Team Spotlight: Rachel Maloy, Speech Language Therapist at The Hearing House
- Jun 9
- 2 min read
Q: Can you tell us a bit about your background and what led you to become a Speech Language Therapist?
Rachel: I knew that I wanted to work with children from a young age and I was tossing up between medical careers and education careers. Speech therapy was the perfect middle ground for me.
Q: Where did you study?
Rachel: I have a Bachelor of Speech and Language Therapy from Massey University in Auckland. I really enjoyed the programme and learned so many valuable lessons from my educators and placements.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about your background, including where you're from?
Rachel: I’m originally from the United States, and my mum grew up in New Zealand so living here was always in the back of my mind.
Q: What brought you to Aotearoa New Zealand, and what made you decide to stay?
Rachel: I moved here at 18 with the intention to go back to America after I finished university but I loved it so much that I decided to stay.
Q: What does a typical day look like for you as a Speech Language Therapist (SLT)?
Rachel: The day-to-day schedule of an SLT can look completely different from one day to the next. Usually, I am doing speech therapy session with my clients, but I also do assessments, join audiology sessions, meet with a child’s wider team at Individual Education Programmes, and support teachers and educational teams with speech and language programmes. Sometimes I am based in clinic, other days I am travelling around Auckland or Waikato to a client’s home or school. I really enjoy the variation of the job and how every day is unique.
Q: What drew you to working with children with cochlear implants?
Rachel: I find cochlear implant technology fascinating and I really enjoy getting to collaborate with other disciplines like the audiologists and counsellor that we have in-house. It’s empowering to work in such a well-rounded team. I am lucky to be able to support my clients for a long time and see their growth. It’s rewarding to be a part of their team and shape their future.
Q: What’s something people might not realise about the role of a Speech Language Therapist in a cochlear implant programme?
Rachel: Something that people might not realise about a cochlear implant SLT is that we work with children across a huge age range, so we need to tailor our techniques to fit a wide variety of children.
Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Rachel: Outside of work I love dancing, sleeping in, and watching RuPaul’s Drag Race (my favourite show ever!)
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