Berufsverband Deutscher Psychologinnen und Psychologen

What Berufsverband Deutscher Psychologinnen und Psychologen does

Berufsverband Deutscher Psychologinnen und Psychologen (BDP) is Germany's largest professional association for psychologists, founded in 1946 and headquartered in Berlin. It represents the professional interests of employed, civil-servant and freelance psychologists, psychological psychotherapists, and psychology students across all career stages, providing professional representation, lobbying, certification, ethical guidance, and continuing education. The organisation operates through a dual structure of 14 regional groups (Landesgruppen) covering all German states and 11 specialist sections (e.g., Clinical, School, Forensic, Business, Traffic, Political Psychology, plus the VPP psychotherapist section), supported by a student wing (BDP-S) that organises "thousands" of students nationwide.

BDP's product surface is built around member services and content rather than software: the report psychologie member magazine (via subsidiary Psychologenverlag), a 2025-launched exclusive member portal, the public Psychotherapiesuche.de directory and its sister PID information service, BDP-Zertifizierungen certification programmes, the BDP-Expert Talk event series, the "Psychologie im Blick" podcast, and topic hubs covering the proposed Psycholog*innengesetz, climate, digital society, democracy, and school psychology. It also maintains four wholly-owned subsidiaries — Psychologenakademie (continuing education), Psychologische Hochschule Berlin (PHB, a private university), PsyCura (psychological services) and Psychologenverlag (publishing) — that deepen its education and service footprint.

Revenue is generated through two primary mechanisms: recurring membership dues under a publicly referenced but not disclosed Beitragsordnung (with reduced and student rates), and tuition, course fees and publication revenue from the subsidiaries. Distribution is direct-to-member via the website and regional/section contacts, with no disclosed pricing. BDP sits inside the Föderation Deutscher Psychologenvereinigungen with DGPs, the ADP (Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein), and the international umbrellas EFPA and IUPsyS, giving it formal standing in European and global psychology policy.

Name

Berufsverband Deutscher Psychologinnen und Psychologen

Legal name

Berufsverband Deutscher Psychologinnen und Psychologen e.V.

Website

https://bdp-verband.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BDP is Germany's largest professional association for psychologists, founded 1946 and headquartered in Berlin, representing employed, freelance and student psychologists through advocacy, certification, continuing education, publications, and four education- and service-focused subsidiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: BDP operates primarily as a membership-based professional association. Members pay dues (Beiträge) to belong to the association. Additional section-specific fees may apply for membership in BDP sections (Sektionen).
2. Publishing and professional education (via subsidiaries): BDP operates subsidiary organizations — Psychologenakademie (continuing education), Psychologenverlag (publishing, including report psychologie magazine), and Psychologische Hochschule Berlin — that generate revenue through course fees and publication sales.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Berufsverband Deutscher Psychologinnen und Psychologen (BDP) is Germany's largest professional association for psychologists, founded in 1946. It provides membership services, continuing education, professional certification programs, lobbying, publications, and a public psychotherapy search portal for the psychology profession in Germany.

Product overview

BDP operates as a professional association rather than a software product company. Its offerings consist of member services, professional publications, certification programs, public-facing search portals, and educational events. The core products include: the member magazine report psychologie, the public psychotherapy search portal Psychotherapiesuche.de, a secure member portal for exclusive resources, the BDP-Expert Talk event series, BDP-S student podcasts, and BDP professional certification programs. These services are interconnected through the main BDP website and serve the professional development, networking, and public service needs of German psychologists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BDP Membership
• report psychologie

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Aktionsbündnis Seelische GesundheitcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBDP is a member of the Aktionsbündnis Seelische Gesundheit, a coalition dedicated to destigmatizing mental illness and promoting public awareness of mental health.
• International Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIUPsyS is the international umbrella organization for national psychology associations, promoting scientific psychology globally. BDP participates as the German member.
• European Federation of Psychologists' Associations (EFPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEFPA is a European umbrella organization with 31 member associations. BDP participates as the German member, contributing to European-level professional policy and standards. BDP members serve on the EFPA Board.
• Föderation Deutscher PsychologenvereinigungencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Federation consists of BDP and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs), representing the two major German psychology organizations jointly.
• Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Verbände deutschsprachiger Psychologinnen und Psychologen (ADP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerADP unites German-speaking psychology associations: BDP (Germany), BÖP (Austria), FSP (Switzerland), and BPL (Liechtenstein), fostering cross-border professional coordination.
• Deutsche Allianz Klimawandel und Gesundheit (KLUG)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBDP joined KLUG — a coalition of health organizations working to establish climate change as a health priority — and co-signed KLUG's position paper on sustainable pension funds (2025).
• Psychologists/Psychotherapists for Future (Psy4F)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBDP co-signed the Psy4F call 'Es ist höchste Zeit' (2025) and collaborates on climate action events, including joint workshops and the Psy4F media guide on climate.
• UN Women DeutschlandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBDP partnered with UN Women Deutschland for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (2025), with BDP expert Prof. Sylvie Vincent-Höper speaking on workplace sexual harassment.
• Ver.di – Vereinte DienstleistungsgewerkschaftminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBDP cooperates with Ver.di to represent the interests of employed psychologists, particularly in collective bargaining negotiations.
• Christoph-Dornier-Stiftung für Klinische Psychologie (CDS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDS promotes the application of psychological knowledge in treating mental illness. BDP maintains a partnership connection with CDS.
• Psychologenakademie (DAK Bildungszentrum / DPA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBDP subsidiary (Daughtergesellschaft) providing continuing education for psychologists. Website: psychologenakademie.de. Logo displayed as BDP subsidiary.
• Psychologische Hochschule Berlin (PHB)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBDP subsidiary psychology university in Berlin offering degree programs. Website: psychologische-hochschule.de. Logo displayed as BDP subsidiary.
• PsyCuraminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBDP subsidiary providing psychological services. Website: psycura.de. Logo displayed as BDP subsidiary.
• Psychologenverlag (DPV)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBDP subsidiary publishing house for professional psychology literature, including the report psychologie member magazine. Website: psychologenverlag.de. Logo displayed as BDP subsidiary.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Verband Psychologischer Psychotherapeutinnen und Psychotherapeuten (VPP): VPP operates as a specialist section within BDP focused on psychological psychotherapists, but also functions as a representative body for psychotherapists competing for the same membership pool and policy influence on scope of practice.
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs): The other half of the Föderation Deutscher Psychologenvereinigungen, DGPs is the leading German scientific psychology society. It is the closest structural peer — both compete for the same German psychologist audience from complementary angles (professional practice vs. scientific research).

Peers

• British Psychological Society (BPS):

Regional players

• Berufsverband Österreichischer Psychologinnen und Psychologen (BÖP): Austrian national psychology association and BDP's counterpart in the ADP cross-border federation. BÖP has a near-identical mandate (membership, advocacy, certification) but serves Austria, making it the most direct regional comparable.
• Federation of Swiss Psychologists (FSP): Swiss psychology professional association and ADP co-member with BDP. FSP mirrors BDP's professional representation, continuing education, and ethics mandate for Switzerland, useful as a regional structural peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BDPeV

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Berufsverband Deutscher Psychologinnen und Psychologen