When a family starts seriously considering rehab, one of the first questions is almost always: what does it cost? It is a fair question, and an unhelpful answer (“we will discuss it on a call”) is one of the reasons families end up making decisions based on incomplete information.
We do not publish a single rate card publicly, because the fee depends on the level of care, accommodation, and programme length appropriate to the clinical picture. What we can do here is explain transparently what is included in residential treatment at Cherrywood House, what shapes the cost, what the realistic value is over time, and what to do if the price feels out of reach.
What Residential Treatment Includes at Cherrywood House
A residential rehab fee covers accommodation and a structured clinical programme. At Cherrywood House, it includes the following:
Clinical Care
- 24-hour nursing care during the acute and stabilisation phases.
- Medical supervision of detoxification where indicated (alcohol, opioids, sedatives, stimulant crash management).
- Psychiatrist input for assessment and ongoing medication management.
- General medical care for the duration of the stay.
Therapy and Therapeutic Programme
- Individual psychotherapy sessions with a registered clinician.
- Group therapy sessions across the week.
- Psychoeducation sessions on addiction, recovery, relapse prevention.
- Skills sessions: CBT, DBT-informed, mindfulness, communication.
- Family work where indicated.
Accommodation and Daily Life
- Accommodation for the duration of the residential phase.
- Three meals a day and snacks prepared on site.
- Laundry and housekeeping.
- Structured daily programme that provides routine and supervised time.
- Recreation and exercise as part of recovery.
Twelve Months of Aftercare
Cherrywood House and Haliford Health Group include the following aftercare support:
- Weekly aftercare group sessions for 12 months following discharge.
Many rehab providers offer “aftercare” as a brief follow-up or an add-on for additional fees. A full year of aftercare support group, included in the residential fee, materially changes what the headline number is buying.
What Drives the Cost
If you compare quotes between facilities, the gap is often substantial. The differences are usually accounted for by:
Level of Clinical Staffing
A facility with a multi-disciplinary clinical team (psychiatrist, registered psychologists, registered nurses, social workers, addiction counsellors) costs more to run than one staffed primarily with counsellors. The cost is real, and the output is different: better assessment, better management of complex presentations, better outcomes for dual diagnosis.
Therapy Hours
The number of clinical therapy hours per week is a meaningful variable. A programme delivering an hour or two of group counselling daily is a different product from one delivering several hours of structured therapy from registered clinicians.
Aftercare Depth
12-month aftercare support is significantly more resource-intensive than a brief follow-up.
Accommodation Standard
Facilities range widely. Cherrywood House offers comfortable, residential-grade accommodation rather than budget institutional housing. This is a choice. Some families want budget-conscious accommodation; others want a setting that feels supportive enough that the person engages.
Catering and Daily Programme
Nutrition matters in recovery. Cooked meals, structured activities, and a daily programme are all delivered, staffed, and resourced.
Facility Overhead
Insurance, compliance, registrations, on-call staff, infrastructure. These are real costs and the difference between facilities that meet professional standards and those that do not.
Comparing Cost Honestly
When families compare rehab quotes, the headline daily rate can mislead because it is comparing different products. A useful comparison considers:
- What is included in the daily rate (and what is billed separately)?
- What is the clinical staffing model?
- How many therapy hours per week?
- Is psychiatric assessment and medication management included?
- Is aftercare included, and what does it cover?
- What is the re-admission policy if relapse occurs?
A cheaper facility can be a good fit if the person’s clinical picture is straightforward, the staffing is appropriate, and the gaps are filled elsewhere. A more comprehensive facility is a better fit when the clinical picture is complex, the family wants the resources of a full team, or the aftercare needs are significant.
The wrong comparison is “cheap” versus “expensive.” The right comparison is “what does each fee actually buy.”
How Funding Works
Three primary funding routes, often combined:
Medical Aid
Substance use disorder is a Prescribed Minimum Benefit (PMB) condition in South Africa, which means most medical aids contribute towards treatment when a formal diagnosis is in place. The level of cover depends on the plan. Pre-authorisation is required. Our admissions team can help confirm benefits.
Self-Funding
Many families pay privately, either because they do not have medical aid, because they prefer not to use it for confidentiality reasons, or because the medical aid cover is partial.
Family Contribution
In most cases, the person entering rehab is not the person paying. A partner, parent, sibling, or adult child funds the treatment.
In practice, most funding plans combine these. Our admissions team can structure a workable approach in most situations.
The Real Cost Conversation
A fair comparison is not “the cost of rehab” against “no cost.” Active addiction is rarely cheap. The financial costs of continued use include:
- Money spent on substances (often surprisingly large when totalled over a year).
- Lost income from missed work, lost jobs, reduced productivity.
- Medical costs from accidents, complications, emergency admissions.
- Legal costs.
- Family financial costs: covering missed bills, paying off debts, replacing damaged items.
- Long-term costs: divorce, lost relationships, lost custody, lost careers.
When a family adds these up honestly over a year, the comparison shifts. The cost of rehab is usually a fraction of the annual cost of continued use, even before considering health and life consequences.
What to Do if the Price Feels Out of Reach
If the quote feels out of reach, discuss your budget with admissions and consider the available alternatives.
Talk to Us Anyway
Our admissions team is accustomed to navigating real budgets. There is no obligation in an enquiry. We can:
- Confirm medical aid benefits.
- Discuss programme length options.
- Talk through what may be workable.
- Where Cherrywood House is genuinely not the right fit financially, suggest alternative pathways that may be.
Families sometimes spend months delaying the call because they assume rehab is out of reach. The conversation costs nothing.
Consider Alternatives Without Cutting Corners
Public sector and NGO programmes exist in South Africa. SANCA, for example, operates across the country with subsidised options. The clinical structure varies. For some clinical pictures, these are appropriate. For others, they are not. The honest answer depends on the specific situation.
What we caution against is choosing the cheapest available “rehab” without checking whether it has the clinical resources to address the presentation. A weak intervention often fails and costs the family another round of treatment shortly afterwards.
What Happens at the Cost Conversation
When you call, the conversation usually moves like this:
- Brief clinical picture. Who is the person, what is the situation, what is the urgency.
- Programme length view. Initial estimate of the appropriate residential period (usually 30+ days, sometimes longer).
- Funding picture. Medical aid, family funding, combinations.
- Fee discussion. Specific quote based on the above.
- Admission logistics. Next steps if proceeding.
We aim for honesty in this conversation. If the fit is wrong, we say so. If the clinical picture indicates a different programme length than the family is hoping for, we say so. If the funding is genuinely tight, we discuss what is realistic.
FAQ: Cost of Rehab
Why don’t you publish a price list?
Because residential treatment fees depend on programme length, accommodation, and clinical inputs that vary by individual. A published number would either be misleading or so general it would not help.
How does medical aid cover work for rehab?
Pre-authorisation is required. The level of cover depends on the plan. Most schemes contribute to substance use treatment as a PMB condition. We can help confirm specific benefits.
Is the aftercare really free?
Yes. Twelve months of aftercare support group is included in the residential fee, not billed separately.
Can I split the payment over months?
We discuss workable arrangements based on individual circumstances. We do not have a single advertised plan.
Does Cherrywood House offer scholarships or reduced rates?
Not as a public programme. Where the clinical urgency is high and the funding genuinely difficult, we have on occasion been able to support clients with adjusted arrangements. This is case by case.
To get a specific quote for your situation, including what your medical aid will cover, call Cherrywood House on +27 79 714 1966 or email info@cherrywoodhouse.com.
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