Our Team

Natalie Buley, Founder

Addiction Specialist · Art Therapist · Mindfulness Teacher

Natalie Buley is the founder and director of Epic Recovery House in Sedgefield on the Garden Route. An addiction specialist, art therapist and mindfulness teacher registered with the ASCHP, she brings 30 years of experience as a consultant to rehabilitation centres across South Africa.
Natalie trained in Art Psychotherapy at Sheffield University and later completed her studies in Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Health Care at Stellenbosch University.

Mindfulness sits at the heart of Natalie’s work. She draws on Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) to support people living with addiction and/or depressive disorders. These approaches help people notice cravings, difficult emotions and habitual thought patterns with curiosity rather than judgement, creating space to respond with choice instead of reacting on autopilot. For many, this becomes a lasting foundation for recovery and for preventing relapse into substance use or depression.

Natalie has taken mindfulness well beyond the treatment room. Through NGO work with the Department of Correctional Services, she facilitated mindfulness-based skills development with juveniles in maximum-security facilities. She also worked with learners at the College of Science and Technology (COSAT) in Khayelitsha, and facilitated retreats for them at Bodhi Khaya in the Western Cape.

Natalie is passionate about helping people reconnect with themselves through nature, creativity and mindfulness, and about supporting them to find purpose and meaning when all hope feels lost.
She has a special interest in eating disorders and walks alongside clients as they work towards self-acceptance and healing. She also has a particular interest in supporting people living with bipolar disorder, helping them find a middle path between the extremes through understanding and acceptance of their experience, so that they can live with greater balance, stability and self-compassion.

Natalie believes recovery rarely happens in isolation. Wherever possible, she involves families in the process, because she has seen how this deepens understanding and supports the growth of the whole family system, not only the person in treatment.
At Epic Recovery House, Natalie creates a safe, grounded space where residents can rebuild their lives with dignity, structure and compassion.

Annesta Hofer

CASE MANAGER

With more than three decades of experience in mental health and addiction services, Annesta Hofer brings a deeply trauma-informed and justice-conscious perspective to her work. As Case Manager at Epic Recovery House, Annesta is dedicated to guiding clients toward healing and recovery with warmth, professional insight, and humane care.

Annesta’s background includes pioneering work in the criminal justice system. Early in her career, she specialized in supporting survivors of child abuse, domestic violence, and rape, championing victim-friendly legal procedures and advocating for social justice. This experience gave her a profound understanding of the impact of trauma and the importance of empowerment and safety. She remains committed to a justice-conscious approach, ensuring each client’s story is heard and their rights are respected.

For many years, Annesta has worked in the field of addiction recovery as a counselling therapist, helping individuals and families rebuild their lives. She offers individual therapy sessions and leads group programs that focus on coping skills, resilience, and personal growth. Drawing on evidence-based practices and her extensive experience, she provides structured treatment plans while maintaining a compassionate, client-centered approach.

As an eco-therapist, Annesta incorporates nature-based therapies into her practice. She believes in the healing power of the natural world and often uses outdoor activities, animal-assisted therapy, and creative nature exercises to help clients reconnect with themselves. Through these nature-focused initiatives, she encourages clients to find restoration and strength in the outdoors, fostering mindfulness, grounding, and a sense of wonder.

In every session, Annesta blends structure, accountability, and compassion. She establishes clear goals and boundaries to help clients take responsibility and make steady progress, while creating a supportive and empathetic environment. Annesta is known for her gentle, caring presence, coupled with firm guidance that helps clients stay on track with their recovery. Her clients and colleagues describe her as committed, uplifting, and deeply empowering.

Above all, Annesta believes that there is hope and dignity in the journey of recovery. She strives to be an agent of change in her clients’ lives, treating each person with respect and kindness. By combining professional expertise with heartfelt compassion, Annesta Hofer provides a safe and empowering path forward for those overcoming addiction, trauma, and life’s challenges.

Jackie du Toit

PROGRAMME MANAGER

Jackie du Toit is a passionate educator, facilitator and community leader with a diverse background and a deep commitment to people, skills development and holistic well-being.

Her broad life experience has taken her from Fine Arts school in Pietermaritzburg (UKZN) to being a self-employed dress designer for 20 years, through the hospitality industry, helping to manage a family run BnB, and then into the education sector as director of an independent primary school for 16 years, during which time she studied for her Bachelor of Education, majoring in psychology.

For the past three decades, Jackie has been dedicated to developing and teaching youth and adults within rural communities, with a particular focus on skills training, entrepreneurship and environmental education.

As director of an independent school, she was responsible for financial management and procurement, staff development, communications, PR and relationship building, especially with the International exchange programme, where she fulfilled the role of ‘host-mother’ to over 100 international students, welcoming and often accommodating them, co-ordinating programmes and facilitating their projects for many years.

Jackie’s personal passions are centred in holistic well-being, expressed through creative arts and crafts, organic and indigenous gardening, wholesome home cooking and a healthy, grounded lifestyle, which includes mindful practices and immersive outdoor experiences – whether at the beach, forest, mountains or in the bush.

A well-rounded, balanced and positive approach to life helps maintain a healthy being.

Cillar Rhoda

CARER

Cillar Rhoda is a qualified caregiver who brings warmth, patience and genuine human connection to the people she supports. She believes that good care begins with seeing the person behind their circumstances and taking the time to understand their individual needs, preferences and routines.

Her approach is centred on dignity, respect and preserving independence. Whether providing recovery support, respite or overnight care, assisting with everyday routines, or simply being present during a difficult or uncertain time, Cillar strives to create a calm and comfortable environment where people feel safe, heard and valued.

Cillar has experience supporting adults in a variety of care settings, including recovery, respite, overnight and one-on-one care. She understands the importance of working respectfully alongside families and other professionals while maintaining appropriate boundaries and protecting each person’s privacy, dignity and choices.

She has a particular interest in supporting people who may be experiencing cognitive changes, vulnerability or loneliness. Through encouragement, patience and gentle structure, she helps individuals remain involved in their own decisions and daily lives while providing the level of support they need.

For Cillar, meaningful care is often found in the simple moments — sharing a conversation over a cup of tea, listening without judgement, encouraging someone to get out and about, helping to maintain familiar routines, or simply providing a reassuring presence when it is needed most.

She believes that everyone deserves to feel seen, heard and treated with kindness. Her goal is to bring reliability, compassion and genuine connection to every person she supports.

“Healing begins with acceptance and grows through connection.”