug interdiction operation, or
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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:
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You’re a Vietnam Era Veteran who used Vet Center services before January 2, 2013, or
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You experienced military sexual trauma (no matter your gender or service era), or
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You currently use any covered VA educational assistance benefits
What are the covered educational assistance benefits?
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.