Inside the House (Ep. 2): N.E.W. Community Clinic Therapist Kaylee Hintz

 

We’re excited to continue the Inside the House podcast, a series where we share the stories, insights, and heart behind family homelessness and Freedom House Ministries. In Episode 2, host Steve Schauer sits down with Kaylee Hintz, therapist from N.E.W. Community Clinic, to explore mental health, trauma, and the journey families take toward stability. Kaylee shares how Freedom House goes beyond providing shelter — helping families rebuild their sense of identity, purpose, and hope through therapy, and breaking down the stigma that keeps so many people from asking for help in the first place. Whether you’re a longtime supporter, considering volunteering, or simply curious about how healing happens alongside housing, this episode offers an honest look at the mental health work that fuels lasting change at Freedom House. Watch to see how Kaylee helps families move from feeling broken to feeling resilient — and what it takes to hold both housing and healing together.

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A Freedom House Ministries podcast production. Crisis, stress, trauma, and mental health aren’t always the top priority for families when they first come to Freedom House Ministries. On this episode, we sit down with Kaylee Hintz, therapist from N.E.W. Community Clinic, to talk about mental health and the journey for families toward stability.

Steve: Kaylee, we often hear “get a job” or “just get back on your feet.” What does that phrase miss about what’s happening from a mental health standpoint for a family coming into Freedom House?

Kaylee: Yeah. I think we often hear that from different community members — just get a job, just get back on your feet — and it can be very misleading. There’s a lot more behind it. It’s very complex from a mental health perspective; there are a lot of different dimensions that go into that. In terms of “just get a job” or “get back on your feet,” there can be many different barriers from a mental health standpoint. There can be trauma behind it. There can be barriers in terms of motivation, or a lack of support system, and a lot of different things that go into that. We often get misled by the idea that individuals can just want to get back on their feet and it happens. But there’s a lot more behind it — mental health needs have to be met before we can assume that can just happen.

Steve: And throughout this conversation, Kaylee, with HIPAA and confidentiality in mind, share as much as you can. From the mental health standpoint — what you just said — do you feel or see that it’s sometimes so overwhelming for the families, parents, or kids who come in here that they need to understand themselves first, from a mental health standpoint, before they can move on to the next thing? Obviously housing, employment, transportation — all those pieces. Do they need to understand their own mental health first, to get into a good space, before they can move forward?

Kaylee: Absolutely. If individuals and families don’t have the right mindset right away, it’s very difficult to just get a job or transition out of shelter. We need to refind ourselves — refind our identity, refind what gives us purpose and hope, from that mental health perspective. If we don’t find those things initially, it’s going to be very difficult to just get out, find a job, make money, all of these different things. I think we need that self-actualization and really refine our identity before all those things can happen.

Steve: Can you share some of the moments, in conversations with families, parents, or kids here, where they realize for themselves that they have value and worth, and are ready to move forward? What’s that breakthrough like?

Kaylee: It’s really powerful. It’s really hopeful. The first thing that comes to mind is purpose. In these sessions, families can find a purpose that’s been there but hidden. Refinding that purpose, refinding what motivates them, the things they want for themselves and for their children — it’s really powerful and really motivating.

Steve: When a parent walks through the doors here at Freedom House, and there are times they feel scared and alone, what are the first conversations like when you get to sit down with them?

Kaylee: Typically, it’s building rapport — really getting to know the individual, really getting to know their side of the story, not what people have told them their story is, and trying to get a better idea of who they are and what they want for themselves and their family. Building that trust with them so they feel heard, and their story feels heard — that’s really my main goal in our first few sessions together: getting a better understanding of them, so they feel heard, trusted, validated, and supported.

Steve: Walk us through that journey. If I were to come in today, a family needing shelter, walking into Freedom House, and I wanted Kaylee the therapist — what would the journey and the conversations look like?

Kaylee: Right off the bat, we explain what therapy services would look like here — a bit about HIPAA, confidentiality, what it may look like within a shelter setting. After we sign all of the consent forms, we do an intake assessment, which is me really getting to know them: their social history, their family history, their mental health history, and, like I said, really hearing their side of the story.

