Dr. Anthony Shacar

Do you have concerns about your child's behavior or development? Do you need help with parenting strategies for challenging behaviors? Or do you just want to improve your relationship with your child? I can help you better understand your child's behavior and help you meet his or her needs. I have been working with children with special needs for over 20 years. When it comes to children, I believe that all children are special, and therefore have "special" needs. Thus, it is important for parents to understand their children's individual profiles and help them reach their greatest potential. I believe this is best done by strengthening the parent-child relationship and therefore approach my work from an attachment theory perspective. Attachment theory looks at the important early relationships in a child's life and how these relationships impact his/her development and the relationships he/she creates with others throughout his/her lifetime. I also believe that the therapeutic relationship is equally important and therefore offer a complimentary one-hour consultation. Please call me at (310) 310-4405.

Dr. Shacar has been working in the field of child development for over 35 years. His work began in 1984 as a part of the Rollins College Child Development Center (RCCDC). At the RCCDC he began an ongoing quest to answer epistemological questions such as “When does the biological organism become a thinking entity?” “How do infants come to know the world?” and “How can their caregivers facilitate optimal growth, learning, and development?” Dr. Shacar went on to work as an infant/toddler caregiver for Marin Day Schools in San Francisco. During his 5-year tenure there, he was exposed to the “Resources for Infant Educarers” or “RIE” philosophy and subsequently received intensive training with founder Magda Gerber at her center in Los Angeles.

Throughout his graduate education, Dr. Shacar sought out opportunities to gain experience working with children of all ages, from diverse populations, and presenting with a broad range of challenges. His practicum and internship work has afforded him experience counseling participants in a drug and gang diversion program for middle school students, working with children at the elementary school level with academic and family issues, and delivering early intervention services to children with special needs and their families. As a result of his work with infants and young children with special needs, Dr. Shacar became certified in Infant Mental Health through the Child Development Institute in Woodland Hills, California.

After Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Shacar moved to the New Orleans area to participate in the initial phase of the Louisiana Quality Start program, an initiative aimed at improving the quality of child care in the state of Louisiana. Dr. Shacar found it extremely rewarding to be a part of the rebuilding process for the Greater New Orleans community. Through his work on this project, Dr. Shacar also studied under Dr. Charles Zeanah, author of the Infant Mental Health Handbook.

Upon returning to California, Dr. Shacar began working for Children's Hospital Los Angeles where he was part of the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities -- a joint venture between CHLA and the University of Southern California, specializing in working with children with Developmental Disabilities, who had complicated medical histories, and who were victims of trauma and/or abuse. More recently Dr. Shacar was the director for a child abuse and prevention program, funded by the Department of Child and Family Services of Los Angeles County before transitioning to private practice at Greenhouse Therapy Center. 

Contact: 310-310-4405, [email protected]
Accepts insurance: Yes. In-Network: Anthem, Aetna, Cigna.
Areas of expertise include: Infant Mental Health/Early Intervnetion, Autism, Anxiety, Adoption, Learning Disabilities, Oppositional Defiance, ADHD, Trauma and PTSD
Client Focus: Age 0-10
Licensed by the California Board of Psychology, Licence #PSY23798