Get Help with Personal Concerns

For some staff and faculty, the holidays can bring a slew of emotions, including sadness from losing a loved one.Duke’s Personal Assistance Service, known as PAS, typically sees an increase in visits right after the holidays.“The holidays are often a time of joy and anticipation,” said Andy Silberman, PAS director. “But they’re chock full of activities, additional demands and expectations. For some, the holidays can be a time of stress and disappointment.”

Throughout the year, PAS provides voluntary, short-term, confidential counseling and referrals to help Duke University and Duke University Health System employees resolve a broad range of personal, family and work problems. In addition, PAS offers consultation to Duke managers whose work groups are experiencing grief, loss and other issues.If employees or their immediate family members are struggling with a problem or stress that hasn’t been resolved using their usual coping strategies, PAS is a safe place to find help, Silberman said. Employees and their eligible family members can receive up to eight short-term counseling sessions per concern at no charge. For example, a staff member can visit eight times for a spouse or partner issue and then another eight times about a different concern, such as a loss in the family. PAS also makes referrals for additional services based on an individual’s needs and health insurance plan. PAS, which recently recognized its 30-year anniversary, met with 1,176 faculty and staff for individual services last year. Some of the most commonly discussed issues were stress, depression and grief, relationship issues, work difficulties, and concerns about a loved one’s substance use, Silberman said. In addition to one-on-one visits, PAS also provided help to more than 150 supervisors and departments dealing with workplace concerns. “These problems can and do interfere with one’s concentration, productivity, behavior and work performance,” Silberman said. “Nobody is a machine. But like machines, we too need maintenance and tune-ups to stay healthy and to keep running effectively.”PAS has also seen a slight increase in visits for relationship issues, which seems to stem from demands of dual caretaking roles. The average age of the Duke workforce is 44, meaning employees may be taking care of children and aging parents, a potential cause for stress at home and at work, Silberman said. “We’re all licensed clinicians, trained to listen, to understand, to provide perspective …from an objective point of view,” he said. “I have absolutely been privileged to share in the experience of a very powerful transformation for people in life-changing ways.”