“Recovery is Good”: Savannah peer group uses music to set aside differences

“Recovery is possible in the collaborative sense if we have processes and beliefs that make people feel equal.” – Bill Carruthers

Bill Carruthers is innovating recovery at Savannah Counseling Services, where he is director of the Chatham Peer Program which serves about 20 adults with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders. Carruthers, a certified peer specialist, started the outpatient recovery program with the help of Savannah Counseling director Amanda Tillman in July 2013.

“When Amanda asked me to start a peer program, she let me have free rein in its design,” Carruthers said. “So I took everything that I hated about the programs I had been in, and I turned it inside out. I call it ‘recovery on fire.’” The program is consumer-driven, an aspect that is very important to Carruthers.

In April, Carruthers had a new idea. “One day, I walked into the center, and everyone was in various states of existing separately and communicating within the construct that was most convenient for them.” Carruthers compares the discord with the Tower of Babel. “I tasked them to create a song,” he said. At first, chaos ensued, but quickly everyone came together around their primary purpose: recovery.

Carruthers’ only instruction was to be inclusive, rather than exclusive. “I wanted them to have something they could be proud of. Many of them had never had anything of value,” said Carruthers. “This song and its process allowed them to take ownership of their recovery and of how to communicate it.”

Each individual contributed to the production of the song. “We have one guy whose goal is to become a music producer. He had all of the equipment, so he created the beats and put the vocals over them.” Carruthers says that all of the recording was done at the peer center. “Everyone came together; everyone wanted to be a part of it.” They selected the title, “Recovery is Good” to express their process, both as individuals and as a group.

In June, the individuals in the Chatham Peer Program had the opportunity to present their song to DBHDD Commissioner Frank Berry. “One of the milestones in my recovery occurred when I was invited last year to share my story with Commissioner Berry and [DBHDD’s] board,” Carruthers said. “I wanted the peer group to get that same feeling that I did: validation.”

Listen to “Recovery is Good.”