We just pulled off what treatment centers couldn’t ✈️

troubled teen industryrelatable mental health support for gen zalternatives to therapytroubled teen coaching
Written By Hayley Caddes

Missed u!! 💚

Omg so happy to be back at this after a brief, but necessary, two-month hiatus. Colin and I have been going nonstop, and we are excited to share what we’ve done and where we’re going next! Some highlights we’ll cover in upcoming newsletters:

  • We hired our first new coaches! Intros to come soon 😊

  • We have a new amazing assistant, Gen, who is helping me and Colin get our sh*t together. Bc no one should run a business alone!

  • We hosted our first in-person retreat in Austin over spring break two weeks ago!! It was so much fun, see below for the details

  • AND we’re launching a brand-new product for our clients next week 😍 Not only are we Not Therapy, but we’re also Not Just Coaching anymore. Stay tuned!

Let’s dive in…

🔥 Why our in-person retreat is the thing everyone’s (about to be) talking about…

…and why more young people need this like, yesterday.

While being in treatment feels like an eternity while you’re there, let’s face it:

Treatment ends. Real life doesn’t.

And no one — not therapists, not schools, not even most programs — prepares teens or young adults for what happens next. No hate no shade — they’re quite frankly not designed to help like that. And tbh, once we’re out (of high school, treatment, therapy, whatever), we’re kinda done with you. Even after the best experience.

You send your teen or young adult child to treatment. Maybe it helps. Maybe it cracks something open. Maybe, for the first time in forever, they feel seen. But then they come home — and now they’re supposed to just… keep healing? Alone?

Here’s what actually happens: we lose the group. We lose the structure. And if we’re lucky, we get a weekly therapy appointment with someone who half-gets it and maybe a link to a Slack channel no one uses. Other than that, we can wait until someone posts about going to our program on the troubled teen subreddit and try to guess if we know each other.

That’s not enough.

Not even close.

The most isolating part of treatment is what comes after

Here’s something no one tells you: after treatment, most of us won’t meet someone who “gets it” again for years. If ever.

Why? Because no one talks about it. Not at school. Not at work. Not in college dorms or family dinners or TikTok comments.

Even if we wanted to open up (which, let’s be real, is rare), who are we going to talk to? Our old friends? Our cousin who still makes jokes about “crazy people?” A new partner who thinks “trauma-informed” is just a trendy buzzword?

Being the only one who’s been to treatment can be lonely AF. Even when you're surrounded by people.

So we did something about it.

We created the thing treatment centers wish they could pull off

Not Therapy’s first-ever in-person retreat brought together teens and young adults who had all been through some version of treatment—from different programs, different states, different therapeutic models.

That part mattered.

Because when everyone comes from the same program, it can feel like an extension of the rules, the structure, the vibe. But when you’re from totally different places? It’s real-world messy. It’s diverse. It’s magic.

No one had to prove anything. No one was comparing discharge dates. No one was trying to be the most self-aware in the room.

They were just being. Together.

And what we saw? Total transformation. Not because of a worksheet or a trust fall or some inspirational speech. But because, for the first time in a long time, they were surrounded by people who already understood. No explaining required.

That’s what healing looks like. That’s what community does. Literally my dream job.

What we did on the retreat 🧘🌊🎯🎶

  • Brought in a yoga, breathwork, and meditation facilitator to help us drop in and reconnect with our bodies

  • Melted into the floor during a full-on sound bath with a local sound healer

  • Went paddle boarding and kayaking on the river (zero injuries, total summer camp vibes)

  • Explored Austin, ate life-changing BBQ, and found the best local spots

  • Made vision boards on Canva that would put Pinterest to shame

  • Set 3-month personal goals (because healing with intention > just winging it)

  • Got real-time feedback on our online community plans from the people who’ll actually use it

  • Played We’re Not Really Strangers and somehow didn’t cry until round 3

  • Shared our Spotify playlists and found new favorite songs

  • And yep—we made new friends. Like, real ones 🥹

Mine and Colin’s vision board from the retreat. We created ours *live* on the big screen for our clients to watch while working on their vision boards. Included: some of our fave entrepreneurs, vibes from our future-state visualizations, and, of course, our girl and future Not Therapy bff Paris. FYI Colin is the Kim K in our relationship. He’s a star 🤩

What we didn’t do on the retreat ❌

  • Drink or use drugs

  • Talk shit about other people

  • Stay up until all hours partying

  • Binge Netflix and dissociate the weekend away

Not because there were rules—but because no one wanted to.

