Shulamith Lala Ashenberg Straussner

Shulamith Lala Ashenberg Straussner is a retired Professor, who served on the NYU Silver faculty from 1985 to 2020. She is an internationally recognized authority on clinical approaches to substance abuse and is the founding editor of the Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions. Dr. Straussner has been widely published, including 24 books, 29 book chapters, and 43 peer-reviewed journal publications on a variety of topics. Her current research focuses on “wounded healers” or wellness issues among social workers, and on mental health clinicians’ knowledge and views regarding medical and recreational cannabis.

Dr. Straussner is a current member of the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) Talent Management Committee and, from 2014-2018, served on the Fulbright Scholar Discipline Peer Review Committee. From 2008-2010, she was an invited reviewer for the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Social Work Peer Review Medical Research Program Panel of the US Army Medical Research and Material Command, and from 2009-2011, she was a consultant/board member on the SAMHSA funded Expand & Enhance Asian American Substance Abuse Treatment Services (EASTS) Project at Hamilton-Madison House. She also served on the National Center on Substance Abuse Treatment panel on workforce issues, and was the Northeast regional director for the multi-million dollar federally funded national Project Mainstream, an Interdisciplinary Project to Improve Health Professional Education on Substance Abuse sponsored by AMERSA/HRSA/CSAT.

Dr. Straussner is a founding member and past chair of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Section on Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs (AToD) and has chaired the New York City Women's Issues Committee of the Employee Assistance Professionals Association and been a second vice president of the NYC Chapter of NASW. During 2002, she was a keynote speaker for the Betty Ford/Hazelden Women's Healing conferences throughout the US, and during 2006, she chaired the National Association for Children of Alcoholics' (NACoA) Social Work Initiative to develop social work core competencies for working with children of alcohol and drug abusing parents. During Spring, 2019 she was a member of the CSWE National Task Force on Developing a Substance Use Curricular Guide for use by schools of social work.

In 2013, Dr. Straussner was the recipient of the Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Social Studies to the Czech Republic (the highest level of Fulbright awards), and during the 2006-07 academic year, she was a Fulbright Senior Scholar at the Academy of Labour and Social Relations in Kiev, Ukraine; a visiting professor at Warsaw University in Poland; and recipient of the Lady Davis Fellowship to Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Previously, she was a Fulbright Senior Scholar to Israel (2003) and a visiting professor at Omsk State University, in Siberia, Russia (2000). In 2020, she was named a Fellow of the Israeli National Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Dr. Straussner was honored for work for the NYU Faculty/Staff Assistance Program following 9/11, and was the 2003 recipient of the Individual Distinction in Addictions Education and Training Award given by the Institute of Professional Development in Addictions. In 2000, she was selected as Social Worker of the Year by the NASW ATOD Section. Dr. Straussner also received the Award for Lifetime Leadership to the Addictions Community from the New York City Chapter of NASW in 2008, and in 2007 she was inducted into the Social Work Academy of The National Academies of Practice as a Distinguished Scholar. Dr. Straussner was also nominated as the 2008 Outstanding Teacher from NYU Silver, and has been twice nominated for the CSWE Significant Lifetime Achievement In Social Work Education Award (2011 and 2012). Since 2011, she has been listed every year in Who's Who in America.

Dr. Straussner teaches in NYU Silver’s MSW, PhD, and DSW programs and is the founder and director of the School's Post-Master’s Certificate Program in Clinical Approaches to the Addictions. In recent years, she has been teaching global MSW-level courses on trauma and substance use problems in Italy and in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Israel. During Spring 2016, she was a visiting professor at NYU Shanghai. Dr. Straussner has previously served as Chair of NYU Silver’s Practice Curriculum Area and currently is Chair of the Human Behavior in the Social Environment Curriculum Area as well as co-chair of the Faculty’s Executive Committee. In the past, she has been on the faculty at the annual Summer Institute on Addictions Studies at the University of Amsterdam’s International School for the Humanities and Social Sciences and been a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Dr. Straussner was a member of the International Scientific Organizing Committee for the It Takes a Village International Conference that was held in Oslo, Norway in May 2019. She is currently a member of the International Scientific Organizing Committee for the International Conference on Social Work in Health & Mental Health: Challenges and Opportunities, which will be held in Jerusalem in 2022.

In addition, Dr. Straussner has served as a consultant to various agencies, hospitals, and EAPs in the US and abroad and has a private therapeutic and supervisory practice in New York City.

Dr. Straussner earned her DSW and PhD at Columbia University School of Social Work, her MSW at Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service, and her BA at City College of New York.

Stanhope, V. & Straussner, S. L. A. (Eds). (2017). Social Work and Integrated Health Care: From Policy to Practice and Back. New York: Oxford University Press.

Phillips, N. K. & Straussner, S.L.A. (Eds.) (2017). Children in the Urban Environment: Linking Social Policy and Clinical Practice (3rd Ed.) Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.

Phillips, N. K. & Straussner, S.L.A. (Eds.) (2016). Children in the Urban Environment: Linking Social Policy and Clinical Practice (3rd Ed.) Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas

Straussner, S.L.A. (ed.) (2014). Clinical Work with Substance Abusing Clients (3rd Ed). New York: Guilford Press (First edition, Main selection, Behavioral Science Book Club; Third edition selected one of “100 Great Books for the Social Worker's Library”).

Straussner, S.L.A. & Fewell, C. H. (Eds). (2011) Children of Substance Abusing Parents: Treatment Issues and Interventions. NY: Springer Press.

