Real Stories. Real Change. Not Therapy.

Hear from teens, young adults, and families who’ve been where you are — and found a different way forward.

Life-Changing

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Feeling Seen

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Worth it

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Life-Changing • Feeling Seen • Worth it •

They Lived It. Now They’re Talking About It.

Watch real clients and parents share how Not Therapy helped them rebuild confidence, connection, and clarity, when nothing else was working.

These aren’t polished success stories. They’re what happens when shit hits the fan, therapy isn’t cutting it, and you’re a teen or young adult who’s spiraling.

But then something finally clicks.

These are real testimonials from families who were lost, burned out, or straight-up done. Coaching with Not Therapy isn’t soft. It isn’t clinical. It’s direct, kinda messy, and totally effective because our coaches have been there.

If you’re looking for teen mental health support that actually works, post-treatment coaching that doesn’t feel like a punishment, or parent support that helps instead of hovers — you’re in the right place.

Theo talks about life after wilderness therapy, rebuilding trust with his mom, and how Not Therapy helped him change his relationship with drugs and get into college.

“It didn’t feel like therapy…but it worked better than any therapy I’ve done.” -🖤 Theo

“With Colin, we’d just hang out, listen to music, do something relaxing…and somehow the real stuff would come up naturally. It didn’t feel forced. I actually looked forward to our calls.”

“Colin found a way for me and my mom to sit down and have a good conversation, not just fighting back and forth. I was really angry at her for how I got sent to wilderness. Now we watch movies together and actually enjoy spending time with each other. That was probably the biggest thing Colin helped me with.”

Addison shares how Not Therapy helped her navigate depression, anxiety, and autism — and start college with confidence and community.

“It felt like someone finally saw me and didn’t judge me.” -🖤 Addison

“Not really understands that you're not perfect, and there's no judgment, which is so nice.”

“Working with Hayley has been really different, because I know who she is. I think of her more as a friend, like an older sister, than an authority. She spends time trying to understand who I am, meeting me halfway, and figuring out what works for me.”

“Hayley does a really good job speaking with parents and reassuring them that their child isn’t going insane. Having someone my parents trust, someone who can vouch for me, helped them trust me more.”

Tagore reflects on surviving 30 months of treatment programs and how Not Therapy helped him shift to a growth mindset and thrive in college.

“This ended my Troubled Teen saga…with an exclamation point.” -🖤 Tagore

“I’ve been in five different programs and spent over 30 months in treatment. Not Therapy helped me transition back to real life…college, student government, friends…and find success not in spite of what I’ve been through, but because of it.”

“Not Therapy helped me find intrinsic motivation, shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, and realize I have worth outside of diagnoses. It’s not just support…it’s someone in your corner who actually gets it.”

Cooper and his mom, a licensed therapist, share how Not Therapy brought their family closer — and helped Cooper regain hope and emotional tools.

“As a therapist, I didn’t want more therapy. I wanted change.” -🖤 Wynne, LCPC

“I didn’t want him to go to therapy, be honest, as a clinical therapist, because I knew the long road that that would mean...And when I heard it was Not Therapy, like, oh yeah, that’s what I’m looking for for him.”

“It’s almost like this objective person who wants our relationship to be better, and is advocating for both of us...I was shocked at how much I gained as a parent.”

“For the first time, I have drive. I have autonomy. I want to improve.” -🖤 Cooper

“I feel like what really changed after starting Not Therapy...I’ve been introduced to all these different things that I can do to support myself, like journaling, meditating...general life management, like deciding I want to join clubs, or I want to eat better, or I want to work out more, Just having more autonomy and drive to improve.”

What It’s Like on the Other Side of Stuck.

  • "The biggest change has definitely been with my social life and how comfortable I am with myself.”

    “I’m a lot more outgoing now. I’m less anxious around new people. My first week at Sarah Lawrence was actually a really good experience. I introduced myself to some girls and became good friends with them. A year or two ago, I never would’ve been able to just go talk to people and have a group like that, especially in two days.”

    “I felt confident, safe, and secure with myself. I trusted myself.”

    -Addison, 19 yrs old (NYC)

  • “I went from rehab to straight A’s and college for nursing.”

    “I used to be depressed, skipping school, and using hard drugs. Now I have structure, a support system, and real goals I’m working toward. Not Therapy helped me build a real plan and stick to it.”

    “Now I go to school every day, I’m getting straight A’s, and I’m going to nursing school…which has been my dream since I was a little kid.”

    -Theo, 18 yrs old (DC Metro Area)

  • “Not Therapy gave me back a belief in mental health support, and in myself.”

    “I honestly haven’t heard of or seen anything like Not Therapy. It’s holistic support for your whole life, not just an hour a week in someone’s office.”

