THERESA M. ZUBRETSKY
tz@thesafetyzone.org

CURRENT POSITION

Director - The Safety Zone, Troy, New York
July 2001 - Present

Provide professional training, policy and program development on responding to chemically-involved battered women to professionals working within a wide range of systems including substance abuse, domestic violence, criminal justice, health care, and child welfare.

 

PAST EMPLOYMENT

Director of Human Services Policy and Planning - New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV), Menands, New York
November 1988 - July 2001

Directed development of domestic violence policy and programs for state and local Human Service agencies; established the Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse Project which provided training, technical assistance and policy development and implementation to substance abuse treatment agencies, employee assistance, community corrections, and domestic violence programs across New York State; developed and implemented Train-the-Trainer programs for diverse groups.

Director of Community Education - New York State Council on Alcoholism, Inc., Albany, New York
September 1986 - November 1988

Managed New York State Clearinghouse on Alcohol Information; coordinated statewide education and prevention programs; advanced statewide efforts to evaluate and strengthen the provision of treatment services to women; provided training and technical assistance to statewide network of local Councils on Alcoholism.

Program Director - Families in Crisis Program, Unity House, Troy, New York
August 1984 - August 1986

Managed residential and non-residential services for victims of domestic violence; facilitated development of a coordinated community response to domestic violence.

Shelter Director - Families in Crisis Program, Unity House, Troy, New York
August 1980 - August 1984

Directed development of shelter programs and services; provided crisis services including intervention, counseling, advocacy and referral.

 

SELECTED ARTICLES AND PUBLICATIONS

• "Promising Directions for Helping Chemically Involved Battered Women Get Safe and Sober." In Albert R. Roberts, ed., Handbook of Domestic Violence Intervention Strategies. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.

• Trainer's Manual on Adult Domestic Violence: The Alcohol/Other Drug Connection. OPDV publication for the New York State Addiction Technology Transfer Center, July 1999.

• Trainer's Manual on When Domestic Violence Comes to Work. OPDV publication for the New York State Employee Assistance Program, 1998.

• New York State Model Domestic Violence Policy for Counties. OPDV publication, 1998.

• Trainer's Manual on Domestic Violence and HIV/AIDS. (With Cynthia Knights.) OPDV publication for the AIDS Institute, New York State Department of Health, March 1998.

• The Safety Zone, content-driven domestic violence web site (featured on NPR's 51% in June 2000), 1997.

• Domestic Violence: Finding Safety and Support. OPDV publication for the New York Federal Executive Board, 1996.

• Domestic Violence Handbook (in PDF), a victims' guide to the legal system in New York State. (With Barbara Rio & Sherry Frohman.) New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000.

• "The False Connection Between Adult Domestic Violence and Alcohol." (With Karla Digirolamo.) In Albert R. Roberts, ed., Helping Battered Women. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.

• Curriculum Guide to Domestic Violence Training for Child Welfare Staff. (With Colleen McGrath.) OPDV publication, November 1995.

• "Adult Domestic Violence: The Alcohol Connection," Violence UpDate, March 1994.

SELECTED PRESENTATIONS AND ADDRESSES

• "Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse." Presentation at Substance Abuse and Victimization Forum, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and Office for Victims of Crime, Washington, D.C., April 2001.

• "Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse: Toward Better Practice." Keynote Address for Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse Conference, Bloomington, Illinois, May 1998.

• "Adult Domestic Violence: The Alcohol/Other Drug Connection." Seminar for Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, April 1997. · "Battered Mothers and Chemical Dependency." Intensive workshop at National Abandoned Infant Assistance Resource Center Grantees' Conference, Washington, D.C., May 1996.

• "Battered Women and Chemical Dependency: Helping Women Get Safe and Sober." Intensive seminar at 10th Annual Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division Conference, Greeley, Colorado, April 1996.

• "Cultivating Collaboration Between the Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse Fields." Keynote Address at Challenging the Myths Conference, Brownsville, Vermont, September 1995.

EDUCATION

College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts.
Bachelor of Arts, May 1980.
Empire State College - SUNY, Saratoga, New York 13 completed credits in Culture and Policy Masters Program

AWARDS, AFFILIATIONS, AND OTHER ACTIVITIES

• Invited Participant, National Symposium on Alcohol Abuse and Crime. Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., April 1998.

• Member, National Advisory Group for the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence Creative Approaches Project addressing the dual issues of domestic violence and substance abuse. 1997 - 1999.

• Recipient, Hammer Award, awarded by the Vice President's National Performance Review for authoring Domestic Violence: Finding Safety and Support, a comprehensive guide for victims of domestic violence, written as part of a joint initiative with the New York Federal Executive Board. 1997.

• Member, Review Panel for the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment project to develop a Treatment Improvement Protocol on Substance Abuse Treatment and Domestic Violence. 1996 - 1997.

• Invited Participant, National Symposium on The Role of Alcohol/Other Drugs in Domestic Violence. Johnson Institute Foundation, Captiva Island, Florida, March 1996.