Vinnie Padilla, AMFT with Grey Insight, helping Neurodivergent, Geeky, Witchy, Queer Individuals and couples develop connections to themselves and their world, Online Across California.

Vinnie Padilla, AMFT

  • The Chicago School- Master of Arts in Marriage, Couples, and Family Therapy

    University of California, Irvine- Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Social Behavior.

  • I am an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT #165473) registered with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences under my legal name, Vincent Padilla,

    As an AMFT, I practice under the supervision of a Licensed Mental Health Professional while completing the required hours for licensure.

  • I am supervised by Dr. Michael Grey, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (#136636) and clinical supervisor who supports my clinical development and ensures that patients receive ethical, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive care.

  • My therapeutic approach is rooted in depth psychology, which comprises psychodynamic principles and Bowen Family Systems theory, drawing on psychoanalysis.

    This perspective enables me to view an individual's challenges not only personally but also within the broader context of their family and societal systems. I help my patients unravel and address deep-rooted issues by bringing unconscious patterns to the forefront, fostering meaningful and lasting change.

    • Suicide Risk and Prevention - Didi Hirsch

    • Working with Bipolar Disorder- Didi Hirsch

    • Borderline States and Phenomenon - Alex Russan (Maple Counseling Center) 

    • Suicide Prevention Treatment, and Support: Risk Assessment, Treatment, and Management-The Nevada Office of Suicide Prevention

    • Supporting Survivors of Sexual Assault- UCLA Rape Treatment
      Center

    • Psychodynamic Psychotherapy- Harold Young (Maple Counseling Center)

    • Managing Anger & Expectations: Converging
      Approaches for More Effective Communication      - Paul Gutrecht (Maple Counseling Center)

    • Adult Training: Leaning Into Beauty and Grief- David Kessler, (Grief Education Program)

    Certified Loveologist & Love Coach -  Dr. Ava Cadell (Loveuniv)

    • American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)

    • California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)

  • Individual Therapy:

    • Identity Development for Long-Term Growth: Moving beyond survival mode to discover who you truly are and who you want to become.

    • LGBTQ+ & Gay Men’s Affirming Care: Specialized support navigating the unique realities, joys, and challenges of queer life, dating, and community.

    • Healing Family & Attachment Trauma: Tending to early emotional wounds, breaking painful generational cycles, and reclaiming your sense of self.

    • Religious Deconstruction: A safe, supportive space to untangle yourself from harmful dogmas, process spiritual abuse, and redefine your personal beliefs.

    • Navigating Major Life Transitions: Guidance and grounding when your world is shifting, whether through career changes, relationship status, or personal evolution.

    • Spirituality, Esotericism, & Tarot: For the witchy, the curious, and the spiritually minded. I integrate tarot and esoteric exploration as therapeutic tools to help you access your intuition, decode your inner world, and navigate your spiritual journey.

    Couples Therapy:

    • Rebuilding Emotional Connection: Helping partners bridge emotional distance, overcome disconnection, and restore a deep sense of warmth and safety in the relationship.

    • Navigating Conflict and Withdrawal: Identifying negative communication loops, addressing emotional withdrawal, and building the confidence to resolve conflict constructively.

    • Healing Relational Attachment Patterns: Exploring how individual histories and early attachment styles influence how you react, protect yourselves, and connect as a couple.

    • Deepening Sexual and Emotional Intimacy: Creating a safe space to explore desire, strengthen physical and emotional closeness, and revitalize your intimate bond.

    • Setting & Maintaining Boundaries: Learning how to protect your individuality while fostering a secure, loving partnership.

    • Talking vs. Communication: Moving beyond "talking at" each other and learning how to engage in true, vulnerable dialogue where both partners feel heard.

    • Attachment, Trust, & Stability: Understanding how your early life experiences impact your current relationship dynamics, and building a secure foundation together.

    • Kink, BDSM, & Sex-Positive Exploration: A completely judgment-free space for couples engaged in kink who want to safely explore their desires, negotiate boundaries, and deepen their intimacy.

    Family Therapy:

    • Family-Owned Small Businesses: Working and living together brings unique challenges. I help family business owners and operators establish healthy boundaries, separate work from home, resolve professional conflicts, and preserve their personal relationships.

    Group Therapy:

    Building Worlds, Building Selves: A Minecraft Therapy Group

    This experiential, video-game-based therapy group utilizes games like Minecraft and Stardew Valleyto explore real-world dynamics. Together in a virtual space, we focus on:

    • Navigating interpersonal relationships and communication in real-time.

    • Processing emotions and developing a stronger sense of identity.

    • Recognizing and shifting behavioral patterns learned from your family system.

  • Individual Therapy (50 minutes):

    $200.00

    Relational (Couples) Therapy (75 Minutes)

    $250.00

    Relational (Couples & Family) Therapy (90 Minutes)

    $300.00

    Group Therapy ( 75-120 minutes)

    $75.00

    Sliding Scale for groups may be available

Schedule My Consultation

A Message from Vinnie

Vinnie Padilla, AMFT with Grey Insight, helping Neurodivergent, Geeky, Witchy, Queer Individuals and couples develop connections to themselves and their world, Online Across California.

I am a humorous, whimsical, and deeply relational Marriage and Family Therapist, and I have been affectionately called a "clinical clown" more times than I can count. I wear that title with pride. In a world that often demands we meet our pain with rigid, heavy solemnity, I believe that play, humor, and levity are some of the most potent medicines we have. When we can laugh at the absurdity of our struggles, we strip trauma of its terrifying power, soften the edges of our oldest wounds, and make room for genuine, lasting healing to take root.

My own life has been a vibrant, non-linear adventure that taught me early on that healing does not follow a standard timeline. It is never too late to begin a new quest. I grew up in a warm, collectivistic family of multi-generational restaurateurs, a background that showed me that human connection is the ultimate nourishment. As a queer, neurodivergent man, I found my truest self through the love of my chosen community, a passion for gaming, a deep reverence for nature, and an ongoing curiosity about spirituality and the esoteric.

These diverse threads of my identity shape how I show up in the therapy room. I don’t pretend to be the main character of your story. Instead, I view myself as a trusted NPC (Non-Playable Character) in your world. I am here to hold the lantern, offer you quests, hand you a map, and equip you with the resources, tools, and spells you need to navigate the wild terrain of your own self-discovery.

Clinically, my work focuses on untangling the invisible, sticky webs of family systems and generational trauma. If you wanted the "too long; didn't read" (TL; DR) version of my therapeutic philosophy, it’s this: Yeah, your family might have messed you up, but you have the power to rewrite the script. You can become the author of your own life and step into your most authentic, self-led identity without having to erase or deny the reality of what you have survived.

 I am Queer. I am Nerdy. I am Neurodivergent. I am Witchy. But most importantly,

 I am Human.

-Vinnie

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Schedule your Consult today with Vinnie Padilla, AMFT, with Grey Insight, helping Neurodivergent, Geeky, Witchy, Queer Individuals and couples develop connections to themselves and their world, Online Across California.