Then we get into goals. We create a treatment plan together, based on what they want out of therapy services here at Freedom House — goals around different coping strategies, processing all of these life adjustments. Their goals are really about meeting them where they’re at. In the sessions that follow, we work on those goals at their pace, meeting them where they are, and focusing on growing their insight into themselves as we work toward those goals and build all of that into their treatment plan.

Steve: In the nonprofit space, there are times people say, “meet somebody where they’re at.” Can you explain what that means from a mental health standpoint?

Kaylee: Yes. Meeting clients where they’re at means being realistic about their environment, their situation, right now, in the moment. We may have different expectations of what we want for families and their children during this time, but we have to be mindful of meeting them where they’re at — respecting their situation, using empathy, using dignity, and advocating for them. Specifically, not creating high expectations for them, and advocating for them throughout the whole period.

Steve: Can you talk through what it’s like for somebody who’s never done therapy before or had a session — how do you break down that stigma and stereotype with the individual or family you’re trying to serve?

Kaylee: Yeah, for individuals who have never had therapy before, I really break it down as just an extra support during this adjustment in life — that extra guidance, helping give feedback or problem-solve. Really just a safe space for them to process all of life’s experiences and stressors, and normalizing that mental health is a big piece of our lives. I try to break down the stigma — not framing therapy as this big, extravagant thing, but reframing it as a healthy, safe support space where they can feel heard.

Steve: How does someone — or a family — who starts therapy with you continue that when they leave, four to six months in, and find housing? How are they able to stay connected with you or the clinic?

Kaylee: Absolutely. After individuals and families transition out of Freedom House, they can continue care outside, at the clinic — I actually encourage it, because that’s a whole new adjustment as well. They can reestablish services at the clinic, and it’s not just mental health therapists there — we also have case managers and psychiatric medication management they can get established with. It’s a smooth transition. I let individuals know it’s a bit of a different setting than Freedom House, but it still provides that same safe space for individuals and families to continue the same mental health therapy services they had here.

Steve: I want to ask about the kids. When a family comes in, a lot of the initial effort is directed toward the parents and the bigger goals — housing being the number one goal, obviously. Talk about the kids and the trauma and crisis they’ve been through. How do you help children realize that they’re essentially along for the ride — it isn’t their choice to be here — but that they can also work on themselves in relation to their parents?

Kaylee: Absolutely, it’s equally important. When I meet with parents, I often encourage them to get their children involved in therapy services too, if that’s something they’re interested in, because it’s an adjustment for the whole family unit — not just the parents. I encourage parents to get their kids involved in therapy, connected with a school social worker if possible, and involved in activities outside of school — Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters — identifying healthy, safe spaces so they don’t feel so confined during this time, and so they can grow and refine themselves too.

Steve: During sessions with parents and kids, how often do you see that bonding grow when they have a safe space just to talk?

Kaylee: Very often. When we work with the family as a unit, we can improve different coping skills as a family — learning strategies for how to communicate with each other during this time, learning to give each other space and set boundaries, because we all need that, especially during this adjustment. It also enhances emotional regulation as a whole family unit, because emotions can run really high during this time. So it’s about growing that knowledge on both the parents’ end and the children’s end — finding that safe space with one another, growing that bond, but also giving each other space in between, so there are healthy boundaries.

Steve: Kaylee, this has been amazing so far. We’re going to take a quick break for one question with Ashley Burke, success coach at Freedom House Ministries.

Ashley, could you explain the value and importance of a gas card and a bus pass for families who have — and don’t have — transportation?

Ashley: Yes, transportation is a huge barrier for so many of our families. You and I use a car every day to go to work, take our kids to appointments, get groceries. Without transportation — without their own vehicle, or a gas card, or public transit — it’s really impossible for them to move forward, honestly, because getting to work without income, you can’t really move forward. Transportation is a huge barrier, and they need both.

Steve: Kaylee, in these therapy sessions and your interactions with families, what’s a moment from your work here that’s changed how you think about resiliency in family homelessness?

Kaylee: It’s really powerful seeing families grow here — seeing the resiliency they’ve had, especially through their different life experiences. There are many families here with many different stories, and it’s powerful to see all their previous life experiences carry them to where they are now, and to who they’re going to be. Resiliency is that power to bounce back. A lot of these families have hit rock bottom and needed to bounce back with minimal support and minimal financial support — and they’ve done it. It’s powerful to see the growth in their own individual supports, and to see the other staff members here giving them that power and that growth, and advocating for them. Resiliency is a big thing here, and every family here has it, because they’ve all had so many different life experiences that brought them here today.

