12 South Recovery - Lake Forest, California

Joshua P.

I cannot express enough how profoundly grateful I am for my time at 12 South Recovery in Lake Forest. From the moment I walked through the doors, I felt genuinely seen, heard, and supported—not just as a patient, but as a person trying to reclaim their life and mental well-being.
This program has been nothing short of transformative. Before coming here, I felt lost in my struggles with mental health. Anxiety, depression, and emotional overwhelm had taken such a toll on my life that I wasn’t sure if true healing was possible. But the team at 12 South proved that it absolutely is.
The therapists and staff are incredibly compassionate, highly skilled, and deeply invested in your growth. They tailored my recovery journey in a way that felt personalized and empowering. The blend of clinical therapy, group support, mindfulness practices, and trauma-informed care helped me dig into the root causes of my struggles and gave me real tools to build emotional resilience.
Every session left me feeling stronger, more hopeful, and more equipped to face life with clarity and confidence. The environment is safe, nurturing, and free of judgment—something that was essential for my healing.
Now, I can truly say that I’m in a better place mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I’ve rediscovered who I am, and I’ve developed habits and skills that support lasting wellness. I will forever be grateful to the incredible team at 12 South Recovery for helping me reclaim my life.
If you're struggling and unsure of where to turn, please consider this program. It changed my life—and it can change yours, too.

JD

As a frequent treatment goer, I was skeptical coming into 12 South, but was pleasantly surprised. The structure, routine, and accountability was essential to me getting and staying sober. Early on I had a slip up, but was given grace which ultimately allowed me to grow and flourish. My therapist was great in helping me work through my issues, and though I didn’t often need help, whenever I needed it staff was very prompt and willing. Overall, like all treatment centers, this place is what you make of it. The resources provided, with the proper dedication, make this an environment that is conducive to recovery. But, I advise anyone reading this, do NOT think of going to rehab/a treatment center as a vacation. You are there to do work and you will be tested, made uncomfortable, etc. These are the only ways we can TRULY grow, and I promise you this place will work for you if you do the work. I can’t say that about many of the places that I’ve been. Overall, 12 South is a place with great tools, resources, and therapy in which any motivated person can succeed. As far as praise for a treatment center, that’s the highest I can give. I made many great friendships and formed meaningful connections here, and will look back on my time here fondly, for I was able to learn that being sober and enjoying life are not two mutually exclusive things. I recommend this place to anyone who is ready to do the work and am incredibly grateful for all the work that I did, the work that was done to help me, and the accountability that allowed me to finally find a better path.

Tannah G.

I honestly didn’t want to leave! there’s such sense of community here between clients and staff. my therapist matt was incredibly helpful in my daily struggles with sobriety and my case manager drew pushed me to work harder and strive after my dreams and aspirations. groups have very helpful information and outings were always a blast! i owe so much to this program for making me feel like anything is possible as long as recovery comes first ❤️

Joshua N.

I have been a client at 12 south since December 2023. The clinical team and staff are truly loving, encouraging and supportive. The program allows for you to work on your struggles with addiction and mental health while having access to resources that range from legal help, family help, financial guidance and a ton of other things.I am able to grow spiritually and address issues that I have minimized and buried. I came in feeling lost, strung out and sad. I have gained 2 great gifts. Felling loved and Hope. Thank you guys very much. I am half way through my journey and very much looking forward to my new life.

Alaina H.

Highly recommend 12 South. There are chances for both clients and staff to grow and improve each other here.

12 South seems to put thought and care into matching their clients with the right therapist. When I felt I was no longer able to cope and loss of hope, I could count on either my therapist or case manager. I now feel in control, grounded and confident. Im capable of moving forward in my life

The staff led a highly engaged team that works well together and consistently meets deadline.

12 South staff shares positive thoughts and ideas and encourages others to have a positive outlook as well.

* Staff always maintains calm and composed manner under tense situations.

* Skillful at facing tough problems and providing solutions to them.

* Patient and calm when dealing with challenging clients.

* Encourages clients to voice their concerns and suggest idea.

* Always shows clients appreciation to our journeys.

Brandon C.

When I first came into 12 south , I was at the lowest point in my life. Throughout the journey, I developed a strong fellowship built on unconditional love. Sean is a great case manager, and leads volleyball at the park on Tuesdays. Sam develops relationships with the clients , Ken is a high level therapist, and Candice and Eric run great groups. Now my mental health is the best it’s ever been and I can only attribute that to the staff at 12 south and the the tools they gave me.

Grace M.

I was at 12 south for 5 months. I loved working with my therapist and the friends I made along the way. It will be bittersweet leaving this place. Thank you guys for assisting me in the first part of my wonderful journey.

Donna T.

I came to 12 south 6 months ago still broken from losing my husband of 16 years to pancreatic cancer. Blaine gave me a tour and immediately I was met with smiles from Tyler and my therapist Christene. I felt comfortable. I owe a lot to the staff of 12 south who guided me and attended to my needs. My case manager Drew was extremely helpful to me with helping with FMLA paperwork, to appointments, and passes to visit my daughter but above all of that he listened to me and gave me the advise I needed. Tyler treated me like family and whenever I needed something or when I just needed to talk he was there for me. My therapist Christene went above and beyond in helping me to heal my broken heart. I had so many awesome facilitators and learned a lot about my mental health and substance abuse issues. Thank you 12 South for helping me to take the next step in my recovery journey. I highly recommend 12 South if you are looking for a good treatment program. I will forever be grateful.