Gaby Portilla
Facilitator.
Guide.
Founder.
Nine years accompanying families through the one shift that changes everything: understanding the nervous system instead of managing behavior.
9+
years of practice
350+
families accompanied
120+
Members · Family Sensitive
237K
Community · Instagram
THE STORY
A different
kind of guide.
Gaby Portilla is a mother, facilitator, and guide for families raising neurosensitive and neurodivergent children who are ready to move beyond control-based parenting and into a more attuned, sustainable way of living and relating.
With over 20 years immersed in education and more than 7 years accompanying neurosensitive families, her work focuses on helping parents shift from chaos, burnout, and confusion into clarity, coherence, and relational safety. Rather than applying rigid methods or one-size-fits-all solutions, Gaby supports each family in understanding their unique nervous system dynamics, rhythms, and context—so that regulation, autonomy, and learning can naturally emerge.
Her approach is grounded in both professional studies and lived experience. Her studies include stress neurobiology, Polyvagal Theory, developmental trauma, somatics and trauma-informed care, resilience-focused therapy, child development and psychopedagogy, and Montessori guidance. These foundations are not applied as rigid frameworks, but integrated into a flexible, real-life approach centered on safety, connection, and nervous system regulation.
At the core of her work is a simple but radical shift: moving away from asking “what’s wrong?” and toward understanding what each nervous system needs in order to feel safe enough to thrive.
As the founder of Family Sensitive, Gaby has worked extensively with children and adults navigating highly sensitive profiles, ADHD, autism, giftedness, and PDA. Her work is practical, relational, and non-pathologizing—bridging science with everyday family life.
Gaby is also neurodivergent herself, with a complex neurotype that includes ADHD, PDA, autism, and giftedness. This is not just something she studies—it is something she lives. Her guidance comes not only from knowledge, but from embodied understanding, offering families a level of attunement that is both deeply informed and profoundly human.
"I combine more than 9 years of deep study with the leading voices in the field, a methodology built from the inside out, and the lived experience of raising a neurodivergent child while being neurodivergent myself. The knowledge that guides this work doesn't live in a diploma or a degree. It lives in every family that has found its way back to connection."
- Gaby Portilla
THE ECOSYSTEM
One root system.
Many branches.
FRAMEWORK - FOUNDATION
The FERN Model
The theoretical backbone of everything. A nervous system-first framework for learning, parenting, and environment design. FERN holds that before curiosity, creativity, or learning can emerge, the body must feel safe.
Explore the FERN ModelPHYSICAL SPACE - VILCABAMBA
The Nest
A living, self-directed learning ecosystem for children and families rooted in Vilcabamba, Ecuador. Currently in development.
Learn About the NestRootEd
8 in-person sessions - A nervous system-based parenting program for families in and around Vilcabamba. Built on the FERN Model.
Learn MoreRootEd ND
A deep, personalized 3-month accompaniment for families navigating neurosensitivity, neurodivergence, and the complexity that comes with it.
Learn MoreFamily Sensitive
The online project to reach Spanish speaking communities and families across the world. Online courses, podcast, and a book about neurosensitivity on the making.
Go to InstagramThe formation behind the work.
Nine years of intensive study with the leading voices in polyvagal theory, developmental trauma, somatic therapy, and neurodivergent-affirming education, integrated into direct practice with families across two continents.
Polyvagal Trauma Therapy Certificate
60-hour live program with Dr. Stephen Porges, Deb Dana LCSW, Dr. Janina Fisher, Dr. Arielle Schwartz, Dr. Scott Lyons, and Jan Winhall MSW
Certified Parent Coach
Jai Institute for Parenting — evidence-based, neuroscience-informed parent coaching program
Teoría Polivagal Aplicada
Instituto Newman — applied polyvagal theory in family and educational contexts
Psicopedagogía
Child development, learning processes, and educational support
Resilience-Informed Therapy
An Integrative Somatic Approach For Trauma Healing Professionals
Terapia Asistida con Perros
Foundation of the Dog Sensitive methodology — human-animal co-regulation
Neurosoma
Marco Ratti — nervous system, body, and trauma integration
Agile Learning Centers
Self-directed education facilitation — the Agile model for non-coercive learning environments
PDA — Pathological Demand Avoidance
At Peace Parents — full program on extreme demand avoidance profiles
Montessori Education
Autonomy, prepared environment, and child-led development
Learning Human & Learning Dog
Learning Animals Institute — with Francesco Di Giorgio and José
The Trust Technique
Presence-based human-animal connection and co-regulation
Descodificación Biológica
Instituto Ángeles Wolder
Key influences · Direct study
- Dr. Stephen Porges -Polyvagal Theory — the biological basis of safety, co-regulation, and connection
- Deb Dana, LCSW -Polyvagal-informed therapy — practical application in daily life
- Dr. Janina Fisher -Trauma and the body — parts-based approaches to complex trauma
- Dr. Gabor Maté -The Wisdom of Trauma — trauma, addiction, and the mind-body connection
- Dr. Arielle Schwartz -Resilience-Informed Therapy — EMDR and complex trauma
- Natalie Brunswick - Sensitively Wired — highly sensitive and neurodivergent children
- Laura Gutman - Primer año de biografía humana — early bonding and development
- Ángeles Wolder - Biological decoding — meaning and origin of symptoms
- Elaine Aron, PhD -The Highly Sensitive Person — foundational research that shaped Gaby's early work