That’s what happens when you create a space where everyone feels safe, supported, and not judged for being the “deep one.”

Oh, and did we mention? This was over Spring Break ☀️

While most college students were being shipped off to Cabo with a “good luck, don’t die,” we gave families an actual healthy alternative. One that didn’t involve tequila shots or mysterious piercings.

Spring Break can be fun and healing. Groundbreaking.

Parents: If you do one thing post-treatment, let it be this

If you’re a parent reading this, hear me:

Your teen or young adult doesn’t need another program. They need people.

They need people who’ve sat in group and been like, “This is bullsh*t” and also “Wow, I actually needed that.”

They need people who’ve relapsed and come back. Who’ve had the awkward re-entries. Who know what it’s like to be "the mental health one" in a friend group that just wants to party or study or pretend everything’s fine.

And based on our own experience and what we’ve seen with our now 50+ clients over the last year, they unfortunately will not find those people at school, in clubs, or in your local youth group.

You want long-term healing? You want your child to stay connected to the work they did in treatment?

Then give them regular, in-person access to people who get it.

After seeing the impact of this retreat on our clients and our community, we firmly believe it’s the most important investment you can make in your child’s mental health.

ESPECIALLY after they’ve been to treatment or if they’re trying to avoid going in the first place.

This was just the beginning (online is next 🔓)

We knew this retreat had to happen—but we also know most young people can’t hop on a plane every other month. So we’re not stopping here.

We’re translating everything that made this retreat powerful into an online community. Built by Gen Z, for Gen Z.

→ Group coaching led by mentors who actually get what your teen or young adult child has been through.

→ Topic-based meetups where real convos happen (no therapy-speak required).

→ Spaces for teens and young adults to drop the mask and be around people who get it—not just because they’re the same age, but because they’ve been there.

Next blog post? We’re giving you all the details. But just know:

The online version is coming. And it’s going to be good.

This is a real alternative to therapy, treatment centers, and everything the troubled teen industry said would fix it.

TL;DR: This is the New Paradigm of Mental Healthcare —and we're building it

✔️ For teens and young adults: We’re done letting you feel like the only one.

✔️ For parents: You don’t need to send your teen or young adult to another program—you just need to get them in the room with the right people.

✔️ For treatment centers: You’ve been saying aftercare matters. We agree. We’re making it happen.

Let’s stop pretending healing is a solo sport.

Let’s stop asking young people to do the hardest part of their journey… alone.

Let’s build the community they’ve been waiting for.

Want your teen or young adult to be part of this? 💌 Send us an email.

Through mental health coaching and community-based support, we’re helping young people navigate real life — without needing another diagnosis or behavior chart.

For teens and young adults who’ve tried therapy and didn’t vibe with it, this is the kind of space they’ve been craving. We have the proof that this is a real alternative to therapy, treatment centers, and everything the troubled teen industry is trying to fix.

In-person. Online. Real connection. No BS.

THANKS FOR READING! 📓

Thanks for reading. If this hit home, send it to a parent who needs to see it. Or share it on social so more program alumni know they’re not the only ones doing the hard work after treatment.

More reach = more connection = less isolation.
Let’s build the kind of support we wish we had. 🔥We’re in this to collaborate and support.

Hayley Caddes
Next

What Paris Hilton’s SICAA Bill 🏛️ Means for Troubled Teen Industry