What Berner Gesundheit does

Berner Gesundheit, legally Stiftung Berner Gesundheit (BEGES), is a politically and denominationally independent non-profit foundation established in 1931 and headquartered at Eigerstrasse 80, Bern. It operates under a public mandate from the Canton of Bern to deliver addiction counseling and therapy, health promotion and prevention, and sexual pedagogy services across the canton's German- and French-speaking populations. The organization employs over 100 staff across four regional centers (Bern, Biel/Bienne, Thun, Langenthal) and 13 additional consultation points, with a free hotline (0800 070 070) and online counseling delivered through the SafeZone platform.

The service portfolio combines direct client-facing delivery with educational and professional offerings. Core services include individual and group addiction counseling (covering alcohol, drugs, gambling, digital media, eating disorders, and behavioral addictions), free walk-in Sprechstunde sessions at Berner Generationenhaus, and family/relatives support. The educational arm encompasses Lehrplan 21-aligned lesson units, the goodplan stress management program (revised 2025), the Toolkit Mentale Gesundheit for vocational training, Sensoa Flaggensystem training, and recurring regional fachTagungen for teachers, school leadership, and social workers. Digital tools include the MyDrinkControl online self-test and a mediathèque lending service. Quality is anchored by QuaTheDA certification (since 2009) and the Bilinguisme-Label (since 2004).

The business model is principally government mandate funding from Canton Bern, under which all core counseling, therapy, and prevention services are provided free of charge to the population. Ancillary fee-based revenue is generated through paid professional workshops (CHF 80–140), parent courses (CHF 30), and material sales such as the goodplan-Box (CHF 250). GTM combines direct-to-consumer service delivery, event-driven professional training, and community-led prevention work embedded in schools and municipalities. Over the past decade, the foundation has consolidated fragmented cantonal services by absorbing the youth counseling functions of Contact Netz (2015), sexual pedagogy from Verein APESE (2016), and outpatient addiction counseling in Berner Jura (2018).

Name

Berner Gesundheit

Legal name

Stiftung Berner Gesundheit (BEGES)

Website

https://bernergesundheit.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1931

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Berner Gesundheit is a Canton of Bern non-profit foundation providing free addiction counseling, therapy, health promotion, prevention, and sexual education services in German and French across four regional centers and 13 additional locations under a cantonal government mandate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health and Addiction Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Substance Use Disorder Prevention & Recovery Services (BPAGACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) NGOs (HLAJAKAG), Non-Communicable Disease Prevention & Chronic Disease Programs (BPAIAJAI), Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Addiction counseling services
• Health promotion services
• Sexual education programs
• Addiction prevention programs
• Psychosocial primary care

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Mandate Funding: Primary funding from the Canton of Bern for providing addiction counseling, therapy, health promotion, prevention, and sexual education services throughout the canton. Services are provided free of charge to the population.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Berner Gesundheit (Stiftung Berner Gesundheit) is a non-profit foundation that provides addiction counseling and therapy, health promotion and prevention, and sexual education services to the population of the Canton of Bern in Switzerland. Services are delivered free of charge through four regional centers and 13 additional locations in both German and French, supplemented by online counseling, professional training events, and educational materials for schools, municipalities, and vocational training institutions.

Product overview

Berner Gesundheit is a politically and religiously independent foundation offering a comprehensive portfolio of health services in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland. The organization operates four main service areas: Addiction Counseling & Therapy (Suchtberatung & Therapie), Health Promotion & Prevention (Gesundheitsförderung & Prävention), and Sexual Education (Sexualpädagogik). The portfolio includes both direct client services (individual counseling, group programs, consultation hours) and professional/educational offerings (teaching materials like goodplan stress management toolkit and Toolkit Mentale Gesundheit, lesson units aligned with Lehrplan 21, online self-tests, media library lending, and continuing education courses for professionals). Services are provided in German and French across four regional centers and 13 additional locations throughout the canton.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Suchtberatung & Therapie (Addiction Counseling and Therapy) Professional counseling and therapy services for individuals affected by substance addictions (alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, medications, other drugs) and behavioral addictions (gambling, shopping, digital media). Services are free, anonymous, and confidential, available to affected individuals, their relatives, and referring professionals in German and French.
• Gesundheitsförderung & Prävention (Health Promotion and Prevention) Health promotion and prevention services targeting alcohol, cannabis, digital media, eating disorders, gambling, shopping addiction, cocaine, medications, bullying, nicotine, mental health, sexuality, and other substances. Delivered to schools, vocational training, families, communities, municipalities, and stationary institutions across Canton Bern.
• Sexualpädagogik (Sexual Education) Sexual education services for schools, parents, and youth covering relationships, puberty, contraception, consent, diversity, and digital media. Includes age-appropriate classroom discussions, parent information evenings, and professional development for educators.
• Sprechstunde Berner Gesundheit (Walk-in Consultation) Immediate counseling service for consumption-related topics for affected individuals and their families. Free, anonymous, available with online registration at Berner Generationenhaus in Bern.
• goodplan – Umgang mit Stress (Stress Management Educational Material) Teaching material for cycle 3, secondary level 2, and vocational education, promoting life skills for stress management using a four-field model. Includes the goodplan-Box (CHF 250) with online access, theoretical background, and worksheets. Developed by Berner Gesundheit specialists.
• Toolkit Mentale Gesundheit (Mental Health Toolkit) Digital toolkit with training materials, action guides, and practice-tested resources for promoting mental health of apprentices in vocational education settings. Targeted at vocational training companies and educators.
• Fachtagungen (Professional Conferences) Annual regional professional conferences for teachers, school administrators, and social workers covering neurodiversity, addiction prevention, mental health, and pedagogical topics. Examples: Fachtagung Emmental-Oberaargau 2027 (CHF 100), Fachtagung Seeland 2026 (CHF 140), individual workshops (CHF 80).
• Selbsttests (Online Self-Tests) Online self-assessment tools, including MyDrinkControl for alcohol consumption, to help individuals evaluate their own consumption behavior. Free and available via the website.
• Parent Courses on Sexual Development Information evenings and courses for parents on sexual development of children, available at CHF 30 per person or parent couple.
• Gruppenangebote (Group Offerings) Group programs including 'Geniessen auch ohne Alkohol' (enjoying without alcohol), men's exchange groups, women's addiction-free living groups, and relaxation programs available across regional centers.

