Play & Expressive Therapy
For younger children, play is not just fun, it is how they communicate and process. Our therapists use play and expressive approaches to reach children who cannot yet articulate what they are feeling.
📍 Lombard, IL · DuPage County
Child & Family
Therapists in Lombard, IL
Your child does not need to be in crisis for therapy to help. Our licensed child therapists in Lombard work with children from age 4 through 12, helping them build emotional skills, process hard experiences, and thrive at home and at school.
- ✓ Ages 4 to 12
- ✓ Parents involved throughout
- ✓ Insurance accepted
- ✓ In-person & online
4.5★ on GoogleSee our reviews
BCBS · UHC · AetnaInsurance in-network
100% ConfidentialHIPAA compliant
Trusted by families across DuPage County
BlueCross BlueShield
United Healthcare
Aetna
Psychology Today Verified
TEAMS™ Care Model
Signs parents recognize
You know something
is not quite right
Parents often sense it before they can name it. Something has shifted. Their child is not themselves. You do not need a diagnosis or a crisis to reach out — noticing is enough.
Talk to our Care Coordinator →-
Meltdowns that feel out of proportion
Big emotional reactions to small triggers. Difficulty calming down. Behavior that surprises even them after the fact.
-
School refusal or sudden drop in performance
Stomachaches on school mornings, resistance to going, grades slipping without a clear academic reason.
-
Excessive worry or fear
Clinging, separation anxiety, fears that do not match their age, or constant reassurance-seeking that never quite settles them.
-
Something happened and they changed
After a loss, move, divorce, or frightening event your child has not been the same. They went quiet, or they went the other way entirely.
-
Social withdrawal or conflict
Struggling to make or keep friends. Frequent conflicts at school or home. Playing alone when they used to love being around others.
-
Aggressive or defiant behavior
Hitting, biting, persistent defiance, or explosive anger that goes beyond typical developmental behavior and is affecting the whole family.
Your care team in Lombard
Meet the child and family
therapists who will work with you
Our therapists know how to connect with children who are skeptical, scared, or simply not sure why they are there. Building trust comes before anything else.
Jami Aitken, LCSW
Director of Clinical Services
Children · Family Systems · Anxiety
Jami has spent over a decade helping children and families navigate anxiety, behavioral challenges, and difficult life transitions. She leads the clinical team and ensures every child is matched with the therapist who fits them best.
Cameren Rutz, LCSW
Clinical Therapist
Child Trauma · Family Systems · Behavior
Cameren specializes in working with children experiencing trauma, anxiety, and behavioral difficulties, always involving parents as active partners in the healing process rather than observers.
Rhealee Fernandez, LSW
Clinical Therapist
Child Anxiety · CBT · Play Therapy
Rhealee works with younger children using play-based and CBT approaches that make therapy feel natural and non-threatening. She helps kids build emotional vocabulary and coping skills in ways that actually stick.
Kelsey Fontano, LCPC
Clinical Therapist
Children · Behavior · DBT Skills
Kelsey works with children and families navigating behavioral challenges, emotional dysregulation, and the stress that difficult home or school environments create, using structured, skills-based approaches that parents can reinforce at home.
How our therapists work
Child therapy that meets kids
where they actually are
Children do not process emotions the way adults do, and they do not respond to adult therapy formats. Our therapists use age-appropriate approaches that feel natural to children while still producing real clinical results.
Your child will not be asked to sit and talk through hard feelings right away
Our therapists build rapport first. Depending on the age of your child, sessions may involve play, art, storytelling, or movement alongside structured conversation. Children reveal what they are carrying in the ways that feel safe to them, and our therapists are trained to work within that.
Trauma-Focused CBT
When a child has experienced something frightening or painful, TF-CBT provides a structured, evidence-based path to processing those experiences safely, at the child pace, with parent involvement throughout.
DBT Skills for Children
For children with emotional dysregulation and behavioral difficulties, our therapists teach age-appropriate DBT skills that help them identify feelings, tolerate distress, and respond rather than react.
Family Systems Therapy
A child's struggles rarely exist in isolation. Our therapists work with the whole family system, helping parents understand what is driving behavior and giving them concrete tools to support their child at home.
Behavioral Intervention
For children with persistent defiance, aggression, or difficulty following routines, our therapists use structured behavioral approaches that address root causes while giving parents strategies that actually work.
Telehealth Sessions
For some children, being at home makes it easier to open up. Our therapists offer secure video sessions for all Illinois residents, with the same quality of care as in-person.
Getting started
Three steps to your child's
first session
You are the expert on your child. We are the experts on child therapy. Together, we make it work.
Parent consultation first
You speak with our Care Coordinator before your child is involved at all. Share what you are seeing, ask your questions, and get matched with the therapist best suited to your child age, temperament, and situation.
A gentle first meeting
The first session is low-pressure. The therapist focuses entirely on making your child feel comfortable and curious, not on diving into hard topics. For younger children, it often feels more like play than anything else.
Growth for the whole family
Parents are active partners throughout. Your therapist gives you concrete strategies to reinforce at home, keeps you updated on progress, and involves you in sessions at the level that serves your child best.
Why Dayrise Wellness
Child therapists who treat
the whole family, not just the child
Children do not struggle in isolation. When a child is having a hard time, the family feels it too. Our Lombard therapists treat the full picture, giving both children and parents what they need to move forward together.
-
Matched to the right therapist
The fit between a child and their therapist matters enormously. Our Care Coordinator takes time to match your child based on age, temperament, and what kind of therapeutic presence they are most likely to trust.
