Staff

Irene Shere - Early Childhood Educator

Irene Shere has been an educator for since 1970 and has been the Director of The Early Childhood Consultation Center in Bethesda and Dupont Circle since 1994. She is an early childhood specialist and consultant to families, preschools, and daycare centers working with children ages two through ten.

Consultations focus on children's emotional and social development and include areas such as creative discipline, anger management, sibling relationships, separation issues, toileting issues, and adoption issues, as well as school readiness, school placement and school adjustment.

Consultations to families include work on co-parenting differences and family stress and scheduling issues. Consultations to schools, both public and private, include classroom issues with challenging children as well as staff conflict resolution.

Irene also presents educational workshops on "Helping Parents and Professionals with Young Children" in which she focuses on the emotional and social needs of children and families. She has presented over 200 workshops for parents and professionals, including on-site workshops for businesses such as The Federal Reserve Board, The World Bank, The Women's Bar Association, and Goddard Space Flight Center, as well as for professional conferences, preschools, and parent organizations. Irene is editor and publisher of How Can I Help My Child? Early Childhood Resource Directory, a 300-page resource book for parents and professionals in the Washington Metro area and is the co-author of three children's books that have been featured on the television show Reading Rainbow. She is also the creator of iBlankie, an instruction manual and guide for common parenting questions.

Irene is a member of the American Counseling Association, the Association for Play Therapy, The Maryland Association for Counseling and Development, The Maryland Association for Marriage and Family Counselors, and the International Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development. She is a past President of the Potomac Association of Cooperative Teachers 1993-99, and a former preschool director and teacher. Irene has consulted on child development issues to The Washington Post, Working Mother Magazine, Washingtonian Magazine, Maryland Families, The Washington Times, Washington Parent, and Virginia Parent News.

Suzanne Holson - Lactation Consultant

Suzanne Holson has over 25 years of clinical experience working with mothers and babies at George Washington University Hospital. She is certified by the International Board of Lactation Examiners and also holds certifications on Infant Massage and Basic Life Support.

Suzanne is the owner of WEE ONE'S Breastfeeding Support in Northern Virginia.

Karen Schachter - Nutritionist

Karen Schachter is a licensed clinical social worker and certified nutrition counselor. She received her Masters Degree in 1994 from Smith College School for Social Work. After graduate school, she participated in Georgetown University Counseling Center's Cooperative Clinic, and received a certificate from The Washington Psychoanalytic Institute for completing a 4 year psychoanalytic psychotherapy training program.

Karen spent several years working with children and adolescents at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and the Children of Separation and Divorce Center. She has also worked with adults at George Washington University Medical Center in their outpatient psychiatry department.

Karen studied nutrition and holistic health at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. She combines her social work experience with her nutrition and health knowledge to specialize in helping busy families. Consultations cover finding the right foods for each family's bodies, developing a positive relationship to food and your body, and achieving a greater physical and emotional wellness in your family's lives. She offers psychotherapy as well as nutrition counseling for individuals, families and groups.