Biography
Helen Shoemark came to Temple University in 2015. Dr Shoemark previously held a Career Development Fellowship at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Melbourne Australia, while also working as a senior music therapy clinician at the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. She supervised and taught graduate research at the University of Queensland, providing the third arm of an integrated life as clinician-researcher-teacher. Helen is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Music Therapy, and a former President of the Australian Music Therapy Association.
Research Interests
- Helen Shoemark's current research is in team-based service development for creative arts therapies in acute health settings. Using a collaborative reasoning model from a team science team approach, Dr Shoemark is developing a brief program to develop capacity to deal with rapidly changing systems of modern healthcare. Her clinical research focus is on universal level programs to support parental confidence and infant development in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Her interest is specifically in expressive communication within the parent-infant dyad, and the place of musicality in that interaction.
Courses Taught
Number | Name | Level |
|---|---|---|
MUED 8612 | Music Therapy Foundation | Graduate |
MUED 8618 | Music in Medicine: Biopsychosocial Foundation | Graduate |
MUED 8624 | Research in Music Medicine | Graduate |
MUED 8626 | Models of Clinical Supervision in Music Therapy | Graduate |
MUED 9642 | Music Therapy Research Apprenticeship | Graduate |
Selected Publications
Featured
Shoemark, H., Rimmer, J., Bower, J., Tucquet, B., Miller, L., Fisher, M., Ogburn, N., & Dun, B. (2018). A Conceptual Framework: The Musical Self as a Unique Pathway to Outcomes in the Acute Pediatric Health Setting. J Music Ther, 55(1), 1-26. England. 10.1093/jmt/thx018
Shoemark, H., Hanson-Abromeit, D., & Stewart, L. (2015). Constructing optimal experience for the hospitalized newborn through neuro-based music therapy. Front Hum Neurosci, 9, 487. Switzerland. 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00487
Dearn, T. & Shoemark, H. (2014). The effect of maternal presence on premature infant response to recorded music. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs, 43(3), 341-350. United States. 10.1111/1552-6909.12303
Recent
Jane, K., Wood, D., Gallagher, K., Livermore, P., Shoemark, H., & Robert, G. (2025). Parents' experiences of psychotherapeutic support on the neonatal unit: A mixed methods systematic review to inform intervention development for a multicultural population. Nurs Crit Care, 30(3), e13194. England. 10.1111/nicc.13194
Hsieh, F., Shoemark, H., & Magee, W.L. (2024). Music Therapy to Facilitate Relationship Completion at the End of Life: A Mixed-Methods Study. J Music Ther, 61(2), 102-131. England. 10.1093/jmt/thae005
Meadows, A., Shoemark, H., & Magee, W.L. (2024). Leadership and Teamwork During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences of Music Therapy Business Leaders. J Music Ther, 61(1), 6-33. England. 10.1093/jmt/thad027
Harman, E. & Shoemark, H. (2024). Patterns of toxic stress and trauma for pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT): creating a model of responsive intervention. J Psychosoc Oncol, 42(4), 457-472. United States. 10.1080/07347332.2023.2276966
Smith, A.R., Hagan, J., Walden, M., Brickley, A., Biard, M., Rhee, C., McIver, P., Shoemark, H., & Brand, M.C. (2023). The Effect of Contingent Singing on Infants with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. J Music Ther, 60(1), 98-119. England. 10.1093/jmt/thac019
Shoemark, H., Dahlstrøm, M., Bedford, O., & Stewart, L. (2021). The Effect of a Voice-Centered Psycho-Educational Program on Maternal Self-Efficacy: A Feasibility Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 18(5). Switzerland. 10.3390/ijerph18052537
Heiderscheit, A., Vernisie, S., Magee, W.L., & Shoemark, H. (2021). Generating Evidence of Critical Care Nurses' Perceptions, Knowledge, Beliefs, and Use of Music Therapy, Aromatherapy, and Guided Imagery. Dimens Crit Care Nurs, 40(1), 59-61. United States. 10.1097/DCC.0000000000000452