When Joseph A. Rogers founded the Clearinghouse in 1986, under the auspices of the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, it was the first national technical assistance center of its kind. Its mission was to make recovery possible for all people who have psychiatric disabilities by working to improve services and supports, and to remove social barriers on the local, state, and national levels. More than two decades later, Rogers is internationally renowned as a leader in the mental health consumer movement who still heads the Clearinghouse as it continues to connect people to self-help and advocacy resources and offer expertise to and about peer-run groups and organizations that serve people who have been diagnosed with mental illnesses.
