Paula Mainard, LCSW

Licensed Social Worker in Arkansas | Adoption, Attachment & FASD Specialist

Paula Mainard is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Arkansas with over 20 years of experience supporting adoptive families, children, and adults. She is passionate about helping families navigate life transitions, attachment challenges, and developmental concerns in healthy, supportive ways. As a parent of six adopted children, Paula brings personal insight and professional expertise to guide families through complex emotions, fears, and successes.

Paula is a Certified Trauma Professional and specializes in Attachment Theory, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), and trauma-informed care. She serves on the None for Nine Task Force, educating about alcohol use during pregnancy, and advocates for early intervention for children as young as 5 to improve long-term outcomes. She also supports families with IEPs, 504 plans, and disability rights, drawing from her experience with DCFS and advocacy work.

She uses a holistic, individualized approach to therapy, integrating Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), hypnosis, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), and Triumph Parenting. Paula helps clients of all ages, from adolescents to adults, navigate trauma, attachment issues, behavioral challenges, and family dynamics.

Paula also brings specialized experience in alternative lifestyles, including ethical non-monogamy, power exchange dynamics, and polyamorous relationships, creating a safe, affirming, nonjudgmental space for exploration and personal growth.