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What is Compeer?
Compeer is the only non-profit
international network of affiliates which matches community volunteers in
supportive one-to-one friendship relationships with adults receiving mental
health treatment.
"Compeer" means a companion who is also a peer or equal.
Loneliness, failure, fear and loss of self-esteem are universal experiences
of those who suffer from mental illnesses. A caring friend can help to
restore some joy and hope to a life that is often empty of both.
Compeer provides a fun flexible volunteer opportunity that fits into your
current lifestyle. You can choose to spend time with someone your own
age, or older, or younger than yourself.
As a volunteer, you
will meet with your friend on a regular basis at mutually convenient times
to share activities you enjoy such as movies, sports, shopping or coffee and
a chat or many of the
free activities
sponsored by the Compeer Program. Through the gift of your friendship,
you will gain a sense of satisfaction and personal growth and have the
opportunity to help another.
As a Compeer volunteer, you
would join thousands of other volunteers who come from all walks of life,
all races, all religions, and from both urban neighborhoods and rural
communities. Training, ongoing education, and support are provided by
the Compeer staff.
Who is Compeer?
The Compeer Program matches
community volunteers in friendship relationships with adults who are
receiving mental health treatment. Consumers are referred to the program by
mental health professionals. Community volunteers, who are trained and
screened, visit their friend for a minimum of one hour per week for a year
and provide rehabilitative social support, advocacy, educational and
vocational mentoring, and access to community resources. Ongoing training,
supervision, and support are also provided.
How Compeer Works
Currently, Compeer of Johnson
County is serving only the adult population, so volunteers need to be at
least 18 years of age. Volunteers are asked to make a commitment of
four hours per month for at least one year. Many volunteers extend
their commitments past one year and spend more time than one hour weekly
with their Compeer friends. Volunteers receive three hours of training from
Compeer staff. Volunteers meet with the mental health professionals
who referred their new friends to the program and receive continuing support
from staff members. Volunteers are asked to send in brief monthly
updates. Ongoing education and support for volunteers are provided by
bi-monthly information groups which meet to discuss problems and share
ideas.
Mental health professionals refer clients
to Compeer, provide initial consultation with the volunteer, and are
available for backup support. They receive copies of volunteers'
monthly updates. Mental Health Professionals also evaluate the program
annually. Compeer is regarded as an adjunct to therapy. The
Compeer volunteer acts as a conduit between the mental health professional
and the Compeer friend while offering respite time to families.
The Compeer staff provides community and
professional education about Compeer, recruits volunteers and referrals,
engages in public relations activities, organizes training, provides
continuing support for volunteer/client relationships, and seeks funding for
special projects. Compeer programs are funded by governmental sources
(state and county), corporations, private and public foundations as well as
individual donors.
History of Compeer
Compeer was started in 1973 in
Rochester, New York. In 1982, the National Institute of Mental Health
chose Compeer as a model program and funded the development of similar
programs throughout the nation. Today Compeer is a model mental health
organization with 94 affiliates in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Compeer Today
There are 94 Compeer programs
throughout the United States, Australia, and Canada. In 2004, 4,884
volunteers provided 174,474 hours of friendship, advocacy, and support to
5,962 children and adults diagnosed with mental illnesses. Based on
the value of volunteer worth, ($17.55/hr according to a Gallup Survey
conducted by the Independent Sector in 2004), Compeer volunteers' time is
worth millions of dollars.
Impacts of the Compeer Program
Compeer affiliates
conduct annual surveys of consumers, therapists, and volunteers involved in
the program. In a recent national Compeer survey, consumers indicated
that since being matched with a Compeer volunteer, they have experienced
improvement in the following areas:
- 75% have gained interpersonal trust
- 79% have improved self-esteem
- 82% have decreased loneliness
- 75% gained confidence in social situations
- 85% felt cared about
- 84% felt understood
- 78% improved self-confidence
In addition, 99% of referring therapists who responded
were satisfied with the Compeer services provided to their clients, and 99%
of responding volunteers were satisfied with Compeer.
Cost Containment
While health care cost containment
continues to be an area of concern, Compeer has provided a creative solution
to deteriorating support systems through utilization of volunteers.
Compeer volunteer friendships have been shown to save mental health dollars
and favorably alter utilization of other costly services. Mental
health professionals indicate that since being matched with a Compeer
volunteer, consumers have experienced a positive impact in the following
areas: 70% in psychiatric hospitalization rate; 75% in use of emergency
services; 78% in compliance with their treatment plans; and 69% in
compliance with medications.
Compeer Recognition
Compeer has
been recognized as a model mental health volunteer program and has been
highlighted in print and electronic media including CBS Morning News, NBC
Nightly News, Newsweek, Family Circle, and Psychology Today. In
addition, the program has received the Presidential Recognition Award by the
Department of Health and Human Services, the first Eleanor Roosevelt
Community Service Award, the Presidential Volunteer Action Award, four
Points of Light awards and recognition from the American Psychiatric
Association.
What People are Saying
- Companions
“When
I am out with my companion I feel I am part of what is happening in
a busy world and I am not alone. I see other people together and I
no longer feel different because I am with my companion.”
- Referring Mental Health Professionals
“This is a wonderful program
that has really assisted my client to engage with another person
other than mental health staff. The volunteer is very competent,
aware and caring. I am grateful for her services and that of the
Compeer Program.”
- Volunteers
“I would recommend Compeer as
a volunteer opportunity as it provides situations for you to learn
so many things too.”
Click here to read
more about making a difference in someone's life.
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This page was last
updated on
03/18/2008.
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