Testimonials

Hello, My name is Lorita and I was very fortunate to have been a part of the grief sessions held by Stephanie Gosha earlier this year. I had experienced a lot of deaths in the past recent years which was beginning to take its toll on me. I lost a younger sister who died very unexpectedly in January of 2019 only to go on in September of 2019 to lose a baby brother who I was very close to. I isolated myself a lot after this and dealt with a lot of depression and anger. When I was told about this group, I decided to give it a try. It was the best thing I could have done at that point in my life.  This group helped me to realize that others were going through very similar feelings, and I felt supported. I would let my family know not to contact me during these sessions and also encouraged my children to join future sessions.  For me these sessions were a Godsend. I still pull out a journal that was provided to me in memory of my brother and write to him. I pull it back out and have started to write what I feel he would want me to know. Stephanie and Raymond were wonderful facilitators along with the others who gave us so much insight and support each time we met.  I had contacted Stephanie a while ago to inquire about when we would come back together as myself and others do keep in touch and miss the group. I would hope that the Monroe clinic and SSM would back and support Stephanie and Raymond so that our group would be able to continue these sessions in our area. They have truly made an impact in my life. 

Lorita.

My name is Cheyenne, and I was a part of the grief counseling group led by Stephanie in the beginning part of 2021.  I lost my brother to an unexpected heart attack at the age of 47. He passed away right after Christmas of 2020, and our whole family was pretty lost for quite a while.  A friend of mine told me about Stephanie’s grief group, and I decided to give it a try.  This was not a typical action for me (my family is usually pretty private) but I knew that I personally needed help not only to get myself together, but to help the rest of my family members heal also.  The first session was scary and tearful, but I made it through a two hour session and heard everyone’s stories, which strangely enough helped me to feel better.  It got to the point that I couldn’t wait for the nights that I had Group because I got comfortable with and learned to trust the other members of my group.  We could speak freely in a confidential setting about anything that was bothering us, and it was nice to know that I was not the only one having these issues or feelings.  I learned so much from mentors, and I really appreciated the kind words and comfort I felt from everyone in that group…it was so nice to have help healing at a point in time that I felt completely lost.  I still wonder about the ladies (and one gentleman) of that group and hope that they are doing well on their journey. I feel like we all bonded in a way that I never have before, through one common ground and that simply being loss.  I hope and pray that SSM/ Monroe Clinic will continue to help others in the community by supporting the smallest yet grandest of gestures in people’s time of need, just by listening to our stories.  So I’m sending a big shout out to SSM Health, Stephanie and Ray, and all the fabulous people in my group! Keep up the good work and thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Cheyenne.