Rockford 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 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
Select a topic to learn more.
First-time visitor? Stop in during our regular office hours or call us to learn more about services.
We require masks inside the building. Many services are available on a walk-in basis and through telehealth.
Services are also available by appointment at our Community Access Points in Dekalb, Illinois, and Freeport, Illinois.
Call 815-395-1279 to schedule an appointment.
You don’t need to be registered for VA health care or have a VA service-connected disability to participate in Vet Center services. On your first visit, we’ll look for one or more of the following:
- Discharge documents (such as a DD214)
- 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.
Our Vet Center is conveniently served by Rockford Mass Transit (RMT).
Plan for an hour for a one-way trip from downtown.
We have a large well-lit parking area. You can park in any available space.
We’re located across the street from Meijer.
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.
Happy holidays!
We invited Veterans, their families, and community partners into the center to share individual treats and meet each other on December 9. Thank you to all who visited! Stay tuned for future events.
Rockford Vet Center groups
Our weekly groups include the following:
- Guitars for Veterans
- Conflict group
- Combat support group
- Post-9/11 support group
- PTSD support group
- Drop-in art group
Please call for more information about our groups.
Counseling services
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We offer couples and family counseling to support you as you work toward meeting your goals.
We offer the following evidence-based treatments:
- Emotionally Focused Therapy. This helps individuals and couples deal with problematic emotional states and interpersonal relationships.
- Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy. This approach uses a variety of strategies to promote greater emotional acceptance as well as concrete change.
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 the following:
- Bereavement counseling for family members of service members who died while serving on active duty or to family members of Veterans who were receiving services at the time of their death.
- Grief counseling
- Contact information to the Veterans Benefits Administration and National Cemetery regarding possible burial and survival benefits
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.
Our services include the following:
- One-on-one hour-long counseling sessions targeted at your individual goals
- Group counseling for post-9/11 Veterans and Vietnam Veterans; see our spotlight about additional groups
We use evidence-based therapies such as these:
- Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
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 anyone from any service era.
Our counselors use a trauma-informed care approach to provide therapy and supportive services to those who have experienced MST.
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. See our spotlight about our groups.
Evidence-based therapies are available, such as these:
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
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.
Our personnel are knowledgeable 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
Select a topic to learn more.
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 work closely with and refer to VA and community providers for addiction support, including these:
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.
Our primary focus is your safety. If you feel hopeless, suicidal, or in need of crisis care, let your counselor know. We can work together to help you feel safer and more optimistic about your future. Should you need the Veterans Crisis Line, in addition to calling them, you can also reach them via confidential chat by texting 838255.
Together we’ll work to help you stay safe and improve your world.
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
- How to learn more about VA education benefits
- How to get housing and home loans
- How to learn more about VA burial benefits
We can 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.
Our team works with local providers to collaborate and support Veterans and service members in our community.
Some of our partnerships include the following:
- YMCA
- Veterans Drop-In Center
- National Guard, Reserve, and active-duty units
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 (anyone from any 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:
-
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.
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.