Rochester 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, post traumatic 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. We also offer couples and family counseling and can connect you with any other needed services in the VA or in the 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 Rochester 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? Stop by during our office hours and let's discuss how we can help.
- Please call 585-393-7608 to schedule an appointment with one of our clinicians.
We have a spacious parking lot at the back of the building with plenty of free parking for all.
Medical transport and DAV are also available.
You do not 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.
In the spotlight at Rochester Vet Center
Find connection, find camaraderie, find community
Learn more about the confidential and comfortable environment you’ll find at your local Vet Center.
Keeping Veterans Engaged During A Pandemic
Working hard to keep veterans engaged during this period of virtual therapy, we sponsored a Month of the Military Child family event at the Zoo, had a drive-by BBQ event, and we are planning a Vet Center picnic.
Counseling services
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We offer couples and family counseling to support you as you work toward meeting your goals.
Rochester Vet Center has Licensed therapists who offer marriage and family counseling to Veterans, actively deployed service members and their loved ones.
We also offer a spouse support group.
We’re here to support you if someone close to you has died or you’re adjusting to a difficult life change.
Vet Centers are privileged to offer bereavement counseling to family members of any Military member who dies on active duty. We also provide grief counseling to our eligible veterans who suffer the loss of a loved one.
If you or a loved one are in—or may be in—a potentially abusive or violent relationship, we can help.
Intimate partner violence refers to a pattern of physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse that occurs in relationships. We provide therapy services and will link you to resources. This support is available for both partners. We offer a specialized group, Strength at Home, that helps decrease aggression in relationships and increase communication.
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.
At Rochester Vet Center we offer individual and group counseling for war zone veterans of all eras as well as for veterans who have experienced MST.
Specialty group counseling includes anger management, Act, Seeking Safety, as well as activity groups.
We also offer evidence-based therapies, including
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy
- Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PET)
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 refers to when service men and women experience trauma from unwanted sexual activities that creates symptoms and struggles in life. We provide therapy to address issues related to MST. You and your therapist will create a treatment plan tailored to meet your unique needs. That plan may include individual, group, couples, and/or family therapy.
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.
Rochester Vet Center offers evidence-based therapies, including
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy
- Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PET)
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.
Whole health puts you—instead of your illnesses or conditions—at the center of care. We’ll work with you to develop a personalized health plan based on your values, needs, and goals.
Rochester Vet Center offers therapeutic activities such as
- Guided meditation
- Art Group
- Bowling
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 know that addiction and substance abuse issues often accompany trauma-related conditions.
We can easily refer veterans in need of such services to excellent programs at the local VA for outpatient treatment or residential care.
If you’re homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, we can help you connect with resources in your community.
Rochester Vet Center can refer you to the VA Homeless team or connect you to our community partner.
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.
Rochester 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.
Rochester Vet Center can help you know where to go and how to register for
- VA medical benefits and for care
- filing for claims and other forms
- VA education benefits
- Education and referral for VA burial benefits
- Housing and 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.
The veterans in Rochester are very fortunate to have access to many community partners here to support them. We are very knowledgeable about these agencies and can help Veterans access services which we might not be able to provide.
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.
Vet Center services are available to you at no cost, regardless of discharge character, and without you needing to be enrolled in VA health care or having a service-connected disability. If you’re a Veteran or service member, including members of the National Guard and Reserve, you can access our services if you:
- Served on active military duty in any combat theater or area of hostility
- Experienced military sexual trauma (regardless of gender or service era)
- Provided mortuary services or direct emergent medical care to treat the casualties of war while serving on active military duty
- Performed as a member of an unmanned aerial vehicle crew that provided direct support to operations in a combat theater or area of hostility
- Accessed care at a Vet Center prior to January 2, 2013, as a Vietnam-Era Veteran
- Served on active military 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 in that state.
- Are a current or former member of the Coast Guard who participated in a drug interdiction operation, regardless of the location.
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Are a current member of the Reserve Components assigned to a military command in a drilling status, including active Reserves, who has a behavioral health condition or psychological trauma related to military service that adversely effects quality of life or adjustment to civilian life.
We encourage you to contact us, even if you’re unsure if you meet these criteria. If we can’t help you, we’ll find someone who will.
Our services are also 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. We also offer bereavement services to family members of Veterans who were receiving Vet Center services at the time of the Veteran’s death, and to the families of service members who died while serving on active duty.
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.