Geoff Marks

(Geoffrey Marks)

Role

Psychologist

Qualifications

Bachelor of Psychological Science with Honours

Summary

Geoff is an experienced psychologist who provides warmth and care in providing evidence-based practice. With a diverse background in clinical settings, including work with forensic populations, private practice, disability services, and group-based initiatives, Geoff is well-equipped to support a wide range of client presentations.

Geoff enjoys working with both individuals and families, and supports clients of all ages. He uses a variety of therapeutic frameworks to offer flexible, evidence-based care that is responsive to the unique needs, goals, and preferences of each client. Geoff adopts a person-centred approach and places strong emphasis on building a safe, trusting therapeutic relationship. His work is grounded in trauma-informed, attachment-focused and strengths-based principles. He is passionate about helping clients improve their emotional wellbeing and overall quality of life and fosters a therapeutic environment that builds from a client's existing knowledge and experience, preferences and goals. In doing so, Geoff develops a collaborative and person-centred approach with his clients. 

Geoff holds a Bachelor of Psychological Science with Honours. Beyond tertiary studies, Geoff has also engaged in ongoing training, extensive supervision and professional development activities aligned with his areas of interest and practice. He values lifelong learning and takes care to ensure his practice remains current and evidence-informed.

Outside of his clinical work, Geoff enjoys spending quality time with his friends and family, volunteering for animal welfare, and long-distance running.

Areas of Support

Broadly speaking, psychologists are trained to work with a variety of psychological conditions and the factors that inform this. When working with a client, a part of the psychologist's role is evaluating their suitability for a client's identified support need/s. Where another clinician may be better suited to support the client, a psychologist will discuss any recommendations for on-referral with the client. 

Geoff regularly works with clients who are experiencing a range of clinical concerns and /or support needs. Examples of this include, but are not limited to:

• Mood (e.g., adjustment, depressive, bipolar and schizoaffective disorders)
• Anxiety (e.g., generalised anxiety, separation anxiety, phobias)
• Neurodevelopmental Matters (e.g., Autism, ADHD)
• Cognition & Learning (e.g., intellectual and/or developmental concerns, learning difficulties)
• Grief, Loss & Bereavement
• Stress-Related Concerns (e.g., burnout, relationship breakdown, employment-related and/or job loss, communication skills, navigating interpersonal challenges, conflict resolution)
• Posttraumatic Stress (e.g., PTSD, acute stress)
• Personality Disorders (e.g., BPD)
• Psychotic Disorders (e.g., schizophrenia and related concerns)
• Chronic Pain & Health-Related Matters (e.g., managing wellbeing concurrent with physical conditions, pain management, sleep hygiene)
• Substance-Use & Related Concerns

Geoff also enjoys providing psychoeducation and skills-based training initiatives to groups and organisations. He values involvement in preventative initiatives (e.g., fostering a resilient workplace) and draws from principles of positive psychology, resilience and mindfulness to develop the skills of the people and stakeholders that he works with.  

Therapeutic Models & Intervention Frameworks

• CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)
• DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy)
• ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)
• IPT (Interpersonal Therapy)
• PMT (Parent-Management Training)
• SFT (Solution-Focused Therapy) & Motivational Interview
• Mindfulness & Positive Psychology
• Creative & Expressive Therapies/Approaches

Assessment Services

Psychologists are trained to assess for clinical concerns, some of which can pertain to diagnostic conditions as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition, text revision (DSM-V-TR, 2022). However some assessment queries require additional training and resources (i.e., psychometric measures) to evaluate and assess. At Ability, we have a broad range of diagnostic testing tools and measures available to evaluate many, common assessment queries. In addition to standard psychological assessment competency, Geoff is able to provide: 

• Assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD, Autism) (All Ages. Administration of Relevant Measures e.g., ADOS-2, MIGDAS-2, ADI-R, Sensory Profile, clinical observation)
• Assessment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (All Ages. Administration of Relevant Measures e.g., Conners Scales, DIVA-5)
• Assessment of Intellectual Ability, Cognition, Executive Function and Learning (All Ages. Administration of Relevant Measures e.g.,  Wechsler Intelligence Scales, Tests of Nonverbal Intelligence, ToPF, MoCA, BRIEF-2, achievement-testing)
• Assessment of Adaptive Behaviour and Functional Capacity (All Ages. Administration of Relevant Measures e.g.,  ABAS-3, Vinelands, WHODAS 2.0)
• Assessment of Memory (All ages. WMS-IV)
• Other diagnostic evaluation of psychological concerns and/or disorders (DSM-V-TR)