San Juan 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.
View more San Juan 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
Click on a topic for more details.
First-time visitor?
Stop by during our office hours, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or just give us a call at 787-749-4409,787-749- 4410.
Please call if you’re interested in scheduling an appointment with one of our counselors. Non-traditional hours are available.
Our location is conveniently located near several public bus lines.
Visit Departamento de Trasportación y Obras Públicas to check the routes and schedules
We’re located at the San Patricio Office Center in Suite 104. We’re behind the San Patricio Mall in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
Our parking lot is on the third floor of the attached parking garage, in the back end of the San Patricio Office Center Building. We have accessible parking and an accessible entrance to the Vet Center. You can park in any of our reserved parking spaces.
If you need assistance, please do not hesitate to call us at 787-749-4409, ext. 4410.
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 check 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 San Juan 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.
Vet Center testimonial video
Some Vet Center team members are often Veterans, too.
We’re prepared to discuss the tragedies of war, loss, grief, and transition after trauma.
Want to learn how to play the guitar?
Guitars 4 Vets meet weekly at the Vet Center on Mondays and Tuesdays from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. If you are interested in joining, give us a call at 787-749-4409.
Counseling services
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We offer couples and family counseling to support you as you work toward meeting your goals.
We use evidence-based practices in our counseling for couples and families.
We also offer spouse groups at these times and locations:
- On-site on Mondays, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- At the Ceiba Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) on the third Thursday of the month, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
If someone close to you has died or you’re adjusting to a difficult life change, we’re here to support you.
We offer grief counseling to family members of Veterans and service members. We can also provide contact information to the Veterans Benefits Administration and National Cemetery Administration regarding possible burial and survival benefits.
If you or a loved one are in—or may be in—a potentially abusive or violent relationship, we can help.
We work closely with VA Caribbean Healthcare System's Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Program, and may coordinate referrals to further support you on your goals to prevent potentially abusive or violent relationships in your life.
If you're a Veteran who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, or a related identity, we can help you find counseling, support, and referral services to meet your specific needs.
We proudly celebrate diversity among those we serve. We work closely with the LGBTQ+ Veteran care coordinator at our local VA and can make direct referrals.
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 have many groups available, such as these:
- Readjustment group
- Mindfulness group
- Era-specific groups, such as Vietnam, Global War on Terror, and Desert Storm
- Women Veteran groups
- Music group (Guitars 4 Vets meets in our facility on Mondays and Tuesdays from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
Learn more about Guitars 4 Vets
We offer evidence-based therapies for individuals who are interested in these intervention modalities:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Prolonged Exposure (PE)
- Motivational Interviewing
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.
Our counselors use a trauma-informed care approach to provide therapy and supportive services to those who have experienced military sexual trauma (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.
Symptoms of PTSD such as feeling on edge, having trouble with sleep or motivation, or experiencing shifting moods, may be getting you off track. We can provide the tools to manage these problems. Call to learn how we can help.
Learn more about PTSD and treatment options
We offer these evidence-based practices and specialty care:
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Prolonged Exposure (PE)
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 are here to welcome you home. We provide a community where you can connect with other Veterans and active-duty service members.
Whether you’re returning from deployment or leaving the military, we can help you connect with:
- Applying for VA health care
- Reviewing VA benefits
- Employment and training opportunities
Give us a call, we’ve got your six.
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.
Please let our Counselors know about your interest in Whole Health so that we may connect you with these services.
If you’re a woman Veteran transitioning to civilian life, we can help you find counseling, support, and referral services to meet your specific needs.
We’re staffed with counselors who can focus on the needs of women Veterans and service members. Our goal is to provide an environment free from harassment that meets the unique needs of women Veterans.
Referral services
Click on a service for more details.
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 connect you to the New Beginnings Program at the San Juan VAMC or other community providers.
If you’re homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, we can help you connect with resources in your community.
If you’re homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, we can help you connect with resources in your community.
Our team can connect you with the VA's Homeless Heroes Program. The program's national number is 877-424-3838.
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.
If you need help and want to connect with another Veteran or service member, we are here. Some of our staff are Veterans, too. We understand Veteran and military experiences and can provide one-on-one counseling.
We can also connect you with our Suicide Prevention Coordinators at the San Juan VA Medical Center (VA Caribbean Healthcare System).
We can help connect you to VA and community resources that will support you in achieving your goals.
Understanding your benefits, navigating health care, and choosing what is best for you are sometimes difficult tasks to manage. We can help connect you with benefits, services, and programs that support your transition from the military.
Let us help you with these tasks:
- Enrolling in VA health care and connecting with primary care
- Finding where to file a disability claim and the necessary steps to take
- Using your VA education benefits
- Finding how to apply for and use your VA home loan
- Accessing VA burial and survivor benefits
We can help you make direct connection with a Veteran Service Officer in your city or town and local Veterans Service Organizations.
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 our local partners and use our resources to advocate for your needs.
We collaborate with the following partners:
- Disabled American Veterans
- American Red Cross
- Military One Source
- Wounded Warrior Project
Please call us if you’d like to learn more.
We offer secure and confidential individual and group counseling through telehealth. You can schedule a phone or video appointment for Vet Center services.
We can coordinate Telehealth care directly with you, using multiple modalities to include Video Visits and care by telephone. Please let us know your expressed preference so that we may coordinate accordingly.
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.