New Orleans 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
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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Please contact us at 504-507-4977 to make an appointment. We can help you schedule an appointment that works for you, whether it is right away or based on your availability. Walk-in or same-day services are available.
If you’re visiting for the first time, please call prior to visiting.
We’re located in a building attached to the Hyatt Regency. We share the building with other VA and federal offices and Hyatt House. The entrance on Poydras Street is on the side of the building.
You’ll take the escalators to the second floor lobby, pass through security, and then take the last set of elevators to the fourth floor.
Please call us at 504-507-4977 and we’ll help you find our center. (If you’re driving, see Parking section for alternative directions.)
If you’re driving to the center, you may be able to find street parking or parking in garages close to the building.
We only validate parking from the Platinum Parking Building located at 1301 Girod Street. We advise you to enter this address into your navigation application if you’re using a GPS device.
Once parked in the 1301 Girod Street Parking Garage, do the following:
- Take the elevators to the second floor and follow signs to 1250 Poydras Building.
- Go through the Hyatt lobby and past Starbucks and FedEx Office.
- Once in the lobby of the 1250 Poydras Street building on the second floor, you’ll pass through security and take the last set of elevators to the fourth floor.
- You’ll see the glass doors to our center once exiting these elevators.
Please don’t hesitate to call us, as we’ll happily send a staff member down to assist you on your walk through the building complex from the garage. After your visit, we can provide you with a sticker that validates your parking in the 1301 Girod Street Parking Garage.
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 answer any questions you might have.
We’re located on the bus routes #115, #91, and #101. For all of these buses, get off at the Loyola Street stop, and travel 1 block north to 1250 Poydras.
Plan your trip online at New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA)
You can also call us for more assistance.
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.
Evidence-based therapy
Our qualified therapists are able to provide the full range of therapies for PTSD. This includes Cognitive Processing therapy (CPT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR). Give us a call today.
Meditation and relaxation skills
Our skilled and caring staff can assist with developing meditation and mindfulness skills to help with a wide variety of concerns. Contact us today to learn more.
Counseling services
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We offer couples and family counseling to support you as you work toward meeting your goals.
We have counselors who can provide services such as:
- Individual counseling for couples, spouses, children, and significant others
- Couples counseling
- Integrated behavioral couples therapy
- Gottman Method
- Family systems
- Functional family therapy
If someone close to you has died or you’re adjusting to a difficult life change, we’re here to support you.
We 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 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 customized for your individual needs
- Group counseling for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, Vietnam Veterans, spouses and significant others, and more
We offer evidence-based therapies such as:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
- Gottman Method couples counseling
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.
Military sexual trauma can happen to both men and women. If you experienced sexual assault or harassment during military service—no matter when you served—we provide counseling and treatment. We have a full range of evidence based therapies to include Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. We also have both male and female counselors available.
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 offer individual and group counseling.
Care at our center includes:
- Anger management
- Stress management
- Activity engagement
Evidence-based therapies such as:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)
- Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR)
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 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.
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 provide referrals to programs based on your individual needs. Please call us today for more information.
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 also provide briefings to the community on suicide prevention.
We can help connect you to VA and community resources that will support you in achieving your goals.
We understand that navigating the variety of resources can be a challenge. We can help educate you on topics 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 the VFW, American Legion, and other organizations within the community.
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?
- 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.