Bruce Moon is an American Art therapist, educator, artist, and author. He is also a singer/songwriter who has recorded several albums. He is an Honorary Life Member (HLM) of the American Art Therapy Association (AATA), which is their most prestigious honor given to outstanding contributors to the field of Art Therapy.
Bruce L. Moon's path to becoming a successful art therapist and educator began in Sidney, Ohio. As a sophomore in high school in 1967, Moon's life revolved around sports and rock 'n' roll. His life was suddenly altered one morning in gym class when he crushed his heel bone and ruptured his Achilles tendon. His ability to participate in competitive sports was over. He was bedridden for several weeks and then had to use crutches for an additional ten months. During that time, Moon entered a state of depression until his artist friend proposed an idea. He said he would teach Moon to draw if Moon taught him to play the guitar. Not only did this provide Moon with company and social contact while being bedridden, but more importantly he discovered his artistic abilities and the therapeutic benefits of artistic expression firsthand.[1]
In June 1973, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Art Education from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. He then worked at Harding Hospital in Worthington, Ohio, where he earned an AATA-approved Certificate of Clinical Internship in their Art Therapy Master's Equivalency program in March 1975. He attended Methodist Theological School in Delaware, Ohio, where he received a Master of Arts in Education in June 1976, and a Master of Divinity in June 1982. His formal education culminated in November 1997 with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Creative Arts with a Specialization in Art Therapy from the Union Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio.[2]
Bruce Moon has been the director of the graduate art therapy program at Mount Mary College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin since 2001. Prior to this position, he was a professor and the director of the graduate art therapy program at Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania from 1996 to 2001. He was also co-director of the graduate clinical art therapy program at Harding Hospital in Worthington, Ohio from 1988 until 1996, which is an affiliate of Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he was also an adjunct faculty member and affiliation coordinator.[2]
Bruce Moon is a licensed professional counselor in the state of Illinois, and a registered and board certified art therapist. He is a consultant to the Student Counseling Service at Mount Mary College, and has performed art therapy services pro bono at the Alternative Behavioral Treatment Center in Mundelein, Illinois since 2005. He ran a private practice in Worthington, Ohio from 1989 until 1996, providing individual art therapy services for children, adolescents, and adults. From 1986 until 1992, he was the Chief of Adjunctive Therapy of Harding Hospital's Child and Adolescent Division. He also worked as an arts specialist from 1973 to 1975 at the Worthington Community Counseling Service.[2]
Bruce Moon believes art making is a spiritual and sacred act; art is soul, and creating art creates the soul. His faith lies in creative expression as the best form of communication between the internal and external worlds, and between the self and god.[3] According to Moon, making art serves an existential purpose and can help people overcome feelings of emptiness and hopelessness.[4]
Bruce Moon's medium of choice is painting, as evidenced by the illustrations in his books. He tends to use his own imagery to accompany his writings. He pursues other modes of creative expression including performance art and poetry. He is a singer/songwriter, has recorded several albums, and regularly performs at small concert venues. He is the co-editor of the book Word Pictures: The Poetry and Art of Art Therapists (2004), which is a unique collection of artwork, poems, and essays by art therapists and art therapy students.