    “There was a time where it wasn’t certain, or maybe even likely, that I would graduate high school. Now I’m in college, getting good grades, making friends, and I’m part of student government. Not Therapy helped me get there and supported me through the setbacks too.”

    -Tagore, 18 yrs old (Bay Area, CA

  • “I didn’t think anyone could actually help me...until I called during a breakdown and someone picked up.”

    “When I was in a really bad place, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I had no direction, no support, and I was just trying to find the easiest way to feel okay.

    The first time I had a mental breakdown, I called my coach, and he told me to take five deep breaths. It completely cleared me up. Since then, I’ve started journaling, meditating, working out, and just doing things to take care of myself. It feels like, for the first time, I have real tools. And I can actually use them.”

    -Cooper, 19 yrs old (Chicago)

Find Your Coach

Real parent experiences with Not Therapy coaching.

  • "Not Therapy was the turning point for my son, when traditional paths fell short."

    “As a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), I knew clinically what was happening to to my son, and I would say I knew what to do, but it was so frustrating to not reach him, even though I knew we loved each other and had a good relationship.

    Not Therapy offered something different: concentrated, focused, caring attention from someone who had literally walked in my son’s shoes. It wasn’t about diagnoses or treatment plans; it was about genuine connection and support.

    As my son began working with his Not Therapy coach, something shifted. He started to open up, to engage, to take steps forward. The impact was profound.

    As a parent, watching my son find his footing was both a relief and a revelation. I had to let go of my role as the fixer and trust in the process of someone else stepping in to support him.”

    -Wynne, 19 yr old son (Chicago)

  • "We finally found someone our son could truly connect with.”

    “Our Not Therapy Coach is excellent and has been a positive influence on our son, who never really found the right person to help guide him until meeting his coach. Their ability to connect with young adults and relate to them is really special. They have been able to help our son set and keep goals and prioritize what’s most important to him. They’ve helped our son become more self aware.

    They have been extremely supportive during a very challenging time in my son’s life and have gone above and beyond to show him what it means to be a kind, successful and responsible human. I don’t know where we would be without our Not Therapy Coach’s guidance, support and friendship.”

    -Laura, 20 yr old son, (Bay Area, CA)

  • “We finally felt confident sending our son to college.”

    “Our Not Therapy experience was fantastic from the beginning. The home visit was very helpful to get to know not just our son, Michael, but the whole family and our unique dynamic. Our Not Therapy Coach was patient with Michael and set realistic goals and helped him break them into manageable steps.

    Michael got such a feeling of accomplishment as he met his goals and grew to love being productive. Our Coach also was very supportive of me and always was ready to answer my calls and reassure me about Michael's progress. We felt that Michael was ready to go to college after working with Not Therapy. We are very grateful.”

    -Christine, 20 yr old son, (Skillman, NJ)

  • “No therapist or program connected with our son like our Not Therapy Coach did.”

    I cannot emphasize the positive changes we have seen in our son and the difference in our family life, since we started working with Not Therapy.

    Our Not Therapy Coach’s personal experience as a self admitted “troubled teen” is what we believe allowed him to connect with our son in a way no other therapist or program has been able to do. If you feel lost and hopeless like we did, you must reach out to Colin and Hayley at Not Therapy. Life-changing sounds really dramatic, but our journey to fight and get our son sober and healthy again didn’t truly begin until we hired Not Therapy.

    I whole-heartedly believe they are saving young teens’ lives with their unique way of support and coaching.

    -Renee, 16 yr old son (Reno, NV)

  • “We can’t thank them enough for helping our son find direction.”

    Our experience with Not Therapy was amazing! Our coach helped my son navigate through putting together a portfolio for art school and helped him gain the confidence to apply to Art schools!

    Also, they recommended an abroad program for our son for the summer and helped us talk him into going! Can’t thank them enough for their support!

    -Tenison N. (Chatham, MA)

  • “Not Therapy helped me see my son as a whole person again.”

    Working with Not Therapy has been incredibly helpful for both my son and myself.

    Their focus on goals, weekly schedules, and their "I get it" style of communication has been positive for my son.

    They have also helped me keep the big picture in mind, view my son as a whole imperfect person who is working hard, and turn what could be escalating situation into win-wins for all. We are on a good path forward thanks to Not Therapy.

    -Abby, 18 yr old son (Bethesda, MD)

  • "Letting go of the day-to-day helped us get closer to our son."

    When there are tense times our teen is pulling away from us as parents, he still talks and texts with his Not Therapy Coach. And the load of not being the logistics and executive functioning person is a big weight off of our shoulders and lets us connect more with our son.

    -S, 18 yr old son (Bay Area, CA)

Work with Us

If therapy didn’t work…it’s not you.

Get matched with a coach who actually gets it.

Support that’s built for how Gen Z (that’s us) actually thinks, texts, and spirals. No labels. Just progress.