Meet your counsellor

Sheryl Rahme

Sheryl Rahme brings four decades of clinical director expertise in addiction treatment to deliver family focused care that improves recovery outcomes.

Confidential • Registered clinical team • Johannesburg

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Changes Rehab

Sheryl entered the addiction help field in 1984 when she joined the Toughlove organisation that offers effective support to families dealing with an addicted loved one. She became both chairperson for the organisation as well as International Representative for Toughlove International.

Back then there was only one operational treatment centre in the country. One of the only healthcare professionals in the addiction treatment field, clinical psychologist Kevin Standish, offered to train Sheryl and did so for roughly 10 years. In the mid-1990s treatment centres began to open around the country offering South Africans help on a broader scale for the first time. Standish encouraged Sheryl to open a rehab centre. Limited funds meant she started with the creation of an outpatient programme called First Step Drug and Alcohol Outpatient Programme.

In 2008 she registered a cc called C.H.A.N.G.E.S from which to run a counselling practice as well as the outpatient programme. In 2013, CHANGES opened up an inpatient programme in addition to the established outpatient one.

She has been in stable recovery from active addiction for 23 years.

“If you are willing to do what it takes, then I challenge you to do the one thing that will help. Change yourself and fully commit to the recovery process.”

Did you know Changes Rehab is accredited by all major healthcare associations and national health organisations and adheres to internal protocols that far exceed the codes of conduct or norms and standards for effective treatment of patients with addictions and other mental health issues.

Premium South African Medical Aid associations pay for patient treatment for the first 21 days in our private primary care facility in Johannesburg.

Changes addiction counsellors are registered professionals who use a proven track record and therapeutic techniques to help your loved one overcome their addiction. With expertise and compassionate approaches, we are able to guide individuals towards leading a healthy, normal life, free from addiction.

Confidential • Licenced • Support

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With over 100 years of collective experience, the majority of the Changes Multidisciplinary Addiction Counselling Team has faced addiction firsthand. They not only hold the qualifications but also possess the personal experience to truly understand and assist loved ones that are struggling through addiction. It is a privilege to work alongside some of the best counselling minds in South Africa.

Clients Questions

What does long experience in addiction work change in how Sheryl makes decisions?

Years in this field mean Sheryl recognises patterns quickly, sees through polished stories and knows when a situation is genuinely life threatening, so decisions about care are based on clinical reality rather than panic or charm.

How does Sheryl’s leadership protect clinical standards, not just branding?

Her role is to insist that ethics, registration, supervision and evidence based practice come first, even when that means turning away cases that want a quick fix or challenging systems that would rather look good than do good.

What can families expect when Sheryl is involved in a difficult case?

You can expect clear language, firm boundaries and a refusal to collude with denial, alongside a genuine concern for safety and long term outcomes for both the patient and the family.

How does Sheryl balance compassion with very firm limits?

She understands that addiction is an illness and still holds people accountable for their behaviour, which means you will not see her shaming patients, but you also will not see her excusing harm in the name of empathy.

Why does it matter that Changes is led by someone embedded in the field, not a distant owner?

Leadership that sits in the work daily is more likely to prioritise clinical integrity over occupancy, and families can feel the difference between a place run by spreadsheets and a place run by people who have sat in too many crisis rooms to play games.

Care While Living at Home

Evening groups and one-to-one sessions maintain progress when residential care isn’t possible.