Straussner, S.L.A. & Phillips, N.K (Eds). (2003). Understanding Mass Violence: A Social Work Perspective. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Straussner, S.L.A. & Harrison, L. (Eds) (2003). International Aspects in Social Work Practice in the Addictions. New York: Haworth Press.

Straussner, S.L.A. & Brown, S. (Eds). (2002). The Handbook of Addiction Treatment For Women: Theory and Practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Spencer, R., DiNitto, D. & Straussner, S.L.A. (eds) (2002). Neurobiology and Addictions: Knowledge for Clinical Practice. New York: Haworth Press.

Phillips, N. K. & Straussner, S.L.A. (2002). Urban Social Work: An Introduction to Policy and Practice in the Cities. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Straussner, S.L.A. (Ed). (2001). Ethnocultural Factors in the Treatment of Addictions. New York: Guilford.

Straussner, S.L.A. & Zelvin, E.(Eds) (1997). Gender and addictions: Men and women in treatment. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson. (Featured in Psychotherapy Book Club).

(2010-2018)

“Co-Occurring Disorders Among Social Workers: What Do We Know? What Should We Do? (with J. Madison). National Association of Social Workers, New York City Chapter 50th Annual Addictions Institute, June 2018.

“Wounded healers: A multistate study of social workers’ behavioral health problems by race, sex, and age.” Social Work in the City: New Opportunities in Changing Times (with E. Senrich & J. Steen). New York City Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, New York, NY, April 2017.

“Wounded healers: Health, mental health, and substance use among baccalaureate social workers” (with E. Senrich & J. Steen) The Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors, Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA, March 2017.

“Adverse Childhood Experiences and problems with substance use: Results from a large-scale survey of social workers” (presented by J. Steen). Society for Social Work and Research, New Orleans, LA, January, 2017.

“Social workers’ wellness: Initial findings from a large-scale study” (presented by E. Senrich). Society for Social Work and Research, New Orleans, LA, January 2017.

“Wounded Healers: Substance Use and Intersectionality Among Social Workers: Findings from a National Study of Social Workers.” National Association of Social Workers, New York City Chapter 48th Annual Addictions Institute, June 8, 2016.

“Trauma Through the Life-Cycle, An International Perspective.” East China Normal University and NYU-ECNU Institute for Social Development, Shanghai, China April, 15, 2016.

“Trauma Through the Life-Cycle.” NYU Division of Life Long Learning and Continuing Education, April 1, 2016.

“The Processes and Problems of Doing a Large Scale Internet Survey.” NYU SSSW Mental Health Services Col{LAB]orative (w. J. Steen & T. Kravitz). March 21, 2016.

“Children of Substance Abusing Parents: The Hidden Population All Around Us.” New York University Alumni Day, October 24, 2015.

“Overview of Trauma Throughout the Life-Cycle: A Global Perspective.” NYU SSSW Common Day, March 3, 2015.

“Changes in Substance Use Disorders in the DSM-5.” NASW Addictions Committee, April 24, 2013.

“Writing for Professional Publications.” Visiting Scholar Presentation, Fordham University School of Social Work, New York, April 19, 2013.

“Publish, Don’t Perish: Everything You Wanted to Know about Journal Publishing,” (with C. Tosone). CSWE APM, Washington, D.C., Nov. 10, 2012.

“Impact of Job Loss on Professionals.” New York City Employee Assistance Professional Association, May 22, 2012.

“Substance Abuse and Trauma: Issues Through the Life Cycle.” Dean’s Distinguished Lecture, University of Kentucky School of Social Work, Lexington, KY, April 20, 2012.

“Motivational Interviewing: An Overview.” NYU Medical Center, Social Work Grand Rounds, March 12, 2012.

“Trauma Through the Life Cycle: An International Perspective.” Keynote presentation, Conference on Trauma Through the Life Cycle from a Strength-Based Perspective: An International Dialogue. Jerusalem, Israel, January 8, 2012.

“Workforce Issues In Addictions: The Changes in Medicine and Social Work.” NYU SSSW Conference on Substance Use: Responding to Changes in Policy, Research, and Services, Dec. 15, 2011.

“Children of Substance Abusing Parents: How Many Are in Your Caseload?” NASW NYC Chapter Continued Education Program, Nov, 2011.

“Does Social Work Education Impact Students’ Knowledge and Perceptions of Substance Abuse? (with E. Senreich). CSWE Annual Program Meeting, Atlanta, GA, Oct. 27, 2011.

“Everything You Wanted to Know About Journal and Book Publishing.” NYU SSSW Division of Life Long Learning and Continuing Education, June 6, 2011.

“Substance Abusing Women: Issues And Treatment Approaches.” Center for the Treatment of Substance Abusing Women, Haifa, Israel, January 6, 2011.

“The Client, Agency, And Policy Practice and Research (CAPP-R) Model: A Generalist Framework,” (with N. Phillips). CSWE Annual Program Meeting, Portland, OR. Oct. 16, 2010.

“Substance Use and Abuse by Women Through the Lifespan.” National Association of Social Workers, New York City Chapter 42nd Annual Addictions Institute, NYC, May 27, 2010.

“Why is this so hard? Social workers and vicarious traumatization.” NASW NYC Chapter Continued Education Program, April 7, 2010.

“Women and Substance Abuse Through the Life Cycle.” Association of Substance Abuse Professionals (ASAP) Annual Women’s Conference, Albany, NY, March 8, 2010.

MSW: Assessment & Treatment of Children of Substance Abusing Parents: An International Course in Tel Aviv

MSW: Clinical Practice With Substance Abusers & Their Families

DSW: Publication Development I