Vincent Papaleo & Associates

The experience was traumatic for both myself and my kid. VP is a misogynists; he backed up my narcissistic ex husband, ignoring some obvious red flags like a hand written letter from my 8 years old stating what a bad mum I was. My ex was so confident hen would use "I take you back to see Papaleo" as a threat. Once we were finally done with the court case and my kid turned into a complex teen, the wonderful dad fled the scene, conveniently moved out of Melbourne and left me alone dealing with that. He never paid us ONE dollar, never paid for school fees, was never involved in any decision. I worked 3 jobs to support us, until I got sick for being overworked and exhausted. When she was 13 my daughter told her dad and his parents that "they ruined her childhood". Well done Mr Papaleo for your intuition and understanding of human psychology. Please, do your kid a favour and avoid this man.

Writing a bad review about Papaleo although it does nothing it lets other people know what to expect. The best thing to do is to report him to AHPRA. Don't waste your energy, let them deal with him. He is playing with lives. Want results, want to hold him accountable? Put in a complaint, contact AHPRA now.

Do not recommend, Vincent papaleo was supposed to deal with my daughter’s mental health problems.
Completely ignored her, judged her to her face, and told her that her problems are her fault.
DO NOT GO HERE! VINCENT PAPALEO SHOULDNT HE A PSYCHOLOGIST

I've provided a detailed 1-Star review of Dr Ben Jones at another review location (search "Dr Ben Jones review" to see it and several other reviews). I won't articulate my concerns again in detail - other than to observe that several earlier reviewers here and elsewhere appear to be bringing up themes/patterns such as those related to bias, lack of rigour and potentially poor appreciation of complexity in family matters (i.e. Particularly in relation to alleged domestic abuse, coercive control and parental alienation).

Those with concerns about this practice are not lone voices in raising similar issues when it comes to Family Report Writers / Family Consultants in general - as detailed in an Attorney-General’s Department consultation paper on ‘Improving the competency and accountability of family report writers' released in late October 2021 (there's more about this on my other review).

I fundamentally agree with another reviewer here (Nick Sos) that those with strong concerns should lodge a complaint with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Aphra) - as well as, perhaps, their local Member of Parliament and the Family Courts. However, where I respectfully differ from Nick's views is that I think it is vitally important for concerned individuals to provide detailed feedback on reviews such as this as well. Vincent Papaleo & Associates charge VERY high fees for their (in my view) less than adequate approach and I feel it is important for those with negative (and positive) opinions to detail their thoughts in places like this so that potential clients can be fully informed before committing to anything.

It appears some people have had the polar opposite experience with Vincent Papaleo & Associates (as well as Dr Ben Jones) to mine. With family matters being complex and nuanced there are a lot of layers that could come together to contribute to someone's lived experience with this firm - whether it was an overall good or bad one. To suggest that everyone who has lodged a negative review is dishonest or has not told the whole story (as another reviewer has done) is something I find terribly insensitive and regrettable. Especially when you consider how some reviewers are commenting on challenging domestic / child abuse situations and we can have no idea how inferring they are liars or that their negative experience is their fault might impact on someone's mental health (on top of everything else they've been through).

Court cases/prosecutions against other Family Report Writers / Family Consultants in recent years have shown that all professionals working in this field (including psychologists) MUST be rigorously scrutinised and held to the highest standards of accountability. The individuals ultimately impacted the most when Family Report Writers / Family Consultants get it wrong, or do less than they reasonably should, are our children. They deserve nothing less than stringent professionalism from firms such as Vincent Papaleo & Associates.

Vincent Papaleo is a great psychologist. He knows what he’s doing. In my opinion if anyone has an issue with him, it’s because they haven’t been honest in some regard or not telling the whole story. He helped my family enormously.

Vincent ruined my life. I did joint sessions with my bio father. Vincent didn't listen to me. He lied. He told me that animal abuse is ok. That when my father assaulted me that was ok, that being gay was just a phase. He only cared about what my bio father said. Don't go to Vincent Papalao. He and others in his office are liars, and do not have the best interests of the child at heart. Please spare yourselves and children any further trauma by not seeing these people. He has caused me so many issues which I am only now fixing.absolutely disgraceful that someone with so much power and education can have such a sway on the children he sees.

I was appointed Mr V. Papaleo by the family law courts in MELBOURNE VICTORIA. In 2013-2015.in regards to the care of my daughter Julia d.o. B 10.4.2005 on whom I love and cared for so dearly and wished only the very best for her. I raised her from birth until she was the age of 8 as her father Natan Kaplan was incarcerated for manslughter charges and released in 2008. Mr Papaleo deem myself as a narcissist and therefore no longer was able to have a relationship with my daughter as she then resided with her father on whom while in prison I made sure Julia had a relationship.after almost 5yrs of heart ache and pain to no longer have contact with my daughter. Julia has now reached out to me now almost 13yrs old Julia does NOT have a relationship with her father. Unknown to myself to what has occurred. Julia is now in care of the grandmother ever since 2017 last 15months.
Now clearly this has worked terribly in Julia's favor as a growing teenager when she is in need of her parents at a crital age in life.being reunited with her forced astranged mother and now no father. Tell me how was Mr Papaleo's professional discussion correct in the wellfare of my child?
I would not recommend this clinic nor his profession advice. Not enough investigation into character report is suffice.
We did not finalize anything in court no papers of whom to care for Julia was made legal as costs were extreme.
What now can be done? To myself Michelle Reyes & daughter Julia Kaplan on how to rebuild our relationship and the pain, hurt, trauma that Mr Papaleo's caused and inflicted on my beloved.almost 5years of no contact. 5years lost. My rights as a mother taken away.

Great child psycologist. I have referred many families to Vincent P and he has such a great attitude to equality within relationship breakdowns and the best for the children caught up in adult separations.