Steve: As someone who sits in these closed-door meetings and sees the breakthroughs, the resiliency — what does it mean for you, as a therapist and as a person, to watch that journey?

Kaylee: It’s very enlightening. It’s really powerful. It takes us a step back in our own personal lives and leads to self-reflection — practicing gratitude, really looking at the supports we have in our own lives, our own experiences. Taking that step back, having that self-reflection, and being grateful that I’ve been given this opportunity to be here and work with these families — it’s really powerful.

Steve: Being on the front lines, how are you able to separate yourself when you leave here, so you’re not so ingrained in these families’ lives — since they have to make their own choices to move forward? How do you handle the secondary trauma that comes with these conversations — how do you turn that off and go home, go for a walk, watch a movie, whatever it is, and not always be in it?

Kaylee: Self-care is huge — it’s the piece that prevents further burnout. Being able to separate yourself from the therapy setting is very difficult, but it’s manageable with self-care — doing things you personally find joyful, relaxing, or peaceful. It’s not easy by any means, but it definitely helps separate that in a healthy way.

Steve: Well, we thank you for what you’re doing, Kaylee, to help each family here. You mentioned earlier that every family has a different journey. Are there any common threads in the therapy sessions you have, from a mental health standpoint, across all those different journeys?

Kaylee: Yeah, there’s been a pattern of a lot of traumatic experiences that have brought them here today — traumatic experiences we often forget about. Sometimes that’s childhood trauma, generational trauma, or trauma experienced during young adulthood that brought them here. A lot of different patterns of trauma stand out to me — a lot of things that were not in their control, whether that’s financial or physical health barriers. We have that stereotype, like you mentioned earlier — just get a job, go do this, go do that — but there are so many other barriers underneath. In therapy, we really learn how complex it is, so we can start to break through those barriers as best we can.

Steve: As a person as a whole — mind, body, and spirit — how connected are the three? Obviously you’re in the mind space. How important is it to have all three in balance?

Kaylee: So important. Mental health is just as important as physical health and spiritual health — our mind, our whole body, our whole soul are all equally important, and having a balance among them can benefit us in so many ways. Within therapy sessions, we take a holistic approach, focusing on financial health, mental health, physical health, and spiritual health, so individuals and families here can have more clarity moving forward.

Steve: In conversations with families, parents, or kids — does it come up where they feel like they’re struggling, or broken? How do you talk through that?

Kaylee: Definitely, we work on reframing those thinking patterns. If someone feels broken during this journey, we try to reframe it: right now, in this time of life, there is a struggle, and we’re able to bounce back from it. We work on building their own confidence, refinding that sense of self we talked about before — refining their journey, refining their purpose, so they don’t feel that sense of being broken, and can recognize that we all struggle as humans. But if we have purpose, if we have hope, and we know where our journey is taking us, we can feel more empowered and less broken.

Steve: Can you share some examples of the small things that have been said, or that you look for, to help someone reframe their thought process?

Kaylee: Yeah. Here at Freedom House, we try to build coping strategies that are realistic and manageable — that can look like empowering affirmations or coping statements to reframe hard times and rebuild confidence. Statements like, “I can get through this,” “this intense feeling is temporary,” “I’ve been through hard things before, I can get through this part.” We work on rebuilding confidence through affirmations and coping statements like that. We also really emphasize self-care during this time, so individuals can find peace, relaxation, joy, and things that re-energize them, rather than staying focused only on the struggles they’re going through. So: self-care, affirmations, coping statements, and also building supports — building a sense of community while they’re here, connecting them with community resources so they feel heard and have a sense of belonging.

Steve: I think we can all agree we’re in the midst of a housing crisis — there’s a lack of housing, and the cost is out of balance. When COVID hit in 2020, it maybe put the mental health piece of awareness on hyperspeed. Do you feel we’re still in a mental health crisis, and how do you navigate that?

