Ventura Vet Center
We offer confidential Readjustment Counseling 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
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First time visitor? Give us a call at
We understand that you may not know what to expect for your first counseling appointment with the Vet Center. Upon your first visit expect the following:
- You will receive and be required to complete an intake packet which includes demographic information, confidentiality documentation, and release of information forms(optional) to enable communication with current providers or family members.
- Appropriate assessments will be made ensure that you and those around you are safe and have access to basic needs and serivces.
- You and your counselor will establish trust, rapport, and develop a treatment plan that best fits your needs.
- Follow-up appointments times will be determined by you and your counselor .
You do not need to be registered in the Veterans Health Administration or have a service connected disability rating to engage in Vet Center serivces. Upon 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 display appropriate eligibility criteria
Request Your Military Service Records | Veterans Affairs (va.gov)
If you do not have these documents we can assist you in obtaining them that will enable counseling services.
Parking at the Vet Center is free and accommodates parking with wheelchair access. Parking is located behind the Vet Center on the corner of Santa Clara and Ash St. There is designated Vet Center parking, however one can also park curbside on Santa Clara and Ash St.
Gold Coast Transit bus route 6 stops on the corner of Santa Clara and Ash St. It travels from the Oxnard Transit Center (OTC) to Ventura via C St., Victoria Ave., Main St. and Ventura Ave. every 20-25 minutes. Plan your Route 6 - Gold Coast Transit District trip.
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.
Ventura County Veterans Collaborative
The Ventura Vet Center has collaborated with the Veteran Collaborative of Ventura County. The mission is to connect Veterans and their families to service providers who offer benefits and services throughout the county.
Counseling services
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We offer couples and family counseling to support you as you work toward meeting your goals.
The Ventura Vet Center has clinicians who can provide services such as:
- Individual counseling for couples, spouses, and significant others
- Couples/marriage counseling to resolve military related problems.
If someone close to you has died or you’re adjusting to a difficult life change, we’re here to support you.
Our Vet Center offers bereavement counseling to any family members of Armed Forces personnel who died in the service of their country. Also eligible are family members of Reservists and National Guardsmen who die while on duty.
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.
The Ventura Vet Center offers individual and group counseling. If you’re struggling with PTSD, depression, grief, anger, or an unprocessed trauma, we offer evidence based therapeutic interventions that are effective in treatment.
Care at our center includes:
- One-on-one counseling sessions targeted at your individual needs
- Group counseling is offered to those who will benefit from this approach to treatment.
The following evidence-based therapies are provided:
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Internal Family Systems (IFS)
- Motivational Interviewing (MI)
- Problem Solving Therapy (PST)
- Gottmann 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.
To discreetly request MST counseling services simply ask for "SARA" and a Sexual Assault Response Advocate (SARA) will promptly align services with a Readjustment Counselor. With your permission, the Vet Center's Sexual Assault Response Advocate (SARA) can assist with establishing access and coordinating care with a Readjustment Counselor, VA healthcare provider, or other community partners to provide appropriate serivces and treatment.
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.
Even if your symptoms come and go, or surfaced months or years after the traumatic event, we can help. Effective evidence based treatments (EBT) are available to you. Call us at
Military service can affect your emotional, mental, and physical health. We offer recreation and creative arts therapy through activities that can be adapted to your needs.
Mindfully Moving Yoga Group
Mindfully Moving Yoga is a sensory enhanced form of yoga with props (chair) to assist in making yoga available for every body type and ability. Yoga and meditation practice helps to improve our overall wellness by taking time out to deepen our breath and move our bodies in ways that increase flexibility, strength, balance and emotional resilience. Beginners to yoga are welcome.
