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Susan S. Erstling  Susan S. Erstling, LICSW, PhD, is Senior Vice President at Family Service of Rhode Island. She is a nationally-recognized leader in the field of victim support services and trauma work.She was the Principal Investigator of the U.S. Department of Justice, Safe Start grant providing services as well as outcome evaluations for children exposed to violence, including homicides, home invasions, assault, sexual abuse, and domestic violence and the Principal Investigator of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network grant, where she leads a team providing evidence-based services to children and families who have experienced abuse and neglect. These programs have led to additional partnerships with the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office, the United States Attorney's Office, Hasbro Children's Hospital and others to coordinate a system of care for families exposed to violence. Her program with the Department of Elderly Affairs provides 24/7 statewide response to elderly victims of abuse. Further, through a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice she directs the Rhode Island State Victim Assistance Academy in partnership with Roger Williams University Justice Studies Program, where she also serves on the Board of Directors. She is Chair of the Board of Directors of Lucy's Hearth, a shelter for women and children. Her department has recently received the prestigious MetLife Foundation Award for Community Safety Initiatives. Previously, Dr. Erstling held the appointment of Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry from 1981-1995 at The University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine and also has a number of publications in the area of children and families as well as a private practice in psychotherapy. She was on the Boards of a number of non-profits in Pittsburgh, PA. She is married and has two grown daughters.
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