Berliner Krisendienst

Name

Berliner Krisendienst

Legal name

KIP gGmbH (Managing Entity for Berliner Krisendienst)

Website

https://berliner-krisendienst.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Crisis Intervention Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crisis Support, Suicide Prevention & Acute Behavioral Triage Platforms (HLALAEAI), Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH)

Keywords

• Crisis intervention services
• Mental health counseling
• Suicide prevention hotline
• Psychosocial support
• Community psychiatry services

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding from Berlin Districts: The Berliner Krisendienst is publicly financed by all districts (Bezirke) of Berlin. Initial seed funding was provided by health insurance funds for the establishment of outpatient facilities freed up by the reduction of psychiatric hospital beds. The funds were managed by Deutscher Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband (DPW), Landesverband Berlin e.V. Currently all Berlin districts share the financing responsibility.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Berliner Krisendienst delivers free, anonymous, 24/7 psychosocial crisis intervention and psychiatric emergency counseling to residents of Berlin across 9 regional locations. Services are accessed via telephone, walk-in in-person counseling, video consultation, email (Region Ost), and mobile deployment to acute crisis sites, supplemented by multilingual counseling and specialized support for people with cognitive disabilities.

Product overview

The Berliner Krisendienst is a crisis intervention service providing free, anonymous, 24/7 counseling for psychosocial crises and psychiatric emergencies across Berlin. The service operates through a multi-channel model combining telephone counseling (core, always available), in-person counseling at nine regional locations (16:00-24:00 daily), video counseling (bookable online across all regions since 2023), and mail/email counseling (Region Ost). Mobile crisis response deployments bring counselors to the location of acute emergencies. Specialized offerings include services for people with cognitive disabilities and multilingual counseling in multiple languages. The organization is a quality community of six Berlin social service providers, publicly financed by all Berlin districts since its founding in October 1999.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Telephone Counseling (Telefonische Beratung) 24/7 telephone crisis counseling accessible year-round across all Berlin districts via 9 regional numbers plus a central number and an inter-regional on-call service outside regional hours. Most clients use this channel for brief inquiries, detailed consultations, crisis intervention, and referrals to other facilities.
• In-Person Counseling (Persönliche Beratung) Face-to-face walk-in counseling at nine regional locations in Berlin, available daily from 16:00 to 24:00, with no appointment required during operating hours. Provides a safe space for expressing anxiety, despair, and other emotions, with follow-up appointments available.
• Video Counseling (Videoberatung) Online video counseling available at all nine regional locations via a secure, barrier-free, and anonymous platform, bookable through an online system and offered in multiple foreign languages. Suitable for people with mobility issues, illness, social anxiety, or caregiving responsibilities.
• Email Counseling (Mailberatung) Email-based counseling available in the East region (Region Ost), enabling clients to write about their concerns through a secure, barrier-free, and anonymous platform, with responses typically within two business days.
• Mobile On-Site Crisis Deployment (Mobile Einsätze) Crisis intervention delivered at the location of the crisis for acute self-harm or external-danger situations, psychiatric emergencies, unclear crisis situations, or extraordinary events. Includes cooperation with police, fire department, and rescue services.
• Specialized Services for People with Cognitive Disabilities
• Multilingual and Intercultural Counseling
• Inter-regional On-Call Service (Bereitschaftsdienst) Inter-regional emergency service based at Berlin Mitte, available nights 00:00–08:00 and on weekends/holidays 08:00–16:00 to handle calls outside regional operating hours, with on-site visits and physician standby services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Grew from ~32,000 annual contacts in 1999 to ~88,000 in 2024, demonstrating increasing utilization and trust in services
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Polizei Berlin (Police Berlin)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Cooperation agreement between Berliner Krisendienst and the Police President of Berlin. Police involve BKD for assessment of acute suicidality, emergency care for acute trauma victims, and support for relatives after suicide. BKD also relies on police support in situations of escalating violence. The 2009 agreement was renewed and updated in December 2025, with new focus on integration of BKD into police training programs.
• Feuerwehr Berlin (Fire Department Berlin)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the general emergency system. BKD cooperates with fire department and rescue services for psychosocial crisis support during large-scale incidents and emergencies.
• Netzwerk Suizidprävention Berlin (Suicide Prevention Network Berlin)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBKD is a member of the suicide prevention network coordinated by Berliner Fachstelle Suizidprävention. The network brings together organizations working on suicide prevention in Berlin.
• Freie Universität BerlinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific monitoring of BKD work during the first three years (1999-2001) as part of the evaluation of the new crisis service model.
• Katholische Fachhochschule BerlinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint scientific monitoring with Freie Universität Berlin during the initial three-year evaluation period (1999-2001).
• The Metafiction Cabaret / SchlossplatztheaterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheater collaboration for the play 'Das Ende des Kreises' about mental illness and crises. BKD provides information materials at performances and participates in audience discussions. Supported by Heidehof Stiftung GmbH.
• Aktionsbündnis Seelische GesundheitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBKD participates in the annual 'Woche der seelischen Gesundheit' (Mental Health Week) organized by this alliance under the patronage of Federal Health Minister.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sucht- und Drogenhotline: German nationwide 24/7 helpline for addiction-related crises operated under federal mandate. Comparable free, anonymous telephone crisis model but narrower scope (substance use) compared to BKD's broader psychosocial mandate.
• Nummer gegen Kummer: German nationwide helpline for children, youth, and parents offering telephone and online crisis counseling. Comparable crisis-line infrastructure and multilingual accessibility, though specializing in youth/family rather than adult psychosocial crises.
• Münchner Krisendienst: Munich's publicly funded crisis intervention service offering 24/7 telephone, in-person, mobile, and online crisis support across Munich districts. The closest direct peer to BKD in operating model, multi-channel access, and municipal financing structure.

Broad incumbents

• Telefonseelsorge Deutschland: Germany's largest free, anonymous telephone crisis helpline, available 24/7 nationwide. Highly comparable to BKD's telephone crisis counseling core service, but operates as a national church-affiliated nonprofit rather than a city-funded, region-organized crisis intervention provider with mobile deployment.
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US): US national 24/7 suicide prevention and crisis line with local crisis center network. Comparable telephone/in-person crisis intervention infrastructure, though federally backed and much larger in scale than BKD.
• Samaritans (UK & ROI): UK's largest emotional support and crisis helpline, free and confidential, available 24/7. Highly comparable volunteer/staff-based crisis-line operating model, though national in scope and charity-funded rather than municipally financed.
• Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Berlin (KV Berlin) - Bereitschaftsdienst: Berlin's statutory physician on-call service for urgent medical issues (116 117). Overlaps with BKD's out-of-hours crisis coverage but focuses on somatic/medical rather than psychosocial crisis intervention, often routing psychiatric cases to BKD.

Others

• Neuhland Hilfe in Krisen gGmbH: One of the six carrier organizations operating BKD and itself a Berlin-based crisis counseling nonprofit. Related entity rather than competitor; useful as a peer reflecting the underlying crisis-services capacity in Berlin.
• Caritasverband für das Erzbistum Berlin e.V. One of BKD's six consortium carriers and a major Berlin social services provider offering counseling, crisis support, and broader welfare services. Comparable social-services infrastructure and crisis-counseling capacity, often co-located with BKD operations.

Regional players

• Psychiatrische Institutsambulanzen Berlin: Berlin's network of psychiatric outpatient clinics operated by hospitals, providing ongoing care for severe mental illness. Functions as a downstream referral destination from BKD for cases requiring sustained clinical treatment; comparable regional mental health infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/berliner-krisendienst

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Berliner Krisendienst