Introduction
BODA's Monthly Check-In is a reminder that therapy can be active, outdoors, and fun while still being deeply effective.

A Note From Our Founder: You Can't Doomscroll on a Paddleboard

"No-phone summer" is having a moment. Parents are forming groups to delay smartphones and buy back a little unstructured time.

Good instinct.

But taking the phone away is the easy part.

A kid with nothing better to do will always find their way back to the screen.

Twenty-four years of this work have taught me something simpler:

You don't have to win the fight against the phone.

You just have to give a kid something better to do.

That's most of what we do at BODA.

Hike.

Bike.

Swim.

The phone loses on its own—not because we banned it, but because you can't check it and stay upright on a paddleboard.

Device-free isn't a rule here.

It's a side effect of being outside and a little busy.

Here's the part people miss:

The hike isn't the therapy.

It's where the therapy happens.

Kids say things on a trail they'd never say across a desk, and once it's out, we can work with it.

Naming what's hard.

Building the skills to sit with it.

It's the same DBT and CBT a good office uses, just somewhere a kid is already talking.

Summer makes it easy.

Longer days.

Less armor.

Kids with time on their hands.

A good season to practice being present somewhere that isn't a screen.

We're outside most days.

Come find us.

— Andrew Tepper
Founder, BODA Therapy

BODA Retreats

Upcoming Retreat Dates 2026:

• July 20–22
  
• July 28–31
  
• August 8–15
  
• August 20–25
  
• September 9–14
  
• September 23–25
  
• October 5–9
  
• October 23–25
  
• November 12–15
  
• November 17–19
  
• December 13–16
  
• December 19–22
  

📍 Tannersville, New York. Spots are limited. Email info@bodatherapy.com to learn more.

At BODA, we go beyond the traditional weekly therapy session by creating immersive, nature-based experiences designed to support lasting change. BODA retreats are designed to complement ongoing therapy, not replace it.

Tool of the Trade: Check the Facts

Nobody posts the boring Tuesday.

They post the bonfire.

The beach.

The group shot where everyone's laughing.

A feed is a highlight reel.

It's easy to forget you're watching the edit, not the movie.

Check the Facts is a DBT skill for catching that gap.

Name the feeling.

Name what set it off.

Then ask:

What do I actually know here?

What am I filling in?

That lake photo is real.

So is the stuff that didn't make the cut:

The long drive.

The sunburn.

The ordinary hours in between.

You're seeing someone's best fifteen seconds, not the day around it.

So next time a feeling spikes mid-scroll, ask yourself:

• What am I actually reacting to?
  
• What do I know versus what am I assuming?
  
• Is a highlight reel a fair thing to measure my Tuesday against?
  

The goal isn't to talk yourself out of a feeling.

It's to stop measuring your whole life against the part someone chose to show.

AT's Finds

• ⁉️ What Is Motivational Interviewing? — The Child Mind Institute explains the collaborative approach clinicians use with teens who dig in their heels and why it often works better than pushing harder.
  
• 🌀 Anxiety in Children — Children's Hospital Colorado explores why shielding anxious children from feared situations can unintentionally make anxiety worse.
  
• 🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Who Benefits from Autonomy-Supportive Parenting? — Penn State research found that giving teens meaningful input into their own decisions is associated with better mood and fewer anxiety symptoms over time.
  

Featured Client Success Story: BODA at a Turning Point

This month, we're letting one of our clients speak for herself.

She'd been in therapy for years before BODA.

Three different therapists.

Real relief each time.

But it never held.

By the time she got to college, her anxiety had followed her the whole way, and her parents were out of ideas.

She joined BODA's Accountability Program, combining individual therapy, coaching, family sessions, and a retreat.

Here's what she and her family had to say:

"I'm a totally different person."

"If you spend money on anything, spend it on this. It changed our daughter, and it changed us as a family."

— Her parents

"I don't think I'd be the person I am today without BODA. It really changed my life."

Read her full story here →

In the News

• 🌿 BODA Therapy in Barron's — Andrew discussed how card collecting can shift toward gambling-like behavior when the focus becomes constant financial valuation.
  
• 🌿 BODA Therapy in CNBC — Andrew explained the difference between using media as a healthy reset and using it to avoid dealing with life.
  
• 🌿 BODA Therapy featured on Parents.com — Andrew weighed in on the viral "Flip the Phone Challenge."
  
• 🌿 BODA Therapy featured in CNBC — Andrew shared concerns about AI companions replacing genuine human connection for teenagers.
  
• 🌿 BODA Therapy featured in The New York Times — Highlighting BODA's use of hiking, skiing, and outdoor experiences to create more natural therapeutic conversations.
  
• 🌿 BODA Therapy featured on NBC News Now — Showcasing outdoor therapy through hiking, skiing, and campfire sessions.
  

What We Do

BODA Therapy offers a new approach for preteens, adolescents, young adults, and families.

Rooted in accessibility, engagement, and accountability, we facilitate experiential therapy and coaching through familiar, enjoyable activities that extend beyond traditional office sessions.

We provide structured accountability programs to prevent backsliding and reinforce progress.

We also design customized three-to-five-night retreats in the Catskills, blending immersive outdoor experiences with therapy that is dynamic, meaningful, and often enjoyable.