One of the biggest things to affect the private pay costs of therapy is the difference between therapist experience level. Rates vary between a Intern Therapist, Pre-Licensed clinician, Newly licensed therapists, and an experienced specialist.

An Intern Therapist is a student in a Masters level program that is completing clinical hours to earn their degree. A lot of private practices supervise these students so they can gain experience as well as offer low cost and sometimes free access to therapy.