As I do more interviewing for our series, I am struck by the richness of our Recovery Voices community and the individuals within it. Our latest release is an Interview with Tim Leighton, in which the abundance of value and values comes across very strongly. In this conversation, we have managed to catch from Tim a beautiful integration of community, educational, personal, political, professional, research and theoretical understandings about recovery.
Having first met Tim in the early 2000’s, our paths have sporadically continued to cross and with each conversation or correspondence I learn something new. In this my latest chat with Tim, I feel we are provided by him with many of the aspects of the recovery voices conversation. In this sense it reflects our aspirations for the series in endeavouring to capture a diversity of experiences. Before they disappear and while they remain unheard, to better promote shared perspectives and support others.
This is an unfunded project, using filming and internet capacity as available, which captures individuals and communities where they are at. The visual quality of the films is affected by a slow internet due to Tim’s remote rural location.
It has Tim, like our last release with Rhoda, in the stages of winding down from full-time work and reflecting on a long personal and professional journey. Tim’s understandings are those seen through a multiplicity of experiences, identities, locations, organisations and roles. Though while Tim is now at times preoccupied with the grandparent-caring role more than work, he offers us a rich account of his early personal drug use, becoming a counsellor, an educator and finally a researcher. And what I take away from the conversation is the importance of continuing to value the diversity of understandings of recovery and modes of support, and the importance of not adopting any myopic or excluding position.
Recovery can be understood as the shared, empathetic, supportive being with others. Those who have had some of the same shared experiences yet have been on their own specific journey to arrive in the room with you. The same can be said of Tim and I, as captured in this conversation; we have both done drugs, qualified as counsellors, worked in services, and become educators and researchers. Yet our separate journeys and understandings whilst having a commonality, retain their own individuality. I hope you enjoy this chat as much as I did.
Please visit Tim’s People (Archive) page, on which you will see titles, summaries and links to 12 films from our conversation totalling 87 minutes. I really hope you enjoy.