United Counseling Services

About United Counseling Services

United Counseling Service is a community mental health and human services agency in Bennington, Vermont, that has served the region since 1958 and holds Certified Center of Excellence status. Alongside mental health, developmental, children’s, and psychiatric services, they run a substance use program built around outpatient counseling, an intensive outpatient program (IOP), case management, and harm reduction. New clients start with an assessment to match them with the right UCS service, and mobile crisis support is available around the clock within Bennington County. Under state guidelines, pregnant women who use substances are seen within 48 hours and people who inject drugs within 14 days, with other clients admitted as space opens.

Their IOP meets for at least nine hours a week and combines individual, group, and family therapy with case management, drawing on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP), and the Collaborative Network Approach. A virtual evening IOP is open to Medicaid members across Vermont, and clinicians also lead groups on co-occurring disorders, offer EMDR, and provide equine-assisted therapy through a local partner. Clients can reach peers and peer support specialists at any hour through the CHESS Health eRecovery Connections app, while the free Companion app supports family members and caregivers. They also provide individual and group therapy for teens ages 12 to 18, education on IV drug use and related infections such as HIV, and free overdose-prevention kits with Narcan and fentanyl test strips.