��õ������

Title: How Maddy Found her Calling in Psychology

Creator: Matthew Handby | ��õ������ University of Technology

Year: 2026

Audio/video for this transcript available from:

Maddy:

I kind of realised how fast life can change for people, and it doesn't take much to kind of, reduce the safety nets that you have in your life. And that's where I thought, well, I want to be one of those people that can be that extra safety net. 

My name's Maddy. I'm currently a student in the Doctor of Clinical and Forensic Psychology program. 

I actually got a really bad ATAR, the pressure of Year 12 really got to me and I had a lot of things happening in my personal life that made it very difficult to give Year 12 my best. 

And so after that I went to work for a year, I worked full time as a business banker. And it drained the life out of me, because it wasn't what I wanted to do. And I sort of realised that I needed to follow that voice that always told me to try and pursue psychology in some way. 

To make sure that I was ready, I went and did the Certificate IV in Youth Work to get that industry experience and see if I actually really did like working with people. And I realised that I did. 

So I applied for the Bachelor of Psychological Sciences and got in, and it all kind of just snowballed from there and I just went, try and do your best. Got into honors and then went, what do I want to do? I was torn for a bit between neuropsychology and clinical and forensic psych, but the forensic part was what really drew me in.

I don't think it can get much realer than the placement that I've just been doing with the ��õ������ Health Service. It's a student run clinic where we offer psychological therapy, but also cognitive testing and personality testing. 

You really kind of get a sense of what it might be like working in a public health clinic. Because a lot of the times that people come in with all of the pieces of the puzzle, but they just can't string them together to make a coherent image. 

The most rewarding part is to be able to take all of that in, synthesise it through a lens that they just don't have, and return it back to them as something that they can hold.

I hope to start doing forensic risk assessment, it's my area of interest. I'd like to be doing court reports and those kind of things, either with child protection or judicial related. 

What does it mean to me to graduate as a clinical and forensic psychologist? Everything. It was my dream since I was about 18, and I kind of realised, you know, this is a path that I could follow. To actually be able to be in a position where I can start doing and giving back like I wanted to.

[END OF TRANSCRIPT]