Anxiety & worry
Separation fears, bedtime worry, school avoidance, reassurance loops, and anxiety that starts shaping daily life.
Explore support about Anxiety & worry Aurora & Wheaton child therapy
Child & play therapy for families ready to feel steadier.
Roots to Branches Counseling Services helps children, teens, parents, and families move from daily stress into clearer language, stronger connection, and practical support.
Common concerns
What families are asking for support with.
Many families reach out because anxiety, self-esteem, anger outbursts, school stress, or behavior patterns have started affecting daily life. Therapy gives your family a place to slow the pattern down and understand what is underneath it.
Self-esteem & confidence
A child who doubts themself, avoids trying, feels easily embarrassed, or needs support building steadier self-trust.
Explore support about Self-esteem & confidenceAnger outbursts
Explosive reactions, big feelings, shutdowns, hard recoveries, and moments that leave everyone unsure what to do next.
Explore support about Anger outburstsSchool stress & behavior
Avoidance, peer conflict, focus challenges, defiance, transitions, and confidence that has started to fray.
Explore support about School stress & behaviorChild behavior patterns
Big feelings, repeated conflict, behavioral concerns, anxiety, and daily family friction that keeps coming back.
Explore support about Child behavior patternsPower struggles & defiance
Refusal, limit battles, anger, escalation, and repair after conflict when the whole family feels stuck.
Explore support about Power struggles & defiance Our roots
A child-specialized practice with family support.
Hi! I’m Molly Westfall, owner and founder of Roots to Branches Counseling Services.
I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor. In 2023, I founded Roots to Branches Counseling Services with a vision of providing nurturing, specialized, and evidence-based care to children and families. Over the past three years, our practice has both grown and deepened, expanding services while remaining grounded in our commitment to thoughtfully support families, even in the most complex and challenging circumstances.
The heart of our work is reflected in our name: Roots to Branches. “Roots” represent an individual’s inner strengths, cultural identity, life experiences, intergenerational patterns, and unique neurobiology. “Branches” symbolize growth, aspirations, potential, and authentic self-expression. Our role is to help bridge the space between the two, supporting each child and family in moving from roots to branches.
Core care paths
Specialized support for the whole family tree.
Both Aurora and Wheaton offer child therapy, play therapy, teen counseling, parent coaching, family counseling, adult therapy, and telehealth when clinically appropriate.
Play Therapy
Developmentally attuned therapy that helps children express feelings, practice regulation, and work through big feelings, behavior concerns, school stress, separation anxiety, and transitions through play.
Child Therapy
Support for big feelings, school stress, anger outbursts, separation anxiety, behavioral concerns, and patterns that leave parents unsure what to try next.
Teen Counseling
Steady support for adolescents navigating anxious stress, academic stress, family needs, and the work of growing into the next branch of support.
Parent Coaching
Practical, compassionate support for caregivers who want clearer language, calmer routines, and more repair after difficult moments.
Family Counseling
Therapy that looks at patterns across the whole family system so children, teens, and caregivers can move toward more secure connection.
Adult Therapy
Care for adults and parents carrying stress, transitions, relationship strain, or changing family needs.
Aurora & Wheaton
Two offices, one thoughtful intake path.
Child therapist Aurora IL
Child, play, teen, parent, family, and adult support for families across Aurora and the Fox Valley.
View Aurora officePlay therapy Wheaton
Child, play, teen, parent, family, and adult support from the established Wheaton office.
View Wheaton office Our team
Compassionate guides.
Clinician fit matters. Intake considers specialty, age, location, availability, and whether the work is best held in person or through telehealth.
Molly Westfall
MA, LCPC, RPT-S
Founder and registered play therapist-supervisor with a child-specialist focus.
- Child therapy
- Play therapy
- Parent coaching
Melanie Keirnan
MSW, LSW
Support for children, teens, adults, and parents.
- Child therapy
- Teen counseling
- Adult therapy
- Parent coaching
Kendall KJ Banks
MS, LPC
Support for children, teens, adults, parents, families, and men's mental health.
- Child therapy
- Play therapy
- Teen counseling
- Parent coaching
Cassie Nieves
MSW, LCSW
Therapy for teens and children navigating anxiety, grief, and anger management.
- Teen therapy
- Child therapy
Insurance & self-pay
Payment options for care.
In-network insurance
- Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO
- Aetna PPO
Self-pay ways to pay
- Private pay available
- Major credit card
- HSA
- FSA
- Check
Out-of-network superbills
For plans outside accepted networks, superbills can be provided for possible reimbursement.
Common questions
Helpful answers before the first step.
A few practical details families often want to understand before submitting an appointment request.
Do both offices offer child therapy and play therapy?
Yes. Child therapy, play therapy, teen counseling, parent coaching, family counseling, adult therapy, and telehealth support are available across both locations. The best fit depends on clinician availability, specialty, and your family's needs.
How do I know which therapist to request?
You do not have to figure that out alone. The intake process looks at age, concerns, location, schedule, and clinician specialty so your family can be directed toward a thoughtful fit.
What does the therapeutic process look like?
The process begins with a request or call so fit, concern, location, and availability can be clarified. For child-focused therapy, caregiver involvement is part of the work and early sessions help establish context before the care plan becomes more specific.
Do you accept insurance?
Roots to Branches is in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO and Aetna PPO. Private pay is also accepted, superbills can be provided for possible out-of-network reimbursement, and payment may be made by major credit card, HSA, FSA, or check.
Is telehealth available?
Yes. Telehealth is often useful for parents, teens, and adults, and may be appropriate for children around ages 8-9 and older depending on clinical fit.
How it works
From first request to deeper roots.
The first step is simple. The matching and care plan become more specific once Molly understands what your family is carrying.
1
Request support
Start with the appointment request form or a call. Share what is happening and which location may work best.
2
Get matched thoughtfully
Molly reviews fit, availability, age, specialty, location, and whether telehealth makes sense for your family.
3
Begin with context
Early sessions clarify strengths, stressors, family patterns, and goals before moving into deeper therapeutic work.
Resources
Parent-friendly guidance between sessions.
Resources will support the site’s service and condition pages while giving families practical language for the questions they are already asking.
Does my child need therapy?
Signs that big feelings, behavior, anxiety, or school stress may need more support.
Read more : Does my child need therapy?What is play therapy?
A parent-friendly explanation of how children use play to communicate and heal.
Read more : What is play therapy?Helping children with anger outbursts
How to think about anger as a signal instead of only a behavior problem.
Read more : Helping children with anger outbursts Begin
Branch out in Aurora or Wheaton today.
Request an appointment and we will help clarify fit, location, and the next step for your family.