Cathy Moon

Biography

Catherine Hyland Moon received her BFA from the Columbus College of Art and Design in 1978. A year later she got her certificate in art therapy from Harding Hospital Graduate Clinical Art Therapy program, as well as an MA from the Methodist Theological School in Ohio. At the start of Moon's career she took a position at a private psychiatric hospital working as an activity therapist with adults. A few of her duties on top of art therapy were physical conditioning sessions, garden work, driving the bus, and played sports. When she switched to inpatient care she used solely art therapy and worked primarily with adults who had been discharged from the hospital, but had younger clients as well. During this time she had two groups as her focus; Studio Art Therapy and Expressive Arts.

Moon created her independent practice and was a mobile art therapist, visiting clients in their homes and working mainly with children. The goal was to benefit the child but it included the family to help bridge gaps of understanding. Her art therapy method is called "relational aesthetic". To accomplish this, she engages her and her clients’ senses by tying in other expressive arts such as music and creates work alongside one another.

In 2001 Moon became the Associate Professor and Chair of the master's Art Therapy program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In Chicago, she also helped establish ArtWorks which is a free art studio program open to the public, and does research on its impact on the community it supports. Since 2007 Moon has been working with a non-profit organization called Global Alliance for Africa. This organization provides training for African artists who work with children in Tanzania and Kenya, who have been orphaned and are vulnerable to AIDS. 

Marriage

Cathy Moon is married to Bruce Moon, who is also a professor and practicing Art Therapist.

Books

Journal articles

Journal of the American Art Therapy Association

Canadian Art Therapy Association Journal