03/08/2026
Meet the FACILITATORS of The Connected Couple Workshop at Masjid Ar-Rashideen: Sharmilah Adams-Israel and Muallimah Arshiya Ismail
Sharmilah has an undergrad at University of Western Cape and she bravely took up studying again at the age of 40 at South African College of Applied Psychology with a Graduate Diploma in Counselling, with a Higher Distinction in Fieldwork where she completed her completed her Fieldwork at Ihata Shelter, a shelter for abused women and went on to run the shelter for a month, while the Shelter Manager was on study leave.
This short period opened up a door to her work at The Lighthouse Rehabilitation Centre working with substance abusers and families affected by addiction.
She went on to complete a Post Graduate Diploma in Addictions Care at UCT in 2016, at the time an Associate at Prospect Hill Recovery Centre.
She then further on opened up a wellness centre, Crawford Wellness Centre, during the unprecedented and trying times during COVID, giving women the opportunity to start their own business.
She has held various positions and been actively involved with Tuan Yusuf Board, Vision Child Care, Goodwood Islamic Society and her path later led her to hold the position as Counsellor in the Social Development Department, facilitating the process of Fasakh and Talaaq and offering marriage counselling at the Muslim Judicial Council for the past 13 years, where she actively and fervently has served the community, as well as offering training to religious leaders in the field of substance abuse.
During her time at the Muslim Judicial Council, alongside running a successful private practise at Crawford Wellness Centre, her thirst for knowledge grew as she continued with her studies at the University of Western Cape and completed a Master's in Child and Families studies in the Interdisciplinary Dept in Families.
She was accepted as a PhD candidate but further on with her rapidly growing private practise actively became involved in Islamic psychology and completed a Certificate in Islamic psychology Level 1 and a Certificate in Mental Health and Jinn Possession at Al Balagh and a Suhba Online at Medina Institute.
She continues running a successful private practice, where she continues her counselling and Directed Alignment Technique caring for individuals in a more personal, hands-on setting.
Alongside this, she is a humanitarian activist at heart and has joined various pro-Palestine groups as Social Intifada, PSC, Mother's 4 Gaza, amongst others doing her little bit, deeply following in the legacy of her late father, Rashard Adams, who served as the Chairman of Mowbray Mosque until his passing in 2007, was a frequent visitor at the MJC and alongside Moulana Ighsaan Hendricks, organised one of the first marches for Palestine.
She can frequently be seen on Kromboom Bridge on Friday afternoons, amongst other Palestine marches, protests and motorcades and continues her fight against oppression and injustice, as the 15 year old youth.
She combines her academic knowledge, her life journey and her resilience over her years in the fields of addiction, marriage counselling, play therapy and imparts her knowledge to individuals.
At Crawford Wellness Centre, SAI Therapy, her focus is simple:
✨ enhancing lives for the better and fighting for marriages and families.
✨ Assisting individuals to be better version of themselves
✨ helping those suffering with addiction to overcome their addiction
✨ keeping individuals safe, ethical and supported
For Sharmilah, her practise is about being a better version of themselves.
Outside of her work, Sharmilah enjoys spending time with with her husband, 5 children, beautiful daughter in law and her 6 year old grandchild and still runs to her 81 year mother as her biggest supporter.
Family is everything to her and it is this reason that she continues fighting to heal families as they form the centre stone of the community.
The Connected Workshop covers core aspects and practical tools to walk away with for a successful marriage INSHA-ALLAH. She departs not only her academic studies, or her 13 years at the MJC, or her 20 years counselling marriages but her life experiences so that couples can heal, understand and be better!
Muallimah Arshiya's coaching practise is faith-based, rooted in the principles of Islamic Psychology, which honours your fitrah, nurtures emotional wholeness and guides you to align your choices with your values and spirituality. She offers a unique approach where she integrates powerful healing tools such as Emotional Freedom Technique and the Emotion Code where these tools release emotional baggage, fear and trauma.
She runs a successful practise "Heart to Heart Centre"
Together Sharmilah and Muallimah Arshiya have a unique way of dealing with relationship issues as both us counselling, coaching and body work to work through deep rooted issues.
They have a passion to bring their wealth of knowledge to assist their couples and in this way The Connected Couple Workshop will allow couples with practical tools to implement in their own marriage and family unit.
For enquiries on The Connected Couple Workshop, please contact Sharmilah on 082 711 2259 or Muallimah Arshiya on 081 551 6932.
