Brigid’s unconventional road to becoming Counselling Graduate of the Year | UniSC | University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

It was the death of a friend that led Brigid Murnane to counselling.

Calling it a death actually does it a disservice – Brigid’s friend Samantha Fraser was killed by her ex-husband on Phillip Island, off the coast of Melbourne, in 2018, sending shockwaves through the small community.

After her death, locals established Change for Sam – an organisation dedicated to preventing and addressing family violence, transforming “the deep pain of her loss into meaningful, lasting change”, as outlined on the group’s website.

With almost 4 million Australian adults – a disproportionate number of those being women – experiencing physical or sexual violence from a partner or family member since the age of 15, the issue in 2024 was declared a “national crisis”.

It’s one that Brigid decided to address through her studies and work.

But first she needed to go on a journey of another kind.

After Samantha’s death, the community leaned on each for support – they helped each other process the grief, trauma and complex emotions that come with a shock of that magnitude.

“That’s kind of what ignited my passion for mental health – my own experience, supporting people around me,” Brigid says.

"I thought if something positive can come from it, maybe it’s me helping others in this space.”

But Brigid needed more time before starting study, moving overseas with a friend.

Then when COVID hit, she moved home, relocating to Lady Elliot Island, off Hervey Bay.

She wanted to enrol in university but was apprehensive.

“My family is not really academic,” Brigid says. “We were never really encouraged academically so I had a lot of doubts before starting.”

With those mental hurdles still in mind, she enrolled in a Bachelor of Psychology.

“I was worried about how I would be able to connect with people,” Brigid says.

“In my mind, it was all going to be students fresh out of high school.

“But when I arrived on campus, I was actually able to observe that there were people here of all ages – all backgrounds.”

Brigid started in Psychology but switched to Counselling – it was a move that paid off for her.

“Psychology was great but it was very research-focussed – very theoretical,” she says.

“Counselling had more self-reflection involved in it, which I felt more aligned to.”

That alignment has seen Brigid excel in the field, forcing her to confront her own imposter syndrome.

“Even when I was getting high distinctions, I thought it was a mistake – that I’d been given the wrong grade,” she says.

“But I guess when I started placement – getting in there and doing the work – that’s really when the imposter syndrome started to shift.”

Brigid has graduated now, not only earning a University Medal for her high achievements but has been recognised as the Graduate of the Year by the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia – a leading national peak body for the professions.

Counselling program coordinator Dr Katrina Andrews says she was thrilled to hear Brigid had received the award.

“It not only provides Brigid the accolades she so rightly deserves but it speaks to the quality of the program we’re providing for students – from the academic and teaching staff to organisations we partner with for work-placement and hands-on learning opportunities,” Dr Andrews says.

“This is a great reinforcement of the work we’re doing in this space.

“Congratulations to Brigid for this well-deserved recognition.” 

Sitting on campus, talking outside a café, Brigid is easy to talk to. She’s naturally friendly and personable, the conversation flowing easily.

She talks about transitioning more towards social work, where she believes she can make the most impact when it comes to working within the domestic violence prevention and support area.

She is likely going to re-enrol in university next year, looking at a Master of Social Work so she can work with domestic violence survivors.

One of the most troubling aspects of the domestic violence crisis, is the disproportionate number of women impacted – one in four, or 2.3 million, adult Australian women have experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner.

Reflecting on this, Brigid references a quote by journalist and commentator Annabel Crabb in a column she wrote for the Sydney Morning Herald despairing over the lack of national, coordinated action in this space:

“I am a feminist because it bothers me that a woman gets killed by her male partner every single week,” Annabel writes.

“And somehow that doesn't qualify as a tools-down national crisis even though if a man got killed by a shark every week we'd probably arrange to have the ocean drained.”

It’s been a long journey for Brigid – one that has seen her travel extensively in search of answers and healing, and one that has resulted in a lot of emotional and academic growth.

That all of this has be born from such a dark moment is not lost on her.

“I do feel that there has been a lot of positive results that have come from this journey,” she says.

“It has been very healing in a way – just being able to reflect on how my mental health was back then.

“Now I’m able to actually start doing the work and help others, and contribute to domestic violence prevention, where I’m not affected so much anymore.

“It affirms to me that I must be doing something right.”