Keysha X, M.A., BCBA (she prefers Keysha), speaks with the kind of authority only gained through deep experience. When she says she understands the challenges of her profession, those words ring with authenticity. She is passionate about helping others, and trusts the mantra that guides her life, “You’ll be okay.”
Keysha is the Clinical Director and Owner of Key Essentials, a minority and woman-owned firm providing intensive individualized Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) services to Inland Region families. Her interventionists address behavior skills training, receptive language, expressive language, daily living skills, community integration, and social skills for clients with developmental disabilities. In addition to the clients, KE staff also works with their caregivers, allowing families to participate more fully in the lives of their loved ones.
With more than two decades of experience in the developmental disabilities sector, Keysha recognizes both the widespread need for her company’s services and the necessity of recruiting fresh talent to the profession. “As an African-American woman with a Master’s Degree in Applied Behavioral Analysis, I’m somewhat of an anomaly. As an African-American female owner of a business providing ABA services, I pretty much stand alone.” She hopes to change that by seeking out and employing talented young minorities. “I’m living proof that with a little determination, it can be done!”
Observing that there was a significant lack of minority participation in her field, Keysha realized that minority families wanted to work with clinicians and therapists that represented them, so she founded Key Essentials in 2016. Her objective was to employ and train minority interventionists, then to empower them to do what they love. Currently the firm’s 40 employees offer high quality services to private individuals, group homes, and day programs throughout the Inland Region.
The future looks bright for both Keysha X and her business. Key Essentials became a preferred vendor with Inland Regional Center in 2017, allowing them to expand services to a greater number of clients. The firm will soon be credentialed with a number of insurance companies, thus increasing their reach and the ability to grow and help more people. Plans are already in the works for expansion into Pomona and the Valley.