 The goal is to provide supportive friendships for people in mental-health care, typically as a complement to therapy, in order to help and support them on their journey of recovery from mental illness.The National Institute of Mental Health chose Compeer as a model program in 1982 and helped fund the development of similar programs throughout the United States.Today, Compeer is an international mental health organization, with approximately 5,000 volunteers at nearly 100 locations in the U.S., Canada and Australia.