Dear Friend of Guest House,

This is our 30th year serving women religious. Sister Shirley is one of hundreds of sisters who have sought treatment at Guest House. We are happy to share her story.

Shirley has been a Sister of Notre Dame for 58 years. She is retired now but remains active in her religious community. She serves as a volunteer working in the school library and assisting with funerals at the parish.

I wanted to be healed, but I did not know how.

Shirley has always given of herself, working to serve others, but she found herself sinking into deep depression and what she would later learn to be co-dependency. “I wanted to be healed, but I did not know how.” When Shirley was in her community, she felt isolated, as if she were the only one suffering. Her community considered her a candidate for Guest House, where she spent 8 months in residential care. There she learned that other women religious were suffering, too.

“My whole life I’ve been a people pleaser to get the approval of everyone – often to my own detriment. My therapist at Guest House showed me what I was doing, how I played victim or martyr, and how I was feeling sorry for myself and could not be happy.”

Because of her Guest House experience, Shirley feels that she has grown in her understanding of depression and co-dependency. Since leaving Guest House, she participates in a weekly virtual support group, has a sponsor who does not let her “get away with anything,” and is active in a weekly 12-step program.