What’s it like to undertake a PhD with Turning Point?
"My thinking in my PhD topic has expanded in ways that I never expected,” says current PhD candidate Jodie Matar.
Ms Jodie Matar is an APS-accredited psychologist who works in private practice with adolescents and families. She is also a project manager on MAKINGtheLINK, an award-winning school-based program that empowers young people to support their peers to seek professional help for mental health and substance use.
What is your PhD about?
Recently in Australia, the estimated number of young people aged 11 and 17 in the fourth and fifth (highest) socio-economic households were shown to have the highest prevalence of major depressive disorder compared to the lowest, second and third socio-economic households.
Yet they may utilise fewer health and school services and have lower rates of 12-month service use compared to young people from other socioeconomic households.
Therefore, my PhD focuses on a subset of adolescents in high socioeconomic households in Australia and explores their help-seeking behaviour for mental health concerns.
Why did you undertake a PhD with Turning Point and Monash University?
I chose Monash University with a Turning Point supervisor because of the high level of education, expertise and opportunities available. I have completed a number of qualifications at Monash University and have been exceptionally pleased with the level of education, the overall experience and the opportunities that have opened up for me as a result.
How have you found the experience?
My experience with my supervisors has been outstanding and incredibly supportive. I have three supervisors, each with different levels of expertise, experience and research interest within my broader area of research in mental health concerns including alcohol and other substance use. This has provided a rich ground for my training and “apprenticeship” as a researcher.
I have found I have drawn on the expertise and skills of my supervisors at different stages of the PhD. My experiences with my supervisors have exceeded my expectations.
I am incredibly grateful to be under the excellent supervision of Dr Stella Laletas, Professor Dan Lubman and Dr Michael Savic.
Have you accessed any training and support programs available to you?
I have accessed over 120 hours of training and support programs available to me as part of the PhD. The breadth of courses available is exceptional and ranges from research skills to other professional skills. I have accessed this training online and in person over my PhD candidature.
How have you managed to fit the workload around your other commitments?
This was challenging for me, particularly since the first two years of the PhD candidature were during COVID. I was also undertaking a placement as part of a Master of Educational and Developmental Psychology course.
It does take a high level of commitment and planning, as research often requires more time than expected. I set aside full days when I was working on the PhD, as I found I was able to achieve more because it did not take as long to immerse in it again. If you have to start and stop, it can sometimes take time to re-orientate what part you are up to when it is such a large body of work.
I had to fit my PhD workload around my family and other commitments; however, I still required more time at the end of the candidature. Often having a break can be good, as it gives you time to process and allow your thoughts to evolve.
How might completing the PhD affect your career and your life overall? Has it opened up new opportunities or new ways of looking at the world?
There is so much I could write about here! So many opportunities across many platforms have arisen for me due to the PhD. These include teaching at university, working as part of a highly experienced team on large research projects, tenders for projects striving for public health change, and international opportunities such as speaking engagements or collaborations to name a few. A PhD can give you access to platforms to develop extensive research and professional skills to contribute to the area of your chosen field.
One of the aspects that I loved about the PhD was developing my critical thinking skills and the deep level of understanding in the topic that I chose. The PhD has expanded my ability to conceptualise new ways of approaching gaps in the literature and the potential implications or next steps for change. My thinking in my PhD topic has expanded in ways that I never expected.
Would you recommend Monash to someone looking to complete a PhD?
One hundred percent! There are so many benefits from studying at Monash University and learning from leading researchers in Australia and internationally. I have also been incredibly supported and mentored by my supervisors in addition to administrative support from Monash University throughout my candidature.
My advice to anyone considering a PhD pathway is to choose a topic that really interests you, in an area that you wish to specialise in. Many hours are spent immersing yourself in the literature, thinking critically and considering the potential implications of the research.
Find out more about PhD opportunities at Turning Point
As Australia’s leading addiction treatment, education and research centre, Turning Point offers opportunities for students to undertake research projects across a diverse range of topics such as clinical trials, treatment and intervention programs, neurocognition recovery, and health surveillance.
We offer our PhD students a program of study that includes world-class research training, as well as opportunities to develop diverse skills that will benefit their future career. Students will be part of a diverse research team, and have access to opportunities across Turning Point, Monash Addiction Research Centre (MARC) and Monash University.
Find out more: