Our Providers

Education

Dr. Marek received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a minor in Quantitative Methodology from Kent State University in 2017. He completed numerous practicum placements during his training, including at the Cleveland Clinic and at a rural outpatient mental health facility. He completed his APA-accredited internship at the Medical University of South Carolina where he completed numerous rotations under supervision including weight management, behavioral medicine (including pre-surgical psychological evaluations of patients seeking bariatric, spinal cord stimulator, and solid organ transplant, treatment of chronic pain, and generally helping patients adjust to/manage their medical diagnoses), and conducted neuropsychological evaluations. He is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Sam Houston State University where he teaches, supervises clinical work, and mentors research in the Clinical Psychology doctoral program. 

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Clinical Practice Areas

Dr. Marek is one of the leading experts in pre-surgical psychological evaluations. He has a book on the topic titled Psychological Assessment of Surgical Candidates: Evidence-Based Procedures and Practices and engages in active society work associated with the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery to advance training and science related to bariatric surgery. In addition to pre-surgical evaluations, his clinical training experiences largely centered around assessing the intersections of medical/health, psychological, and social aspects of persons to help individuals in medical settings have successful outcomes. With training from some of the leading experts in psychological assessment, he can also effectively and competently conduct disability/worker's compensation, pre-employment screening, and general psychodiagnostic evaluation in addition to pre-surgical assessment. 

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Dr. Marek is licensed in the state of Texas (#38086).

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Research

Dr. Marek’s program of research is focused on understanding how psychological factors contribute to medical outcomes. He currently has over 60 peer-reviewed publications mostly focused on pre-surgical psychological evaluations and how they predict various outcomes. Dr. Marek uses his research to help patients manage risk factors prior to and after surgery to help them achieve good outcomes. He also has interests in psychological assessment and notably uses and studies the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) in his research and practice. He has been recognized by a few national organizations who have awarded him early-career research awards for his work in pre-surgical psychological evaluations. He also is currently a Principle Investigator on novel psychological interventions for Type 2 Diabetes. He serves as an Associate Editor for two esteemed journals in the field – Psychological Assessment and Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases.

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Insurance Accepted

Dr. Marek currently is in-network with the following insurance plans: Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Cigna, Oscar Health, Optum, United Healthcare, and Texas Exchange. We currently do not accept Medicare or Medicaid plans, but are in the process of being approved to do so. If you would like to use your insurance for a pre-surgical psychological assessment, please call or use this link to schedule: Click Here. 

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We will attempt to pre-approve your appointment and let you know whether insurance will cover your appointment. You can also call your insurance to check if this appointment is covered and obtain a pre-authorization code to give to us. CPT codes we use for evaluations are 90791, 96136, 96137 (2-3 units pending the evaluation), 96130, and 96131. Therapy session CPT codes include 90834 (45-50 minute appointments), 90837 (appointments lasting longer than 53 minutes), or 90853 if you are in group therapy.