Kaylee: Yes, I do still feel like we’re in a mental health crisis, absolutely. It comes down to normalizing mental health concerns — normalizing that everybody has different mental health concerns, and that it’s okay. Like we talked about, mental health is just as important as physical health, spiritual health, and overall emotional health. So normalizing that, and building awareness — whether through advocacy or our political climate, whatever that may be — to advocate for individuals in our community so they can have the mental health resources they may need.

Steve: What are some of the stereotypes and stigmas surrounding mental health that come up in your conversations, or that you see in the community, that bother you?

Kaylee: The first thing that comes up is, “If I go to therapy, I’m crazy,” or “that’s just for crazy people” — those labels people typically use, which can be really harmful. Most people who attend therapy services are far from anything like that. I try to reframe therapy as, once again, that support space — a safe space for individuals to process, a safe person they can trust, building guidance, feedback, and problem-solving for different life stressors. So: normalizing, normalizing, normalizing.

Steve: In your time here, helping families through therapy, has your perspective on family homelessness changed?

Kaylee: It most definitely has. It’s brought my own awareness of how complex it can be, and how many different things are behind it — the trauma, the different life experiences that brought them here today. Using a sense of empathy and putting ourselves in these families’ shoes, in their own experiences, can be really powerful — taking that step back and growing that sense of empathy and awareness. Every family here has a different story, and when we hear that story, and see them move forward from it and not let their past define them, that’s inspiring.

Steve: How do you send that message forward — to a landlord, an employer, a teacher — to help them realize and understand the growth of families who are moving out and into housing again? What message would you send?

Kaylee: To the teachers, the landlords, whatever community resources clients are trying to connect with — I really emphasize advocating for ourselves and advocating for the family. Let them know their story, their experiences, and help rebuild their confidence so they can advocate for themselves, because their story deserves to be heard. My hope is that the teacher or landlord would also grow that sense of empathy, and be able to give them a chance and let their story be heard.

Steve: Well, Kaylee, I see you brought some notes — is there anything you’d want to add that we didn’t get a chance to cover?

Kaylee: I don’t think so. I think the therapy services here are a great service that Freedom House lets us provide — a chance to work with individuals to grow their own insight into themselves, take a step back and look at their journey, and be able to not let the past define them, and move forward and retell their story — author their own story, I guess you’d say. Being here and working with these families, it’s really powerful to see the interdisciplinary approach — the success coaches, the different advocates here — and watch all the supports around a family in every way, shape, and form. Being able to watch that growth is really powerful.

Steve: The partnership Freedom House Ministries has with N.E.W. Community Clinic — Kaylee comes in every Tuesday from 8 to 12 to sit down and have sessions and talk through some of what families are going through. How different do you think it would be if you weren’t here in the building, and families had to go to the clinic instead?

Kaylee: It’d be very different, because there are a lot of barriers. Utilization would be lower, due to transportation barriers, child care barriers, overall time management barriers — a lot of individuals here are working different shifts that collide with our own hours. Being in this setting can often feel more comforting for clients, because this is their space. Having someone come to their space, see their journey, see what their day-to-day looks like here, grows that trust and that sense of comfort too.

Steve: Kaylee, one thing we do on Inside the House podcast is have the previous guest ask the current guest a question, and now you’ll have that opportunity. Jen Schmohe, executive director of Freedom House, left this question for you on the first episode: “What has Freedom House left on your heart, from your interactions with families here?”

Kaylee: I think it has left a lot of individual growth, compassion, empathy, awareness, and overall knowledge — knowledge of the community, of individuals and families experiencing homelessness, and knowledge I can take with me in my own journey as a therapist, to continue growing that awareness.

Steve: What question do you have for our next guest?

Kaylee: My question for the next guest would be: how can Freedom House staff implement mental health awareness across all the different departments at Freedom House? Whether it’s an advocate, a volunteer coordinator, or a success coach — how can we build that awareness of mental health, and that mindfulness of individuals’ and families’ mental health, into their work with them?

Steve: That’s a really good question. Kaylee, thank you for taking the time to sit down and talk about therapy, mental health, stigma, and the conversations you have with each family. We greatly appreciate what you’re doing to help, and the time you’ve taken today. So, thank you.

Kaylee: Thank you.

Steve: And thank you for tuning in to this episode of Inside the House.