-
Parents as active partners
You are not just the person in the waiting room. Our therapists give parents tools, strategies, and regular updates so the work that happens in sessions extends into everyday life at home.
-
The TEAMS™ care model
The only center in Lombard with TEAMS™, combining Therapy, Education, care Coordination, and Lifestyle Support to address the full picture of a child and family life.
-
Insurance verified upfront
We are in-network with BCBS, United Healthcare, and Aetna. We verify your benefits before the first session so cost is one less thing standing between your child and support.
500+
Clients helped
4.5★
Google rating
Ages 4+
Child specialists
What families say
Real Google reviews from
families in Lombard
★★★★★"Dayrise Wellness has been an absolute blessing. The staff is incredibly kind, compassionate, and professional, and they truly make you feel heard and supported. From the moment you walk in, the atmosphere is welcoming and calming. The therapists genuinely care about your well-being and take the time to understand your needs and goals."
★★★★★"Dayrise Wellness deserves every bit of a 5-star rating. The team is professional and truly focused on patient care. Krystyna is excellent at her job. She is attentive, and genuinely caring. The level of service and attention to detail sets this place apart. I would absolutely recommend Dayrise Wellness to anyone looking for top-notch care."
★★★★★"Every human that makes up this team has proven to be collaborative, compassionate, and lead with integrity. Jamie does, and has always, fought for the best interest of her clients and Krystyna has made such a big impact on this community, she has been a great bridge for helping people find care."
Insurance & payment
Child therapy your
insurance may cover
Our child therapists are in-network with major Illinois insurance providers. Our Care Coordinator verifies your benefits before the first session so there are no surprises when you are trying to focus on your child.
- BlueCross BlueShield
- United Healthcare
- Aetna
Don't see your insurance? Call us at (331) 425-8625. We will check your specific plan before your first session.
Not sure if you are covered?
Tell us your insurance and we will verify your child's mental health benefits, free, before you book anything.
Call to verify coverage →Frequently asked questions
Questions parents ask about
child therapy in Lombard
Our child therapists work with children from age 4 through 12. For adolescents ages 12 through 17, we have therapists who specialize specifically in teen therapy. For children younger than 4, reach out and we will help you find the right resource for your situation.
Keep it simple and positive. You might say something like: "We are going to meet someone whose whole job is to help kids with big feelings. You can talk, play, draw, whatever feels comfortable." Avoid framing it as something that happens because they did something wrong, or because something is wrong with them. Our Care Coordinator can give you specific language tailored to your child age and situation on your consultation call.
No. Our therapists spend the first sessions building rapport and making your child feel comfortable before any difficult topics come up. For younger children, much of the early work happens through play and creative activities rather than direct conversation. Children reveal what they are carrying when they feel safe enough to do so, and our therapists are trained to create that safety first.
It depends on the child age and what the therapist recommends. For very young children, a parent is often present for part or all of sessions. For older children, the therapist may work with them individually and then meet briefly with you afterward to share observations and strategies. Our therapists set clear expectations about this from the start and adjust as the work progresses.
Progress in child therapy does not always look linear, and it does not always start with the child. Sometimes the first shift you notice is in yourself, as you gain tools and understanding that change how you respond at home. Your therapist will set measurable goals with you from the start and check in on progress regularly. If something is not working, the plan gets adjusted.
In most cases, yes. Our therapists are in-network with BlueCross BlueShield, United Healthcare, and Aetna. Mental health parity laws require most plans to cover pediatric therapy at the same level as medical care. Our Care Coordinator verifies your specific benefits before the first session. Call (331) 425-8625 or reach out online.
Our therapists work with children experiencing anxiety, behavioral challenges, emotional dysregulation, trauma, ADHD-related difficulties, grief and loss, social difficulties, school avoidance, separation anxiety, family transitions such as divorce or a new sibling, and the general emotional overwhelm that comes with childhood. If you are not sure whether what you are seeing warrants therapy, our Care Coordinator can help you think it through on a free call.
This is very common and very normal. Most children who resist therapy come around once they meet their therapist and realize it does not feel the way they feared. We recommend not making a big deal of it beforehand and framing it matter-of-factly as a regular appointment. Our therapists are experienced with reluctant children and know how to build trust quickly. If resistance is significant, tell us on your consultation call and we will help you navigate it.
School counselors provide important support but typically carry large caseloads and focus on immediate academic and behavioral needs. Our therapists work one-on-one with your child in a confidential clinical setting, using evidence-based approaches for the full range of emotional and mental health challenges children face. Sessions are not connected to the school system and nothing is shared with teachers or administrators.
Where to find us
Child and family therapists
in Lombard, IL
Address
500 Waters Edge, Suite 100, Lombard, IL 60148
Phone
Getting here
Located on Waters Edge Lane, easily accessible from I-88 and I-355 in the heart of DuPage County. On-site parking available.
Nearby areas our therapists serve
Free parent consultation
Talk to us about
your child today
You do not need a diagnosis, a referral, or certainty that something is wrong. If you are worried about your child, that is reason enough to call. Our Care Coordinator will listen and help you figure out the right next step.
-
100% confidential
Your information is private and HIPAA-compliant. We never share it.
-
No diagnosis needed
You do not need a referral or a formal diagnosis to reach out. Concern is enough.
-
Flexible scheduling
Weekday and weekend slots available. In-person or telehealth, your choice.
-
Insurance verified first
We check your child's benefits before the first session. No surprise bills.
Tell us about your child
🔒 Your information is private, secure, and HIPAA-compliant.
If this is an emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.