About Geoff
Bio
I am an Educational & Developmental Psychologist and a Secondary School Teacher with rich experience working across government, Catholic and independent school sectors. I completed my undergraduate and postgraduate psychology training at the University of Melbourne, and my teacher training at Victoria University. I am currently undertaking a PhD at Swinburne University of Technology investigating internalised sexual stigma in gay Australian youth.
I started my career as a psychologist at a private psychological consultancy where I have conducted numerous cognitive and educational assessments in both primary and secondary schools across Victoria. I have also worked as an Additional Learning Needs Coordinator at a secondary school, and as a Student Support Services Officer within the Department of Education & Training. More recently, I have provided psychological services to students as a college psychologist and taught VCE Psychology at a secondary school.
I am LGBTIQA+ affirming and am committed to providing a safe and accepting space for sexually and gender diverse young people and adults. I also speak Cantonese and I can offer psychological services in this language.
Accreditations
Psychologist
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Full registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
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Endorsement in Educational & Developmental Psychology
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Board Approved Supervisor
Teacher
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Full registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT)
Therapeutic Approach
My therapeutic approach is grounded in an eclectic mix of traditional Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. All of the above therapies are evidence-based with ample scientific research supporting their efficacies.
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CBT is often used to treat people with mental health problems by changing thinking and behavioural patterns. Unhelpful thoughts and behaviours are identified and challenged to effect emotional change. Read more about CBT here.
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The focus of ACT is to teach you a range of psychological skills to deal with your painful thoughts and emotions more effectively. These skills can include acceptance strategies, cognitive defusion, mindfulness techniques, and behavioural approaches already known to be effective from CBT. We often get so entangled with our private experiences (e.g., thoughts, emotions, memories, physiological responses) that we often neglect other people or things that bring meaning to our lives. This form of therapy helps liberate us from the thinking, behavioural, and physiological patterns that prevent us from living a rich, full and meaningful life. Read more about ACT here.
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EMDR therapy has been established a robust treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and other trauma-related presenting problems, including depression, anxiety and stress. The premise of EMDR therapy is that adverse thoughts, feelings and behaviours stem from unprocessed traumatic memories. By simultaneously focusing on these memories and the associated emotions while engaging in bilateral stimulation (e.g., horizontal eye movements, repeated bilateral tapping or alternating tones etc.), the traumatic memories are thus processed and the emotional distress is reduced or eliminated. Read more about EMDR here.
