Hi, I'm Shawn Fraine
I hold an MA in Clinical Psychology, I'm a military veteran, and startup founder who helps companies build communities that actually engage—using behavioral science, not guesswork.
Why Psychology Matters for Digital Communities
I've spent over a decade studying what makes communities work—from military units in combat zones to research cohorts studying trauma recovery to digital communities for marginalized populations.
Here's what I've learned: Recovery and resilience aren't one-size-fits-all. They're multimodal.
Therapy works. Medication works when appropriate. But there's a third component that's often overlooked in digital spaces: community. The reason group therapy is so effective isn't just the therapist—it's the peer connection, the shared experience, the sense of "I'm not alone in this."
Most digital community managers focus on tactics—content calendars, engagement hacks, platform features. I focus on the psychology: What makes people feel safe enough to participate? What drives intrinsic motivation? How do you diagnose the gap between what leaders think is happening and what members actually experience?
How I Got Here
I served 8 years in the US Army Reserve (2003-2011), including deployment to Iraq as an Assistant Convoy Commander leading 50+ soldiers in combat operations. I learned early that cohesion matters—units with strong psychological safety outperformed tactically superior units with weak bonds. Lives depended on it.
After the military, I pursued my MA in Clinical Psychology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (2016-2018). My thesis examined sexual victimization in transgender populations—establishing baseline statistics that would inform future research on trauma and recovery in marginalized communities. The work won the 2018 American Psychological Association Student & Early Career Psychologist Award and has been cited 479 times on Google Scholar.
During that research, one pattern emerged: The transgender individuals in the study weren't just dealing with trauma—they were dealing with profound isolation. Many had been rejected by families, religious communities, and social networks. Clinical interventions (therapy, medication) were critical, but recovery also required rebuilding social support systems.
That's when I became interested in community psychology—not as a replacement for clinical care, but as a complementary protective factor.
From 2018-2022, I worked as a research coordinator at Washington University in St. Louis, managing community-based health interventions with 3,000+ participants. I supervised 30+ research assistants and saw firsthand how community interventions, alongside clinical care, could change outcomes.
Why Digital Communities Need Psychology
Then the pandemic hit. Digital communities exploded—Discord servers, Slack channels, membership platforms. Everyone was building tools for connection.
But people felt lonelier than ever.
The platforms existed. The psychology was missing.
Community managers were applying tactics without understanding the mechanisms: What creates psychological safety? What drives intrinsic motivation vs. extrinsic rewards? How do you diagnose WHY people aren't engaging, not just measure THAT they're not engaging?
That's when I realized: I could apply the same diagnostic frameworks I learned in clinical training—Psychological Sense of Community (PSOC), Self-Determination Theory (SDT), Social Identity Theory—to digital community health.
In 2023, I founded Psynergic Digital and launched DramaLlama, a community platform for Asian drama and Boys' Love fans. It became my testing ground—applying PSOC principles to a passionate, underserved audience. The frameworks worked. Members stayed. Engagement was organic, not incentivized.
Now I help companies do the same: diagnose community health using behavioral science, not guesswork.
My Approach
I don't claim community is more important than therapy or medication. That's not how psychology works.
But here's what I DO know: Strong communities are a protective factor. They reduce isolation. They create belonging. They provide peer support that complements professional care.
Most community consultants tell you WHAT to do (post more, improve onboarding, moderate better). I tell you WHY members aren't engaging—using the same diagnostic rigor I learned in clinical training.
The difference:
- •Survey tools give you data. I give you interpretation.
- •Consultants give you tactics. I give you root cause diagnosis.
- •Platforms give you engagement metrics. I give you psychological health scores.
That's what Groupwell Digital does: Evidence-based community diagnostics. Not guesswork. Not tactics. Psychology.
Why This Matters to Your Bottom Line
You're not hiring me to feel good about community psychology. You're hiring me because community health directly impacts business metrics—and most companies can't measure it.
PSOC → Retention
- • Members who feel belonging stay longer
- • Higher PSOC scores = lower churn
- • Retention is cheaper than acquisition
SDT → Organic Engagement
- • Intrinsically motivated members engage without incentives
- • Extrinsic rewards create temporary spikes that crash
- • Organic engagement scales without linear cost increase
Gap Analysis → Strategic Clarity
- • Leaders think engagement is "fine" while members disengage
- • You can't fix problems you don't see
- • Reveal the 30-40% perception gap
The Business Problems I Solve:
Problem 1: Churn is killing growth
You're acquiring customers, but they're not staying. Community exists but doesn't drive retention. You suspect engagement issues but can't pinpoint root causes.
Problem 2: Can't prove community ROI
Board/leadership asks "What's the ROI of community?" You track vanity metrics (MAU, posts) but can't connect to revenue. Community feels like a cost center, not a growth driver.
Problem 3: Low engagement despite investment
You've tried tactics: content calendars, gamification, incentives. Nothing sticks. You're spending money on a community that doesn't engage.
Problem 4: Launching/replatforming without repeating past mistakes
Previous community attempts failed and you don't know why. Need diagnostics before investing in build-out.
Real Business Impact:
Scenario 1: SaaS with 2,000-member community
Problem: 40% annual churn, community exists but doesn't retain
Diagnosis: Members don't feel psychologically safe asking "basic" questions. Power users dominate. New users lurk and churn.
Business impact: Fixing psychological safety = 15-25% churn reduction = $500k+ ARR saved
Scenario 2: Developer tools launching new community
Problem: Previous community failed (low engagement, shut down). Don't want to repeat mistakes.
Diagnosis: Optimized for extrinsic rewards (badges, points) instead of intrinsic motivation. Members gamed the system, didn't help each other.
Business impact: Launch with SDT principles = sustainable engagement without constant incentives
Scenario 3: Membership org with 5,000 members
Problem: Board asking "What's the ROI of community?" Budget may get cut.
Diagnosis: Community health 6.5/10 (above benchmark). Members with high PSOC renew at 85% vs. 60% for low PSOC.
Business impact: Prove community drives retention. Justify budget. Get resources to improve to 8+.
The bottom line: I diagnose community health using psychology. You use those insights to reduce churn, improve retention, and prove ROI. It's not therapy—it's strategic intelligence for your business.
Credentials & Experience
Education & Recognition
MA Clinical Psychology
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (2016-2018)
2018 APA Award Winner
Student & Early Career Psychologist Award
479 Citations
Published research on Google Scholar
Research Focus:
Trauma, Community Psychology, LGBTQ+ Health
Military & Leadership
US Army Reserve Sergeant
2003-2011 (8 Years Service)
Iraq Deployment
Assistant Convoy Commander
50+ Soldiers Led
Combat operations management
Army Commendation Medal
Multiple service awards
Community Psychology Expertise
10+ Years Community Leadership
Military units, research teams, digital communities
Research Coordinator
Washington University (2018-2022)
3,000+ Participants
Community-based health interventions
Evidence-Based Frameworks:
PSOC, SDT, Social Identity Theory applied to digital communities since 2023
Ready to Stop Guessing?
I'm currently accepting my first 5 Founding Partner clients—companies that want to understand what's really happening in their communities before throwing more tactics at the problem.
You'll get the full Community Health Diagnostic (normally $10,000) plus the complete Digital Toolkit Library (normally $2,000) for $6,000.
Not a discount. A partnership. You help me validate these frameworks at scale. I give you the insights that prevent your community from quietly dying while you're distracted by vanity metrics.
Questions? Email hello@groupwelldigital.com