KEY Therapy is a teaching practice comprised of licensed therapists/supervisors, therapy Interns and Post Graduate Associates (PGA). Our Intern/PGA therapists allow us to offer quality counseling at significantly lower costs to you. Interns and PGAs are carefully screened and selected, often with extensive back grounds in related fields, are all ages, and have rich and diverse life experiences. Students begin their journey with Key from internship to post-graduate practice, and are with our organization for an average of 3 years or more, offering continuity of care and follow through. All Interns/PGAs are closely supervised and have access to a large variety of resources, advanced trainings, peer groups and other supports to help them develop, and to ensure you receive the best possible care.

What is the Difference between an Intern and a PGA?

An Intern is a student who is enrolled in a graduate program to become a licensed therapist, who is completing their required therapy hours toward their degree. Interns have already completed advanced training and a practicum which is therapy services offered through their educational institution, and are supervised, not only at our office each week, but also by licensed therapists who are educators in their prospective programs.

A PGA has already graduated with a Masters degree in a therapy program and has completed the internship hours required to apply for their Associate license. PGAs will need to practice for 1-3 years, depending on their pace, in order to complete enough hours to apply for full licensure. PGAs are supervised weekly by experienced, licensed therapists at their place of work.

Benefits of working with Interns and PGAs include:

Increased Confidentiality:
When using insurance your personal information is accessible to your insurance carrier for review, at any time, without your consent. Out-of-pocket service records are not available to anyone outside of our practice, ever, without your written consent or a court order.

Decreased Pathology:
Insurance companies require a diagnosis. If you or your child are using insurance to cover the costs of your mental health, you have at least one diagnosis on file indicating that you have a "disorder." Once your diagnosis is established it becomes a permanent part of your medical record for a minimum of seven years. While you may still request an assessment to understand your diagnosis, out-of-pocket sessions remove the need for any pathology to be added to your or your child's medical records.

Greater Over site:
Aka: Supervision. Supervision is an industry term used to describe the mentor-mentee relationship between an inexperienced therapist or student, and a specialist with years of experience and advance training. Once a therapist has completed their full licensure, they are no longer required to seek Supervision. However, our students are heavily supervised by multiple experienced experts in the field. While identities remain confidential, with a student therapist, every Client receives a care team. This includes regular case assessments, peer reviews, and weekly meetings to identify and explore the best outcome for you or your child. This added value results in a level of over site and accountability that ensures you are well cared for with high standards and professionalism.

Affordability:
Our Student Interns are available for 60 minute sessions for a very low fee of $50. per session. This is as low as many co-pays currently required by insurance companies. Our Post Graduate Associates working toward licensure are $85. per session. This is HALF of the going hourly rate for licensed clinicians, and a great alternative to paying in-network deductibles.

Wrap Around Care:
All students are required to provide high levels of case management and collaboration with other members of a given care team. This includes working with other providers, schools, prescribers, DCF, re-unification specialists, guardian ad litems, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and anyone else who is important to the well being of the Client, including other members of the family system when appropriate. Because insurances largely do NOT cover wrap around care, it can be challenging to find a licensed provider who offers this level of care outside of a hospital or clinic setting.

Eagerness to Serve:
All of our Interns and PGAs are eager to be of service to you. They have invested years of education and training and are excited to finally offer up what they've learned and connect with people, and most of all, to help. You are why they went into this field, and they are so happy to be part of your growth experience.



If you would like a FREE consultation with one of our Interns or PGAs contact us at
203-261-7090 or
contact.us@keytherapyllc.com