Examining how early childhood experiences and trauma shape brain development, attachment patterns, and long-term outcomes in child welfare systems, questioning whether interventions truly minimize harm or perpetuate generational trauma cycles.
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Influential Woman · Child welfare and behavioral health services
Shawndra Maine
Psy.D.
CEO and Founder of Family Unity, Professor of Psychology, Family Unity
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309
15Years experience
1Article published
2Awards received
Her Story
About Shawndra
Shawndra Maine is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Family Unity LLC, a Florida-based organization dedicated to strengthening families through foster care, behavioral health, parenting education, and child placement services. With more than two decades of experience in child welfare, she has devoted her career to supporting children and families through trauma-informed care, family reunification, and advocacy. In addition to leading Family Unity, Dr. Maine serves as a Professor of Psychology at Broward College, where she prepares future professionals to make a meaningful impact in the behavioral health field. Dr. Maine began her career in 2000 as a case manager in New York, working with women experiencing domestic violence before relocating to Florida to continue her work in child welfare and foster care. After advancing from case manager to program manager during an eight-year tenure with a child welfare organization, she founded Family Unity in 2011 to expand access to parenting education, foster care services, individual, family, and family therapy, and child placement programs. As a licensed foster care provider and child-placing agency leader, she remains committed to delivering compassionate, evidence-based services that empower families and promote lasting stability. A graduate of Walden University with a Doctor of Psychology degree, Dr. Maine is a respected leader who combines clinical expertise with a passion for community service. She is actively involved with organizations including the Kiwanis Club of Oakland Park, Women of Color Empowerment Institute (member), and President of the Women's Action & Voter Engagement of Broward County (WAVE), and in 2019 founded the Daisy Cares Foundation to address community needs through initiatives such as gun safety education, back-to-school events, and family support programs. Through every aspect of her work, Dr. Maine continues to champion the well-being of children and families while inspiring positive change throughout her community.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Shawndra
01What do you attribute your success to?
For more than two decades, I have dedicated my life's work to one mission: strengthening families and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to grow in a safe, nurturing, and loving environment. My journey in child welfare began in 2000, and what started as a career quickly became my calling. Every family I have served has reinforced my belief that when we equip parents with the right tools, healing and transformation become possible.
My professional path began in New York, where I worked with survivors of domestic violence through case management. After relocating to Florida, I entered the child welfare system, initially by circumstance but ultimately by purpose. Working within foster care allowed me to witness both the resilience of children and the challenges families face when trying to reunify. Those experiences shaped the direction of my career and inspired me to create meaningful solutions that address the root causes of family instability.
In 2011, I founded Family Unity with the vision of providing comprehensive services that support children, parents, and caregivers throughout their journey. Today, Family Unity serves as a licensed child placement agency offering foster care recruitment, behavioral health services, individual and family therapy, parenting education, and reunification support. Our work extends beyond simply meeting requirements—we strive to empower families with the skills, confidence, and resources needed to build lasting stability.
One of the most meaningful innovations to emerge from my work was the development of a specialized parenting program. After observing children return to foster care following unsuccessful reunifications and disrupted adoptions, I recognized a critical gap. Many parents had not been equipped with practical parenting skills after prolonged separations from their children. In response, I designed a one-on-one, in-home parenting program focused on strengthening communication, rebuilding trust, and preparing families for successful reunin.Teaching parenting skills has been my most notable achievement because it allows me to address the underlying issues and help families communicate more effectively. Watching families reconnect and thrive remains one of the greatest rewards of my career.
Education has always been another cornerstone of my mission. As a Professor of Psychology at Broward College, I have the privilege of preparing future professionals to enter the fields of psychology, behavioral health, and child welfare with both knowledge and compassion. I challenge my students to understand that meaningful change happens not only in classrooms but through genuine human connection, advocacy, and service. Mentoring interns and emerging professionals has become one of the most fulfilling aspects of my work because it allows me to help shape the next generation of leaders committed to strengthening families and communities.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice received was never say no. Because when you say no, you lose out on opportunities.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Definitely have a plan. You have lots of support, and just realize it's a lot of work. Be committed. There are going to be times that you may want to quit... understand that it's hard work, but it's rewarding when you see the outcome.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Commitment to service beyond professional responsibilities through Daisy Cares Foundation and community organizations like Kiwanis Club and Women of Color Empowerment Institute.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Shawndra
Do Childhood Experiences Shape Who We Become as Adults?
Examining how early childhood experiences and trauma shape lifelong development and the lasting impact of child welfare interventions.
Working in the child welfare system for several years has shaped how I see behavior. Although when we consider child welfare, especially foster care, we tend to focus only on the present and on protecting children, we should also think about the long-term effects. A question I frequently ask myself is whether we are actually protecting children or unintentionally causing further harm. In relation to generational trauma, many of the families I have worked with have had some kind of interaction with the child welfare system, whether or not they themselves grew up in foster care or had their child(ren) taken from them.
One statement that has always resonated with me is, "Protect and serve children, keep siblings together, and minimize trauma." Yet I often wonder whether we are truly making a difference. Are we actually minimizing trauma, or are we simply changing the circumstances in which it occurs?
