Mental / Emotional Support

Confidential

Personal Assistance Service (PAS) is the Duke employee assistance program. The staff of licensed professionals offers assessment, short-term counseling, and referrals to help resolve a range of personal, work, and family problems. PAS services are available free of charge to Duke staff and their immediate family members.

For assistance or to schedule an appointment, please call 919-416-1727 between 8 am and 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday. If you are contacting PAS outside of general office hours and are in need of immediate assistance, you can reach the PAS after-hours counselor for in the moment support or to request immediate response for a Critical Incident by calling 919-416-1727 and selecting Option #3.  

919-416-1727 (employees) | 800-327-2251 (out-of-state employees)

Confidential

• Clergy acting in their professional role at Duke can offer confidential venues for discussion with postdocs about their concerns. Duke Chapel acts as a moderator for the various faith groups at Duke. The Chapel convenes, supports, and advocates for all of the officially recognized Religious Life groups on campus that serve Duke community members, including Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu, Jewish, Latter-Day Saints, Muslim, Orthodox, and Protestant organizations and groups. Postdocs are welcome to reach out to Duke religious life group leaders.

Confidential

Office of the Ombuds

The Duke Office of the Ombuds offers impartial and confidential support on a variety of issues. In accordance with the International Ombuds Association’s Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics, the Office of the Ombuds serves as a resource to listen, discuss concerns, and help Duke community members navigate options for resolution of issues related to their work or education. Use of the Office of the Ombuds is voluntary. No one is required to meet with an Ombuds. Conversations with the Ombuds are informal and off-the-record.

Examples of Services Provided by the Ombuds

• Facilitates informal resolution processes
• Helps you determine how to handle a challenging situation
• Discusses how to approach a fellow community member who has made an offensive or insensitive comment
• Assists when you are uncertain what Duke policies or procedures apply to your situation
• Assists when you don’t know what individual or university department is appropriate to go to for an answer to a specific question or to obtain a particular service
• Helps when you feel as if you have been unfairly treated by anyone on campus
• Engages in “shuttle diplomacy” to help solve a problem between you and another person
• Helps you evaluate and select among a variety of options to address a concern with another person or department

Services Not Offered by the Ombuds

• Adjudicates or participates in formal university grievance processes
• Determines guilt of any party in a dispute
• Gets involved in any formal litigation or testifies in court, unless compelled to do so by law, subpoena, court order, or other formal legal requirement
• Provides legal advice
• Assigns sanctions to individuals
• Replaces the function of any official university office, department, or process
• Keeps records of students, employees, or faculty and/or conversations

For more information, visit ombuds.duke.edu.  

To schedule a meeting, email ombuds@duke.edu. To better protect confidentiality, please do not send a detailed message - just indicate, “I’d like to meet with the Ombuds.”