Quantifiable outcome

• QuaTheDA certification achieved for management, counseling, and therapy quality standards
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ambulante Suchtberatung Berner JuracoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Full assumption of outpatient addiction counseling in Berner Jura following cantonal structural reorganization, including illegal drugs sector.
• Verein APESEminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Following dissolution of APESE, Berner Gesundheit assumed responsibility for sexual pedagogy services in the French-speaking part of the canton.
• Contact NetzcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Integration of youth counseling services following Contact Netz restructuring. Berner Gesundheit assumed full responsibility for youth counseling, including staff from Contact Netz, as part of canton-wide service concentration.
• Dachverband Gesundheit und Sucht (DGS)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014DGS was dissolved end of 2014 after clarifying competencies between Berner Gesundheit and Stiftung Contact Netz. Berner Gesundheit concentrated on adult services.
• Sexuelle Gesundheit SchweizcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner for Sensoa Flaggensystem courses. Professional development program for handling appropriate and boundary-crossing sexual behavior in children and adolescents.
• Regionales Schulinspektorat RIScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner for Fachtagungen and school-related events. Regional school inspection office co-organizes professional development for teachers and school leadership.
• Stellwerk BernminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organization of public events on addiction-related topics. Venue partner for readings and awareness events.
• Verein LöwenzahnkinderminorOthersExternal organization advocating for children from families affected by addiction. Shared mission in awareness raising and support for affected children.
• Raveitsafe.chminorOthersReferenced partner for harm reduction information related to nightlife substance use (MDMA, amphetamines, etc.).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Sucht Schweiz: The Swiss national umbrella organization for addiction prevention and research, operating across all cantons. Directly comparable as a nonprofit addressing substance and behavioral addictions, though operating at a national rather than cantonal level.
• Gesundheitsförderung Schweiz: National foundation for health promotion, prevention, and addiction issues, funded by Swiss cantons. Comparable in organizational form and health promotion/prevention mission, but operates at federal level coordinating with cantonal providers.
• Pro Juventute: Major Swiss foundation for children and youth welfare, including mental health and counseling services. Comparable nonprofit structure serving youth and families, with overlapping educational and prevention-related offerings.

Direct peers

• Aids-Hilfe Schweiz: Swiss nonprofit providing counseling, prevention, and support services for sexual health topics. Comparable in delivering sensitive health and sexuality-related services through a nonprofit foundation model with regional cantonal coverage.
• Stiftung Contact Netz: Bern-based foundation focused on youth counseling and addiction services. Highly comparable given overlapping geography and the historical service-sharing relationship (Berner Gesundheit absorbed Contact Netz's youth counseling staff in 2015).
• Blaues Kreuz Schweiz: Swiss federation of regional Blaues Kreuz associations providing addiction counseling and prevention services. Closely comparable mission, target population, and service model — though historically rooted in Christian traditions versus Berner Gesundheit's political/religious neutrality.

Others

• Infodrog: Swiss coordination office for addiction issues, functioning as a knowledge platform and service directory. Comparable ecosystem participant supporting addiction service providers with referral infrastructure and best practices.

Regional players

• Radix Schweizerische Gesundheitsstiftung: Swiss health promotion foundation focused on community health, prevention, and addiction issues. Comparable mission in health promotion and prevention, particularly in school and community settings, with similar target populations.
• Pro Mente Sana: Swiss foundation advocating for and supporting people with mental health conditions. Comparable as a Swiss nonprofit serving mental health populations, though focused on broader mental health advocacy rather than addiction-specific services.
• Perspektiven Sucht Luzern: Cantonal addiction service provider in Lucerne offering counseling, therapy, and prevention. Direct comparable as a regional Swiss addiction nonprofit operating under a cantonal mandate with similar service portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/berner-gesundheit

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Berner Gesundheit