Gert Janse van Rensburg of White River Manor: Why Addiction Is an Adaptive Response and the Power of Meeting Clients Where They Are

At White River Recovery, our approach to addiction treatment extends far beyond traditional clinical methods focused solely on symptom management.

We believe that lasting, meaningful healing requires compassion, informed curiosity, honesty, and deep clinical expertise.

Our holistic approach considers the whole person, including their history, environment, social influences, beliefs, and relational challenges, to support authentic, long-term recovery.

At the heart of this approach is Gert Janse van Rensburg, Head of Clinical Treatment, whose 30-year career spans private psychiatric care, inpatient and outpatient settings, and international work in the UK with clients struggling with complex comorbid conditions.

Gert recently sat down with esteemed colleague Sipho Chabalala, an addictions therapist at White River Recovery, to discuss some of the key challenges clients face when struggling with addiction and other emotional difficulties like trauma, depression, and anxiety.

In the following discussion, Gert unpacks why addiction is an adaptive response and the importance of meeting clients where they are, as well as the vital role of family in recovery and why taking personal accountability is key to helping clients heal.

Here’s what Gert had to say.

Meeting clients where they are

For many, entering treatment can evoke feelings of profound anxiety, shame, fear, and/or reluctant hope.

Gert’s philosophy centres on meeting people exactly where they are in their recovery journeys, helping them move from confusion and uncertainty toward honesty and self-compassion.

‘My role is to help clients move through shame, confusion, and uncertainty, and toward a place of honesty and empathy where they can begin to identify what they truly need,’ he explains.

A critical turning point in treatment often comes when individuals recognise that there is no such thing as ‘social’ or ‘controlled’ drinking, particularly for someone who struggles with lifelong patterns of addiction.

Permanent abstinence is crucial for true, lasting recovery – a realisation that can be both daunting and liberating at the same time.

Addiction as an adaptive response

From Gert’s perspective, addiction is not a moral failing, but rather an adaptive response to trauma, unmet childhood needs, and unresolved emotional pain likely stemming from an individual’s formative years.

Working on trauma-informed frameworks, including Gabor Maté’s Compassionate Enquiry, Gert and the rest of the White River Recovery team tailor treatment interventions to each client’s unique history, lived experience, and needs.

This approach helps clients and families understand how trauma influences addiction and recovery, addressing concerns about trauma-specific treatment options.

It also ensures that substance use (and other types of addiction) is understood as an ingrained coping pattern, not a sign of weakness.

For many, unhealthy coping patterns such as alcoholism or drug abuse once served a purpose but have likely become central to the already complicated challenges the individual faces.

Understanding this can help shift the focus from shame to insight, accountability, and, ultimately, healing, enabling clients to develop self-compassion, resilience, and recognise triggers when they arise – key components to staying sober and well.

A blended, needs-adapted approach

There is no single or definitive ‘right’ therapy for addiction.

Because each individual is so unique and responds differently to therapeutic interventions, Gert uses a more blended, needs-adapted approach to recovery.

This primarily involves integrating approaches like Motivational Interviewing, trauma-informed enquiry, CBT-based tools (including the ABC model), and group therapy.

Early in treatment, curiosity must take precedence over correction, which creates a safe space for individuals to explore their ambivalence, behaviours, and motivations.

‘As trust develops, I introduce respectful confrontation – holding up a mirror for the client so that meaningful change becomes possible,’ says Gert.

He frequently asks clients questions like, ‘If I help you get the changes you want, what will that look like?’ and ‘What will the implications be for your life and relationships?’

This reflective stance encourages clients to focus on what might be going right for them rather than what went wrong, and to embrace recovery as a process of meaningful transformation rather than just achieving abstinence.

Rethinking relapse

Relapse, in Gert’s expert view, is not about personal failure or ineffective treatment but instead provides valuable information.

It can often be a sign of unresolved trauma, environmental stressors, or a lack of meaning in recovery. ‘Sobriety alone is not recovery,’ explains Gert.

When a person finds true meaning and value in sobriety, not just ‘staying off alcohol or drugs’, something shifts: it becomes about possibility, hope, and what abstinence will mean for the individual’s future and their life.

‘Recovery asks how a person invests their time, energy, and values,’ says Gert. ‘True recovery depends on how many of the 168 hours in a week the person is actively devoting to healing and growth.’

To support this, White River Recovery employs ongoing assessments, personalised aftercare plans, and regular check-ins to monitor progress and promote sustained recovery success.

Inherently, we invest in the things we care about – and this is what often marks the beginning of recovery for so many people.

But there has to be meaning; otherwise, it becomes about ‘not drinking’ or ‘not using drugs’, which alone isn’t enough for a person to stay sober.

The role of family in recovery

Addiction is known as a family disease, a condition that affects entire family systems in unique ways.

While individuals progress through treatment, families often remain emotionally stuck at the crisis point, where things went really wrong.

‘When someone enters treatment, I explain it like this,’ says Gert: ‘they arrive at Point A (admission) and dart between their own version of A–Z until they settle on D (discharge).

Families, however, often remain emotionally stuck at Point A – the point where the crisis occurred, such as the trauma or the chaotic admission.’

Gert explains that families also need support to move through their own A-to-Z journey. Without that, it becomes very difficult for them to support their loved one’s recovery effectively.

He also discusses the importance of involving and supporting families through their own recovery journeys, recognising that healing occurs within relationships, not in isolation.

Providing comprehensive family support helps loved ones understand the process of substance use disorders and cultivates a more supportive environment for sustained healing.

White River Recovery provides a range of bespoke treatment programmes tailored to each client’s needs and preferences.

Integral to this approach are comprehensive family support programmes, peer support groups, and aftercare planning to support individuals and families navigating life after treatment, allowing them to heal together and as individuals.

The future of treatment: Technology and mental health

With various technologies continually emerging into the mental health space, Gert is increasingly interested in how nervous system regulation and technology can enhance sustained recovery.

Trauma-informed care, compassion-based models, and emerging technologies, including recovery apps and AI-assisted tools, are transforming support beyond the therapy room.

‘Technology won’t replace human connection,’ Gert cautions, ‘but it can absolutely enhance recovery when used thoughtfully.’

Many clients who come to White River Recovery for treatment use apps for motivation, accountability, and connection, such as Everything AA for gratitude and recovery mapping, or iSober for breathalyser accountability and crisis support.

Some clients even use AI to gain insight into their relationships, discovering emotional and behavioural patterns they had not previously recognised, helping to improve communication and understanding within the family unit.

‘However, above all,’ Gert says, ‘the most effective model of recovery is one that builds self-compassion, reduces shame, and helps people understand not just what they are stopping, but what they are living for.’

Again, this point circles back to the unique meaning that individuals must assign to their recovery; abstinence alone is not sustainable enough.

‘There has to be honesty, motivation, and true intention for recovery to be effective, purposeful, and long-lasting, and that’s exactly what we at White River Recovery help our clients achieve.’

To learn more about Gert’s experience and treatment approach, or to speak to a member of our clinical team in confidence, contact our treatment centre in South Africatoday for further support and information.