Singing Bowls Relaxation Group
When we relax with the sounds of Tibetan singing bowls or the gong, our concentration improves and our emotional tensions and blockages are eased. The sound with its vibrations can ease mental or emotional pain (low self-esteem, worries, fear, anger, anxiety, depression, insomnia). Tibetan singing bowls are used for deep relaxation and muscle regeneration, to relieve pain in the joints, muscles and shoulders, to ease pain related to sciatica, the digestive system, headaches and migraine or spine injuries, to improve circulation, release tensions or blockages, to open the energy flow, eliminate the toxins from the body. Tibetan singing bowls and their unique tones are used to stabilize blood pressure, to ease asthma related issues, to renew the functioning of the adrenal gland, to open and stabilize the meridians and to improve the synaptic responses in our brain.
These recreation groups are facilitated by the following licensed therapists:
Robin Briceño, RYT
Registered Music Therapist
Registered Yoga Instructor & Expressive Arts Therapist
Certified Accessible Yoga Instructor
Certified Warriors At Ease Yoga & Meditation Instructor
Certified Hatha & AIReal Yoga TM
And
Gillian Hinton McDonald, LCSW
Director of the Ventura Vet Center
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.
It is common for many returning service members to enroll in college. The GI Bill and the Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program will support your academic goals. To learn more about these programs visit the websites below.
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.
At the Ventura Vet Center, we work to bridge mental health care with every other aspect of Veterans’ lives. You can expect your counselor to help you highlight the connection between mental health and various aspects of self-care, e.g., food and drink, working your body, surroundings, spirit and soul, personal development, recharging, and relationships.
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 offer evidence-based therapies and referrals (as needed) to support your goals.
Please call the Ventura Vet Center at
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 one is having thoughts of death, suicide or homicide, it’s important you talk to someone right away. The Veterans Crisis Line offers free, confidential support, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
- Call
and Press 1 - Chat online
- Text 838255
We can help connect you to VA and community resources that will support you in achieving your goals.
Listed below are websites to community partners who provide critical services for the Veteran population in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties:
Veteran Services - Ventura County assists with obtaining VA benefits to include filing for VA disability compensation.
Veterans' Services | Santa Barbara County, CA - Official Website (countyofsb.org) assists with obtaining VA benefits to include filing for VA disability compensation.
Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner Outpatient Clinic | VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care | Veterans Affairs services include: Primary Care; Women's Health; Dietetics (Dietician); Physical Therapy and Mental Health.
Santa Barbara VA Clinic | VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care | Veterans Affairs services include: Primary Care; Women's Health; Dietetics (Dietician); Physical Therapy and Mental Health.
Home - Gold Coast Veterans Foundation programs and services. (gcvf.org) mission is to reduce or eliminate suffering, lowered quality of life, re‐integration difficulties, and negative lifetime outcomes of American military veterans.
Home - Workforce Development Board of Ventura County (workforceventuracounty.org) is your one-stop shop for workforce services, providing a comprehensive range of no-cost employment and training services for employers and job seekers.
Reins of HOPE (rohvc.org)Improving mental health and well-being for individuals by empowering and building resiliency through Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
Vietnam Veterans of Ventura County – All gave some. Some gave all. (vvvc.org)Connecting Ventura County Vietnam Veterans for social and mental health support
Veteran Collaborative of Ventura County – Human Services Agency Our mission is to connect Veterans and their families to earned benefits and services.
Santa Barbara Veterans Collaborative | Home (sbcveterans.org) Connecting resources that promote positive physical and mental wellness, family cohesion and resilience, and growth of the veteran community.
Team Red, White & Blue (teamrwb.org)Community of Veterans, Service Members, military families, and supporters, united by teamwork, shared values, and a common goal.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. - VFW The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a nonprofit veterans service organization comprised of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, guard and reserve forces.
The American Legion a U.S. Veterans Association As the nation's largest VSO, we relentlessly champion Veterans and service members on Capitol Hill, support military families, and are dedicated to ending veteran suicide.
DAV CALIFORNIA - Home Provide free, professional assistance to Veterans of all generations in obtaining VA and other government benefits earned through service.
AMVETS: Serving American Veterans Enhance and safeguard the entitlements for all American Veterans who have served honorably and to improve the quality of life for them, their families, and the communities where they live through leadership, advocacy and services.
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.
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 (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:
-
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.