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Kids show you what’s wrong before they can explain it. Our therapists work with children as young as three, using play, art, and other approaches that don’t require a child to sit still and describe their feelings.
Almost entirely play. A child this age can't hold a conversation about their feelings, so the therapist works through what shows up in the toys, the drawings, and the stories they build. You'll be in and out of the room depending on the week.
A mix. Kids this age can name some of what's going on and still need play and art to reach the rest. Sessions start including more direct conversation, and they start having opinions about what they want to work on.
Closer to talking, with play as a way in on hard days. Some kids this age do better on our teen therapy page, and we'll tell you which fits after the first session.
A parent watching through the door sees their kid stacking blocks and wonders what they’re paying for. Fair question.
A seven-year-old can't tell you they're anxious about a move. They can put two figures in separate rooms and make one leave. Your therapist works with it there, in the story.
Your therapist picks what's on the shelf and watches what your child does with it. Each session builds on what the last one surfaced. The toys are the equipment.
A four-year-old works almost entirely through play. A ten-year-old moves between playing and talking in the same session. Your therapist follows the child, not a schedule.
Nobody here is a registered play therapist. That's a credential through the Association for Play Therapy, and none of our clinicians hold it. Sheri McCue is certified in art therapy.
Stomachaches before school, a kid who won't sleep alone, or one who needs to know the plan for every hour.
Meltdowns that outlast the trigger, hitting, or a child who's fine at school and comes apart at home.
Homework that takes three hours, lost everything, and a kid who's already decided they're the bad one.
Doors, hands, words that don't sound like them. Underneath there's usually something they can't say yet.
No invitations, a friendship that keeps collapsing, or a kid who plays alongside other children instead of with them.
Someone's targeting them, or they've started doing it. Both need looking at.
A death in the family, or a pet. Young kids grieve in pieces and then go back to playing, which throws parents.
A move, a divorce, a new sibling, a parent deployed. The behavior often shows up months after the event.
Yours might be something else. Bring it to the first call.
With younger children you'll sit in for parts of a session and step out for others. Your therapist tells you which and why. That balance shifts as your child gets older.
Some appointments are yours without your child there. You'll cover what's working at home, what isn't, and what to try next. These aren't therapy for you, they're strategy for the situation.
What your therapist is working on and why. What's changing. What to do differently at home. With young children there's little kept from you, which is the opposite of how this works with teenagers.
Sheri McCue is certified in it. A child draws what they can't narrate, and the drawing gives your therapist something to work from. Useful for trauma and for kids who freeze when asked direct questions.
A listening-based intervention that works on the nervous system rather than through conversation. Amanda Eannarino is certified in it, and Sheri McCue uses it in her work. Used with children who are anxious, easily overwhelmed, or sensitive to noise and touch.
For children carrying something specific: an accident, a loss, something that happened to them. Amanda Eannarino is certified in it, and Charles Vorderer is EMDR Level 1 trained. Both adapt it for how young clients process.
Amanda Eannarino works with autistic children and their families, and Charles Vorderer tests for autism when a diagnosis is the open question. Sessions are built around how your child processes, with sensory-aware pacing and no pressure to make eye contact.
Sometimes a child needs assessment before treatment. Charles Vorderer is a psychometrician and tests for ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and learning needs. Three steps: a consultation, the assessment, and a session walking you through what it found.
4209 W Shamrock Lane, Suite E. Easy from Crystal Lake, Woodstock, Cary, and across McHenry County. Free parking.
Works better than parents expect for school-age kids, less well for the youngest ones. Your therapist will tell you which your child is after meeting them.
We bill under your child's own diagnosis, on your plan. Straightforward for anxiety, depression, ADHD, and behavioral concerns. We check your specific plan before you book, so you know your copay going in.
Sessions without your child present usually bill under their diagnosis too, since the work is part of their treatment. Ask how yours will be handled, because plans vary on this one.
Sessions run [$X to $X], with a sliding scale available. Safe and Sound Protocol and art therapy are billed as regular sessions, not as add-ons.
Keep it plain. Someone whose job is helping kids with worries, or with feeling angry, and there’ll be toys. Skip the word therapy if it worries them. Most kids stop asking after the first visit.
Expected, and not a problem. Play and art are the way in for exactly this. Your therapist has spent whole first sessions with a child who said nothing and still learned plenty.
Depends what you’re dealing with. Anxiety or a behavior issue often runs 12 to 20 sessions. Trauma takes longer. Your therapist tells you where things stand rather than keeping you booked with no end in sight.
Sometimes both. If the trouble sits between people in the house, family sessions may do more. Your therapist will say which after meeting your child.
Your therapist can identify what they’re seeing and put a diagnosis on the chart when one applies. We also do formal testing for learning disabilities, ADHD, and autism, which is a separate service with its own process. Ask on the first call and we’ll tell you which your child needs.
Yes, in person in McHenry and online across Illinois.
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