Let’s talk about how trauma affects the brain and how we process traumatic experiences. Let’s start with the brain. From in utero exposure to the different stages of childhood development, early experiences and environmental influences occur during critical periods of growth. These windows of development can shape how we think, feel, and respond to the world around us. (Nickerson, 2026) The prenatal environment may be one of the earliest influences on brain development, laying the foundation for how a child learns, adapts, and responds to life experiences. (Lee & Goto, 2013, pp. 483–492)
When we discuss childhood experiences, we often focus on what happens after birth. However, a child's experiences begin much earlier. In my work, I have seen how factors such as tobacco use, substance use, alcohol use, domestic violence, stress, depression, homelessness, and unemployment can affect families long before a child enters the world. While these circumstances have obvious effects on the parent, they can also influence the developing brain of the unborn child. During pregnancy, the brain develops rapidly, and exposure to chronic stress or harmful substances may affect brain plasticity and development in ways that can extend into childhood and adulthood. (Willford & Kaufman, 2024)
According to Hochberg Z. (2011), childhood experiences can play a major role in shaping who we become as adults. Humans possess a quality called developmental plasticity, which allows us to adapt to our environments. Factors such as nutrition, stress, family relationships, and social conditions send signals to the developing body and brain about what kind of world to expect. These early experiences can influence mental health, behavior, and sometimes long-term health conditions. Whether trauma occurs while with biological family members or with temporary families, these experiences can have a profound effect on how we process our experiences. While research helps us understand the biological impact of early experiences, the effects become even more apparent when we examine the lives of children as they grow into adulthood.
In my years of working with adults, I have observed that many of their decisions, particularly those that were not always positive, often stemmed from past experiences. For example, in parenting training, many reported not having a healthy bonding period with a parent during infancy, which is so important from birth to three months of age, and that they had difficulty forming attachments when they became parents themselves. In fact, many have shared struggles with developing and maintaining healthy romantic relationships, as well as sustaining positive friendships. These experiences suggest that early relationships can have a lasting impact on how individuals connect with others throughout their lives.
Children who experience multiple placements within the foster care system often develop maladaptive behaviors. These behaviors can consist of aggression, poor emotional regulation, academic difficulties, and mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression. In my experience working in child welfare, I have seen the impact of multiple placements. The impact has caused difficulties in school, involvement with law enforcement, and/or the development of substance abuse issues. Data also show that each time a child moves from one home to another, the impact can be profound. Adjusting to new rules, expectations, and relationships is challenging. Although many placements provide safety and stability, repeated disruptions can make it difficult for children to develop trust and form secure attachments.
When working with these individuals, I have often found that their childhood experiences of being separated from a biological parent and experiencing trauma influence their decision-making well into adulthood. While each person whom I worked with has a different story, the impact of childhood experiences is often impossible to ignore. This leads me back to my original question: Are we really making a difference, or do we sometimes become part of the problem?
Because I work with both children and adults, I can say that I have witnessed the effects of family separation firsthand. I have seen how individuals struggle to cope with the pain and loss associated with being separated from their parents and siblings. I have also seen how easy it is for them to repeat the same cycles that their mother, and even their grandmother, struggled with, continuing the pattern of generational trauma. I am not saying that I have all the answers. However, what I can say is that I have seen how childhood experiences affect adults. Sigmund Freud also emphasized the importance of childhood experiences, arguing that early relationships and experiences help shape our personality, behaviors, and emotional development as adults.
Thinking about my work in the field of child welfare, it is hard to overlook the link between what children experience in childhood and the results they achieve as adults. Although it is not the case that every child who has been exposed to adverse conditions will have negative outcomes, we should ask ourselves whether the interventions we carry out are actually targeting the problems that were the reason for the child welfare involvement. Since our childhood experiences have an effect on the kind of adults we become, each decision we make on the child's behalf can have an impact on their future for many years.
Since I have worked in child welfare for so many years, I wonder whether childhood experiences have an impact. As the brain and body develop, they continually learn from their surroundings, and early experiences can shape how a person thinks, feels, behaves, and responds to difficulties later in life. It is important to realize that protecting children goes beyond just making sure they are safe in the short term; it also involves understanding the long-term effect that childhood experiences can have on their emotional, social, and psychological development.
Once more, I asked myself: Do childhood experiences influence the people we become as adults? If they do, then the decisions made on behalf of children should be taken into account, since they affect not only their current situation but also their future relationships, their well-being, and their ability to succeed. Whenever I think about the children and families I have worked with over the course of my career, I keep coming back to the same question: Are we in fact making a difference, or do we at times end up being part of the problem?
The answer might not be easy to find, but one thing is clear: childhood experiences do matter—and the decisions we make for children can have consequences that extend well beyond childhood.
References
Hochberg, Z. (2011). Developmental plasticity in child growth and maturation. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 2, 41. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2011.00041
Lee, Y., & Goto, Y. (2013). The effects of prenatal and postnatal environmental interaction: Prenatal environmental adaptation hypothesis. Journal of Physiology, 107(6), pp. 483–492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphysparis.2013.04.007
McLeod, S. (2026). Sigmund Freud's theories and contribution to psychology. Simply Psychology. Freud's theory proposed that events and experiences in childhood have a significant influence on adult personality and behavior.
Nelson, C. A., 3rd, Zeanah, C. H., & Fox, N. A. (2019). How early experience shapes human development: The case of psychosocial deprivation. Neural Plasticity, 2019, 1676285. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/1676285
Nickerson, C. (2026). Critical period in brain development. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/critical-period.html
Salkind, N. J. (Ed.). (2004). An introduction to theories of human development. Sage Publications.
Willford, J. A., & Kaufman, J. M. (2024). Through a teratological lens: A narrative review of exposure to stress and drugs of abuse during pregnancy on neurodevelopment. Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ntt.2024.107384
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