82 Risbygate Street
Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk
England 
IP33 3AQ

01284 701702

Centre Description

Focus12 England is an independent charity (Reg.No.1077906) providing drug and alcohol rehabilitation through both residential and day-care facilities. The charity was established in 1997 and is able to provide a full range of services from individual therapy through to an intensive 12 week treatment programme. 

All our facilities are registered and fully compliant with CQC standards. We provide detox, rehabilitation and treatment alongside support for the families of people who have been affected by addiction in one form or another throughout their lives.

What we do

Our primary aim is to get people off drink and drugs completely so that they are able to remain abstinent and enjoy a much improved quality of life. We do this through a process of assessment, detoxification, treatment and extensive aftercare. We help people who have problems with opiates, alcohol, benzodiazepines and any of the other substances that can lead to physical and psychological dependence. We are happy to work with people with dual diagnosis who may be taking medication as long as they are able to engage with group therapy.

We are a community based residential programme which means that the bulk of the daily therapy and support is carried out in the main treatment facility building. The living and sleeping units are nearby but separate. Clients who are taking advantage of the residential aspect of Focus12 do so in four accommodation units all within walking distance of the main therapy centre. We do not provide a remote residential setting free from any outside pressures or triggers such as pubs, people and problems. At Focus12 we provide rehabilitation within the community. 

Treated in a safe environment, yet surrounded by the normal, everyday activities of life, clients are able to better get an understanding of how they will cope in the ‘real’ world. We believe that this way clients are able to understand the nature of the triggers and problems that could potentially make them relapse. They are thus able to complete treatment in a stronger position than had they been excluded from all outside life whilst in treatment.

Clients, whether on a day-basis or on a residential basis are safe at all times and are in contact with staff 24 hours a day. A member of the team visits all the premises throughout the evening until 11pm at night.

Treatment programmes

The main treatment delivered by Focus12 is an 8 – 12 week abstinence based rehabilitation programme. The aim of this rehabilitation is to assist clients to detox, to learn about their condition and to develop a desire to stay clean and sober for as long as possible. Our programme is predominantly for clients who have been unable to control their drinking and using in the past and need that extra bit of support to help them through the initial stages of recovery.

The treatment is not delivered in one central unit cut off from the outside world. It has been deliberately set up to provide as realistic an environment as possible. By having the rehabilitation programme delivered from the central premises, and by having clients sleep either in their own homes, or in Focus12 accommodation, we establish what we believe to be a ‘normal’ environment within which to change. Clients are safe at all times yet have the freedom to do normal everyday things should they wish to outside of programme hours.

The structured course is supported by Aftercare groups, Family Support groups, Parenting groups, Individual Therapy and activities that are all designed to enhance the overall delivery of the programme. It is hoped that by providing this range of services, a client’s journey though the 12 weeks can be individually designed.
We ensure that by the time clients have completed the programme they have a much clearer understanding of what they need to do in order to remain abstinent. We would also hope that they have, at the very least, an awareness of the principle issues in their lives that they will need to continue to work on.

We also encourage people to attend 12-step self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. However, the programme at Focus12 is much more extensive than just the 12 Steps of those two support groups. There are a range of activities such as group therapy, lectures, videos, group workshops, outings and individual therapy that go together to make a complete structured programme. We utilise various therapeutic techniques such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Person Centred Therapy and many others during the course of 10 weeks.

Therapy

The Annexe is a separate building from the main Focus12 location. It is a purpose built therapy and training centre that allows counselling to be carried out in a quiet and appropriate environment.
Focus12 provides individual therapy for a variety of problems such as drug and alcohol misuse, anxiety, stress, relationship problems, life problems, or depression. At any one time there are 3 or 4 individual therapists providing sessions throughout the week. All therapists are fully qualified to Diploma level as a minimum and tend to use a eclectic style of therapy.We do believe that most clients trying to access help with various problems want advice, suggestions and assistance in trying to overcome those problems as quickly as possible.

Focus12 tends to employ therapists who are prepared to get involved with their clients in a way that helps to bring the clients knowledge and awareness of their problems out into the open. This is to help assist the client in finding positive ways of dealing with the situation that they came for help with. 

Nowadays, as society becomes more pressured and busy and many of the previous avenues of support are becoming less available, more and more people are turning to counsellors or therapists for assistance.

Family support

Families are often the forgotten members in the world surrounding addiction and alcoholism. For every client that comes through the door at Focus12 there are usually three or four other people, closely associated with that client, who are disturbed and concerned not only about the client’s behaviour, but also about their own as well.

It is not uncommon for families to be torn apart about how best to deal with someone with an addiction problem. There is often disagreement about how to handle certain situations. Within a very short space of time a whole family unit can be disturbed by one person’s addictive and disruptive behaviour.

At Focus12 we put great emphasis on providing support and information to the families of anyone dealing with an addiction issue.

This support may be through direct involvement with a client that is going through the Focus12 structured programme. It might be individual or group work for people who are struggling with addiction, but who do not necessarily have any previous connection with Focus12.

This work is carried out on a regular basis by a trained therapist.

There is a Family Support Group every Tuesday evening at the premises in Risbygate Street from 18.15 to 19.30. This group is available to anybody who feels they have a problem coping with someone else’s addictive behaviour. That person does not need to have gone through the Focus12 programme or even be thinking of doing so.

We have been running regular weekend retreats specifically for family members who would like to experience some peaceful reflection, interactive workshops and group support. These are based at the Old Stable House Centre in Newmarket. The three day course is residential and the next one is happening between the 19th and 21st. of October. Prices and details are available from Pat or Lisa Climie-Somers at The Annexe – 01284 765312 

Please follow the website button above for further information. Also you can use the email button to ask Focus12 any questions directly