A beloved educator in Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s art therapy counseling graduate program has never faltered from her mission of making a positive difference in the lives of students.
The program’s first director, now professor emerita, Patricia “Gussie” Klorer, PhD, ATR-BC, LCSW, LCPC, has contributed $25,000 to the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) to create an endowment for the Art Therapy Founders Scholarship in support of students pursuing an advanced degree in art therapy.
Klorer, who retired in May 2018, represents a strong heritage of the art therapy counseling program. She began teaching art therapy at the University in 1985 as an adjunct professor, laying much of the foundation on which others have built. The art therapy counseling program combines the therapeutic uses of art-making with the skills of a professional counselor.
“I love the field of art therapy, and being able to share that with students has meant a lot to me,” Klorer said. “Teaching is a great gift. We help students meet their visions for themselves, and we help people through art. I feel fortunate to be an art therapist and to be able to teach what I love.”
“I wish to convey the idea that paying it forward is a responsibility,” Klorer added. “Just about every student in our program received some sort of financial aid through a graduate assistantship or scholarship. My hope is that this endowment will grow, so that we can give even more each year.”
“Gussie has been a cornerstone of SIUE art therapy counseling and the field of art therapy,” said Megan Robb, ATR-BC, LPC, NCC, director and associate professor in the art therapy counseling graduate program. “Any donation helps us help students, but this endowment provides funds now and in the future.”
“Gussie already gave so much of her heart and soul, time and commitment to this program and the Department of Art and Design that giving more seems unfathomable,” Robb added. “We are called to meet her gift with paying it forward for others.”
As a public university, SIUE provides some of the most accessible programs in the country, making it a valuable asset to the state and nation. The art therapy counseling graduate program is the only such program located in southern Illinois and Missouri. Classes are small and experiential learning is integral to the program. In order to ensure individualized instruction, only 10 students are accepted into the program each fall.
According to Robb, this scholarship will offer students more access to the program, the ability to remain in the program and the opportunity to give back to communities in the form of mental health and wellness.
“Endowed scholarships are extremely impactful because they provide scholarship support to students annually, and the fund pays out in perpetuity,” explained CAS Director of Development Kyle Moore. “Gussie’s gift is a legacy for the art therapy program that will support their students and their outstanding work in our community.”
Klorer has been a highly-motivated and active member of her community. Throughout her career, she has authored numerous publications, was named an Honorary Life member of the American Art Therapy Association, operated a community arts post during her sabbatical, exhibited work at the Missouri History Museum’s Library in St. Louis and more.
For more information on SIUE’s art therapy counseling graduate program, visit siue.edu/grad/art-therapy.
To support the Art Therapy Founders Scholarship, please contact CAS Director of Development Kyle Moore at (618) 650-5048 or kymoore@siue.edu.
Photo: Dr. Patricia “Gussie” Klorer