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Durham Social Worker Named Duke's Coordinator of Sexual Assault Support Services

Sheila Broderick is a licensed clinical social worker with 18 years of experience

Sheila Broderick, a licensed clinical social worker with 18 years of experience, has been named coordinator of Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS) in the Women's Center at Duke University. Her appointment begins Oct. 2.

SASS assists student survivors of sexual and relationship violence as well as their support networks. It also offers extensive educational programming to the Duke community. Broderick succeeds Jean Leonard, who left the position in August.

"I am absolutely delighted to have Sheila joining the Women's Center," said center director Donna Lisker. "She is a highly experienced and skilled clinician and will be a marvelous resource for our students, faculty and staff on issues of sexual and relationship violence."

Broderick most recently served as clinical services director for the Durham Crisis Response Center (DCRC). She also has been a psychotherapist in private practice since 2003.

Prior to her position at the DCRC, Broderick held leadership positions at Family Counseling Services of Durham, the Center for Child and Family Health at Duke University, Child and Parent Support Services in Durham and the Nurturing Center in Columbia, S.C. In addition, she has held faculty appointments at the University of North Carolina School of Social Work and the Smith College School of Social Work.

"I am very excited to be given the opportunity to serve the Duke community," Broderick said. "Working with the college population is one of the best ways professionally to make a meaningful impact on the elimination of sexual assault in our wider culture."

Broderick obtained her bachelor's and master of social work degrees at the University of South Carolina.

The SASS Office at Duke organizes a variety of education programs on violence risk reduction and prevention, in addition to training peer educators to facilitate small group discussions in residence halls with fraternities, sororities, cultural groups and other student organizations.

SASS also advises and consults with student groups working to end violence on campus, such as Men Acting for Change, a group dedicated to promoting positive masculinity and men's antiviolence work, and "Saturday Night," a student publication of narratives, poetry, commentary and images representing students' and their support networks' diverse experiences with sexual violence.

For more information, visit http://wc.studentaffairs.duke.edu/sass/.