Pines Clinic in Worcester is a Private Mental Healthcare hospital offering General Psychiatry and Addiction Treatment in the Western Cape. 

These last couple of years have been an incredible journey, being part of the Chemical Dependency Unit at Pines Clinic. We have laughed, cried and prayed together with every patient that walked through our doors, we took their hands, and we could lead them through their past to a better future with the aid of our fantastic team. I believe our success lies in the fact that our patients are not just numbers to us – they become family members of our community.

All of us become their mentors and guardian angels who guide and protect them and help them to a better path. It is impossible to walk on this road alone. I am so grateful for the team at Pines Clinic, from the management staff to the cleaning staff, who believe in their calling and in changing people’s lives for the better.

We aim to bring restoration and take the patients on a three-week journey to get to know themselves and their weaknesses and focus on their strengths. To teach them how to cope and survive in a world out there that has become their downfall. We have seen success, and we believe in the victory of every patient.

We have three weeks, 21 days, to make a difference in a person’s life. When they enter our facility, they aren’t viewed as numbers but as individuals who need the utmost attention, love and care.

Patients have shared their deepest pain and trauma in an environment that could have felt very unfamiliar. The most rewarding part, however, has been the process of healing. Offering hope and seeing positive change and growth in each patient has been a blessing. The ability to empower each one to take on life challenges has made it all worth it.   

Pines Clinic is a small and intimate setting, ensuring that each patient gets quality service and feel valued and accepted.

Individual Therapy: We take care of each patient’s needs and design a unique development plan accordingly. 

Family Intervention: Families join in counselling sessions with their loved ones as addiction affects the whole family. We have witnessed restored relationships and healing.  

Support Groups: Once a week, ex-patients share and encourage others going through similar situations. Hearing words of motivation from someone in a similar position often resonate more than hearing it from a therapist. Our patients refer to these groups as their lifeline.

Recovery Celebration: Once a year, we host a ceremony of Light and Hope, a highlight in our calendar. Recovering addicts and their family celebrate their sobriety by lighting a candle and share their testimonies.

At Pines Clinic, every staff member is fuelled with passion. Our passions come together to create a welcoming and non-judgemental environment where patients feel accepted to be themselves and develop into healthier versions of themselves. It is, in essence, what we stand for, to Choose Life and embrace it!

Starting this journey three and a half years ago, I had no idea what impact the Addiction Unit would have on me. It’s a daily inspiration to work with people who have lost hope and experience them regaining that hope while starting to believe that they can do better. 

A critical focus in our Occupational Therapy programme is to make patients realise their abilities rather than focusing on the disabilities of addiction.

We practice mindfulness techniques and skills that teach people to say It Is What It Is, and ask, How Do I Move Forward? Being able to move forward and not getting stuck in past traumas will prevent recurring relapses.

We focus on asking, What do I need to have the best quality of life within my own potential?  Skills like Distress Tolerance help patients adapt their previous ways of managing stress and put healthy stress management strategies, priorities, and goals in place.

Our addiction programmes cover the physical, emotional and life skill areas and empower people to take responsibility for every aspect of their lives. 

One of the most rewarding experiences is when people recognise they have to take responsibility and gain insight into themselves. They understand how they affect those around them, and they aspire to do better.

It’s also a joy to receive feedback from people at the graduation ceremony after completing their 21-day programme:

• I have the tools to live my best life.
• I now no longer have a secret; I have a story to tell.
• There is life after addiction – This is the first day of the rest of my life.

I feel very blessed to be part of these miracles taking place, experiencing life-changing choices that patients make and being part of and facilitating that process.