Free and Low-Cost Marriage Counseling for Veterans

If you’re actively serving in the military, there are programs available to you that can help you strengthen your relationships with your loved ones.

Some of these programs are specific to your branch of the military. Your chaplains and counselors provide a range of services for couples including individual counseling, classes, and retreats.

You have another option as well if you’re an active service member or if it’s been less than a year since your service ended.

Military OneSource and Military and Family Life Counseling are confidential DoD programs that provide free non-medical counseling for service members and their families. This includes relationship and marriage counseling.

Through these programs, you and your loved ones can receive short-term face-to-face, telephone, or online counseling to address specific life issues. You’re limited to 12 free sessions per issue. Research shows that these programs successfully reduce anxiety and stress and improve relationship outcomes.

Non-medical counseling isn’t the only way to get support. Many military programs offer additional resources for families including education and consultation services.

The Military Family Readiness System provides an interconnected web of programs aimed to help strengthen service members’ relationships with their families. In addition to counseling, the services offered through this system include relocation assistance, financial counseling, career coaching, and emergency family assistance.

Some VA hospitals and clinics offer marriage and family counseling, but not all do. You can inquire at your local VA facility to learn whether couples or family counseling is available there.

You can also ask if they have a Family Services Department or Family and Couple Services Department and what services or programs are available through those departments.

You may also be able to get marriage or family counseling at one of the VA’s Vet Centers. These community-based counseling centers provide readjustment counseling for veterans who have served in a combat zone or who have been exposed to other kinds of military trauma.

Services available at Vet Centers include couples and family counseling as well as individual counseling for family members. You can read the full list of criteria for Vet Center eligibility here and search for your nearest Vet Center here.

The VA can be a great resource, but it isn’t always an option when you’re looking for veterans’ marriage counseling. Fortunately, there are also civilian-run programs that provide free or low-cost couples and family counseling to veterans:

• Give an Hour is a volunteer program that links licensed therapists with veterans, military families, and trauma survivors who need free individual, couples, or family counseling. The free counseling sessions are provided once a week for at least one year.
• The Red Cross Information and Referral Service for Military Families connects veterans with free or low-cost mental health services in their communities. The Red Cross even has a free Hero Care app for Android and Apple that can help you quickly find local emergency and non-emergency resources.
• The United Way has local chapters that provide information and referrals to free and low-cost local resources, including resources for veterans. They sometimes offer their own programs as well.

You may also be able to find special veterans’ mental health resources through your state mental health system. Just click here and select your state to find out more. Your state’s page will include hotlines you can call for more information.

The person who answers when you call can help you find out if your city or county provides veteran-specific services or if you are otherwise eligible for public mental health services in your state.

For more information on non-military programs that may be able to help, you can read our other article about free and low-cost counseling for veterans. That article focuses on general and individual therapy, but some of the programs listed in it offer couples counseling, too.

If you’re in crisis, please reach out. There are many ways to get the help you need. One option for quick access to emergency care is to call a local mental health crisis line. Just go to our state services page, select your state, and figure out which number you should use based on where you live. There are also mental health crisis hotlines specifically for veterans.

Whether you need inpatient or outpatient treatment, crisis lines will help you get the right level of care. The people who answer can provide compassionate, confidential support that respects your unique circumstances as a veteran.

Some VA facilities and non-military organizations have unique clinics or programs for veterans. Some of them offer marriage and family counseling as well as individual counseling and other services.

You can also read our other article on veterans’ counseling for more information about other local and regional specialty programs for veterans.

If you’re interested in faith-based therapy, many local and national non-profits offer faith-based programs, and free pastoral counseling may also be available at local churches and religious organizations where you live, including faith-based couples counseling.

If you’re a veteran, it can be hard to find affordable marriage or couples counseling. We hope this article has helped you find a great option where you live, but even if it hasn’t, you may have other options.

When time and distance create a barrier to counseling, online counseling can be a great option. If you can’t get couples counseling through telehealth programs provided by the VA or the Cohen Veterans Network, you can get online couples counseling that can fit any schedule from ReGain (a sponsor).

If you’re an active-duty military service member, a veteran, or a military family member, you don’t have to face life’s challenges alone. Getting the right help can change your life, and help is more accessible than you think. With the right support, you can get through the tough times together with your partner, strengthen your relationship, and build the life you deserve.