Choices

House of Providence

Choices is a House of Providence podcast where trauma and truth collide. Hosted by Maggie Dunn and Karemmy Schinzing, this show offers honest, hope-filled conversations for parents, caregivers, foster and adoptive families, and helping professionals walking with children through trauma. With clinical insight, lived experience, and family-centered support, Choices helps listeners face hard realities with clarity, compassion, and hope.

Episodes

  1. Jul 4

    Bonus: Live Q&A from Parent Connect Night (Season 1 Finale)

    To close out Season 1, we took the Choices mic on the road. This bonus episode was recorded live at Connect Night, an evening for foster and adoptive parents, where families brought their most pressing questions straight to Maggie Dunn. She answers what she'd tell a child grieving a bio parent they never met, how to know when a therapist is actually a good fit, the one key to connecting with a child who fights connection at every turn, and why the cheap imitations for intimacy, from pornography to enabling acquaintances, quietly hijack the attachment you're working so hard to build. Woven through all of it is the thread that ran through the whole season: real relationship is hard work, and children who have been through trauma deserve the real thing, not a substitute for it. Thank you for being part of Season 1 of Choices. We'll see you next season, when the conversation turns to perspectives. Disclaimer: The content shared in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. While Maggie Dunn is a licensed clinical professional, the conversations on this podcast are not intended to provide therapy, clinical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listening to this podcast does not create a therapist-client relationship. If you or someone you know needs mental health support, please seek guidance from a qualified professional in your area. If you are experiencing a crisis or emergency, call 911 or contact a local crisis support service immediately.

  2. Jun 27

    Part 3: Cheap Imitations

    You can do everything right to build attachment and still watch it quietly come undone. In this final part, Maggie and Karemmy name the three things that sneak in and tear down the connection you're working so hard to build. In Episode 6 of Choices, they call them cheap imitations for intimacy: the enabling acquaintance who has no skin in the game but plenty of opinions, pornography as a lonely substitute for real relationship, and the therapist who triangulates instead of partnering with the parent. They talk through how to spot each one, how to hold a boundary without owing anyone an explanation, and what questions to ask before you trust a clinician with your child's healing. This conversation is practical, honest, and hopeful for parents, caregivers, and anyone walking with a child from a hard place. Children who have been through trauma deserve real relationship, not a substitute for it. They deserve to be known, protected, and kept close. Disclaimer: The content shared in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. While Maggie Dunn is a licensed clinical professional, the conversations on this podcast are not intended to provide therapy, clinical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listening to this podcast does not create a therapist-client relationship. If you or someone you know needs mental health support, please seek guidance from a qualified professional in your area. If you are experiencing a crisis or emergency, call 911 or contact a local crisis support service immediately.

  3. Jun 20

    Part 2: Can't Versus Won't

    You can't force a child to attach to you. But you can build the kind of safe, steady relationship where attachment becomes possible, and you can guard it from the things that quietly work against it. In Episode 5 of Choices, Maggie and Karemmy continue unpacking the pillars of attachment repair: the difference between can't and won't, setting boundary stones around the relationships in a child's life, catching the moment connection starts to wither long before it dies, why safe physical touch matters, and why you sometimes have to subtract to add connection. They close by walking through what healthy attachment usually looks like, and why it gets so much harder when a child missed that bond early on. This conversation is practical, honest, and hopeful for parents, caregivers, and anyone walking with a child from a hard place. Attachment isn't repaired through pressure or control. It's built slowly, protected carefully, and grown through safe, steady relationship. Disclaimer: The content shared in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. While Maggie Dunn is a licensed clinical professional, the conversations on this podcast are not intended to provide therapy, clinical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listening to this podcast does not create a therapist-client relationship. If you or someone you know needs mental health support, please seek guidance from a qualified professional in your area. If you are experiencing a crisis or emergency, call 911 or contact a local crisis support service immediately.

  4. May 30

    All Feelings Are Welcome. Not All Behaviors Are

    In Episode 2 of Choices, Karemmy and Maggie unpack two foundational words for understanding children who have experienced severe trauma: trauma and attachment. Together, they talk about what trauma is, how it can shape a person’s identity and relationships, and why attachment matters so deeply in the healing process. They also speak honestly about one of the hardest tensions for caregivers: creating a safe place where every feeling can be named, understood, and cared for, while still helping a child learn that not every behavior is okay. This episode pushes back on the lie that trauma gets the final word. Trauma is real. Attachment wounds are real. Healing is not easy, quick, or always clean. But repair is possible. For parents, foster parents, caregivers, and anyone walking alongside a child with a hard story, this conversation offers practical understanding, honest encouragement, and a hope-filled reminder: what happened to you may shape your story, but it does not have to define who you become. Disclaimer: The content shared in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. While Maggie Dunn is a licensed clinical professional, the conversations on this podcast are not intended to provide therapy, clinical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listening to this podcast does not create a therapist-client relationship. If you or someone you know needs mental health support, please seek guidance from a qualified professional in your area. If you are experiencing a crisis or emergency, call 911 or contact a local crisis support service immediately.

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Choices is a House of Providence podcast where trauma and truth collide. Hosted by Maggie Dunn and Karemmy Schinzing, this show offers honest, hope-filled conversations for parents, caregivers, foster and adoptive families, and helping professionals walking with children through trauma. With clinical insight, lived experience, and family-centered support, Choices helps listeners face hard realities with clarity, compassion, and hope.