NJRC Veteran Counseling
Cohen Veterans Network
No judgment. No complicated process. Just a welcoming place to start.
Whether you’re adjusting to life after service, dealing with stress, relationships, work, anxiety, or simply feeling like things have become harder than they should be, support is available. NJRC and Cohen Veterans Network are making it easier for New Jersey veterans and families to connect with confidential mental health support.
GET CONNECTED
One door. One intake. One case manager.
Serving 2,015 Veterans Connected to our Program Statewide.
Counseling in days, not months.
FEATURED INITIATIVE, LAUNCHING OCTOBER 1, 2026
CARE BEFORE THE CRISIS
Veterans mental health counseling with the Cohen Veterans Network and Easterseals. Every NJRC-referred veteran receives a social work evaluation and up to twelve individual counseling sessions for each episode of need, whether the problem is personal, work, behavioral, or relational.
Counseling begins in days, not months. Telehealth reaches veterans anywhere in New Jersey. There is no cost to the veteran, no waitlist, and no discharge-status question. Veterans whose evaluation shows a serious mental illness are connected to psychiatric care through the VA and NJRC's hospital partners.
This partnership began with Governor Christie, an NJRC board member, whose original grant started this work.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Early support keeps a personal problem from becoming a hospital bed, a jail cell, or a crisis.
ANY VETERAN. EVERY VETERAN.
“You served.
Life happens.
We’re here.”
― Sharon McGreevey
COMING HOME IS HARD. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO IT ALONE.
Veterans carry higher rates of mental illness, homelessness, and suicide than the civilian population. The causes are known: repeated deployments, combat exposure, traumatic brain injury, chronic pain, moral injury, and drug and alcohol use that begins as self medication. Too often, the veterans who need help most are the least likely to get it, because a less than honorable discharge closed the VA's door. At NJRC, that door is never closed to Veterans and families.
HOW IT WORKS
1. Reach Out → 2. Talk With Us → 3. Get Connected
Reach out
Call, click, or complete our short online form.
Talk With Us
A member of our Veterans team will introduce you to the program, answer your questions, and help you take the next step.
Get Connected
We will connect you with the Cohen Military Clinic for counseling and other support services.
Veterans may receive up to 12 individual counseling sessions per episode of care.
ONE DOOR. ONE INTAKE. ONE CASE MANAGER.
Counseling is one part of a complete continuum. From the day of reaching out, if you need more support, NJRC veterans receive::
- Mental health counseling through the Cohen Veterans Network and Easterseals
- Addiction detox and treatment placement, including medication-assisted treatment
- Medical, dental, and psychiatric healthcare through NJRC's hospital partners
- Emergency and sober housing
- Transitional and long term housing with BVH, SSVF, HUDVASH, DVA, NJSOS, and VA coordination
- Legal Services: Support with arrears, eviction matters, driver’s license restoration, expungements, fines, and warrants, as well as discharge upgrades through the National Veterans Legal Services Program.
- Recovery of the DD-214, birth certificate, State ID, driver's license, and Social Security card
- Medicaid/NJ FamilyCare, SNAP, and General Assistance enrollment, aligned with VA benefits
- H.R. 1 screening, exemption documentation, and benefits protection
- Veteran Fresh Food Pantry
- Employment training opportunities and career placement
- Onsite employment training at the Governor’s Reentry Training and Employment Center, with transportation provided
- Referral to VA Medical Centers and VA Behavioral Health Clinics for eligible veterans
- Coordination with the VA's Veterans Justice Outreach program for justice-involved veterans
Frequently Asked Questions
KEEPING YOUR MEDICAID AND SNAP BENEFITS
New federal rules under Public Law 119-21 (H.R. 1) require some participants to document work, training, education, treatment status, or disability to keep Medicaid/NJ FamilyCare and SNAP. NJRC screens every veteran for every category.
Veterans are screened for every exemption.
For Medicaid, a veteran with a total disability rating may qualify for a specific exclusion, and NJRC will help obtain and preserve VA documentation such as an award letter or rating decision. For SNAP, veterans may qualify for exemptions based on disability, medical condition, inability to work, household status, treatment participation, homelessness, or other hardship. NJRC gathers the documents, tracks the deadlines, and responds to the notices.
Full guidance, intake tools, and official State links are on NJRC's H.R. 1 Reentry Resources page at njreentry.org.
OFFICIAL VETERANS RESOURCES
VA.gov: Benefits, Health Care, and Records
Apply for VA health care and benefits, request military records, and manage claims.
VA Veterans Justice Outreach Program
VA specialists who work with justice-involved veterans in jails and courts.
HUD-VASH Supportive Housing
Housing vouchers with VA case management for veterans experiencing homelessness.
New Jersey Department of Veterans Affairs
State veterans benefits, service offices in every county, and the Veterans Diversion Program directory.
NJRC Veterans Justice Outreach Initiative
NJRC's initiative for veterans involved with the courts.
NJRC Veterans Outreach Center, Carteret
Home of the Speaker Craig J. Coughlin Veterans Center Food Pantry.
CLINICALLY DIRECTED. VETERAN FOCUSED.
NJRC Veterans Services is guided by Dr. Gloria Bachmann of Rutgers, Medical Director; Dr. Elie Aoun, four-board-certified psychiatrist at Columbia University; and Dr. Petros Levounis, past President of the American Psychiatric Association and Chair of Psychiatry at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. The program is led by Dena Lorusso, Administrator of Veterans Services; Alexa D'Alessandro, Veteran Outreach Coordinator; and Sharon McGreevey, Director of Veteran Correctional Services.
Dr. Gloria Bachmann
“We want to bring dignity to individuals and promote ways that clinicians can enhance their health and their wellness.”
Dr. Elie Aoun
“When you're talking about trauma, we have to separate between trauma that is clinically significant... and trauma that affects a person's functioning on a day-to-day basis.”
Dr. Petros Levounis
“PTSD doesn’t mean you are weak. We now know that developing PTSD is associated with compassion and imagination and creativity.”
Cohen Veterans Network, a global not-for-profit integrated network of mental health clinics, is committed to helping veterans and military families by reducing barriers to care.
Cohen Veterans Network is ready to assist you in overcoming the challenges of transitioning from active military service back to civilian life and beyond. Our clinics offer specialized, confidential therapy for depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, adjustment issues, anger, grief and loss, transition challenges, and other concerns you may be facing. We also offer marriage counseling, relationship counseling, and help with children’s behavioral issues.
Military Families Deserve Mental Health Support. We’re Here to Help.
“The wounds of war are serious. It is not easy to serve your country in combat overseas and then come back into society seamlessly, especially if you are suffering.”
― Steven A. Cohen
New Jersey Reentry Corporation | www.njreentry.org | In partnership with the Cohen Veterans Network and the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Easterseals