Research you can read. Credentials you can check.
Our services are built on peer-reviewed research. Every paper below is open access, and every credential lists where you can verify it.
Intentional music listening and emotional understanding in distressed young people
Young people already turn to music when things are hard. The question is how to help them use it to understand themselves.
Mindy’s PhD at The University of Melbourne’s Creative Arts and Music Therapy Research Unit explored how emotionally distressed young people understand their own feelings while deliberately listening to music they love. The qualitative study used self-report questionnaires and EEG visualisation as tools that helped young people observe and reflect on the emotions they experienced in music.
The findings shape the Listen Inward Method used at Heard Therapy: Listen → Name it → Own it, an approach focused on emotional understanding, agency and confidence.
Peer-reviewed papers
Exploring the practicality of portable EEG equipment for visualising emotional responses when listening to meaningful songs
Kim, K. M. M., Kim, J., & McFerran, K. S.
A reflection on using portable EEG (Emotiv Insight) with distressed young people during intentional listening to their meaningful songs. Participants found the visualisations a new way to reflect on their emotions, while noting they couldn’t capture the full complexity of their emotional lives.
Young peopleMusic listeningEmotion doi.org/10.15845/voices.v25i2.4353 →The impact of music therapists’ perspectives on quality of life in building relationships with older adults with chronic illness
Kim, K. M.
A qualitative study of music therapists working with older adults living with chronic illness. Therapists became more aware of their unconscious biases, deepened their understanding of older adults’ quality of life, and aligned their work with what quality of life meant to each person.
Older adultsQuality of lifeChronic illness doi.org/10.3390/bs12110439 →Presentations
Qualifications, registration and business details
Music therapists in Australia are self-regulated through the Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA), not AHPRA. Here is each credential and where you can check it.
| Credential | Details | Verify it here |
|---|---|---|
| PhD (Music Therapy) | The University of Melbourne, Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, Creative Arts and Music Therapy Research Unit | University of Melbourne graduate verification (via My eQuals) |
| Australian Business Number | ABN 28 598 579 216 · Kim, Kyung Min · Sole trader, active from 5 Nov 2026 | ABN Lookup |