Picture the pause before a reply. The screen glowing. The cursor blinking. A stranger on the other side, typing out something they may never have said aloud to anyone. And Terry Botchwey, taking a breath, choosing his words with care.
That space — that unhurried, unjudging space — is where the help happens.
Terry began volunteering with Lifeline Queensland over a year ago. Taking a break from his psychology honours, he wanted something meaningful, a way to give back while he found his feet again.
He joined the Human-Assisted Digital Support program, an online, text-based alternative to the crisis phone line. The flexibility suited his studies. What he didn’t expect was how much it would change him.
He used to jump straight to solutions. Now he knows better. “People don’t always come looking for answers,” he says. “They’re looking for someone to truly listen.”
That single shift has rippled into everything — the way he talks with friends, the way they open up to him, the kind of person he’s becoming.
As a first-generation Australian with Ghanaian heritage, Terry cares deeply about breaking down cultural stigma around mental health. Family and faith run strong, he says, and they help — but sometimes people need more. He wants to help bridge that gap. “Volunteering has helped me grow into the person I hoped to become.”
None of this happens without people like you. The training that taught Terry to hold space. The platform that lets him show up. Every life-saving conversation — that exists because you decided it should.
