Deutscher Verband Ergotherapie e.V.

What Deutscher Verband Ergotherapie e.V. does

Deutscher Verband Ergotherapie e.V. (DVE), founded in 1954 and headquartered in Karlsbad-Ittensbach, Baden-Württemberg, is Germany's primary professional association for occupational therapists (Ergotherapeuten). The DVE represents approximately 15,000 members across self-employed, employed, student, and retiree segments, supported by around 20 paid staff and 250 volunteers organized into 16 Landesgruppen, 12 Fachausschüsse, and a dedicated Bundeslernendenvertretung. As a registered non-profit (eingetragener Verein), the DVE serves as the sole collective bargaining representative (via SHV) for ergotherapy reimbursement negotiations with the GKV-Spitzenverband and represents the profession in health policy forums including the G-BA coalition.

The DVE operates a web-based digital platform (www.dve.info) with a public-facing site and a member-only area hosting the EBP-Datenbank (1,400+ German-language evidence summaries), the Assessment-Datenbank, the Praxen-Suche (practice finder), and documentation tools including ETpro. Member services include the DVE AKADEMIE continuing education (in-person and online), the biennial Ergotherapie-Kongress (Bielefeld 2026, Rostock 2027 with ~2,200 attendees and 70+ exhibitors), the annual Herbsttagung Selbstständige, the monthly ERGOTHERAPIE UND REHABILITATION journal, the DVE Podcast, the DVEaktuell newsletter, free labor law consultation, group insurance products, and WFOT recognition processing for ergotherapy schools (covering ~70% of German programs). The DVE distrubuted products via the DVE Shop (Schulz-Kirchner Verlag partnership) and offers the Innovationspreis Ergotherapie biennially.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring membership dues (tiered from €56/year for students/retirees to €412/year for legal entities), with the bulk of practicing members paying €168 (full-time) or €348 (self-employed with kassenzulassung) annually. Secondary revenue streams include conference registration and exhibitor fees (Ergotherapie-Kongress, Herbsttagung), DVE AKADEMIE seminar fees, Shop commissions, and insurance partnership commissions. The DVE is a member of the SHV (national Heilmittelverbände umbrella), WFOT (111 member organizations, ~633,000 OTs worldwide), and COTEC (33 European countries), positioning it as the dominant institutional voice for ergotherapy in Germany and an active participant in international standards-setting.

Name

Deutscher Verband Ergotherapie e.V.

Legal name

Deutscher Verband Ergotherapie e.V.

Website

https://dve.info

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Deutscher Verband Ergotherapie e.V. (DVE) is Germany's primary professional association for occupational therapists, serving approximately 15,000 members with dues-based advocacy, continuing education, and reimbursement negotiation services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Karlsbad-Ittensbach

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The DVE's primary revenue stream is membership fees collected annually, semi-annually, or quarterly from occupational therapists, trainees, students, retirees, legal entities, and supporting members. Fee tiers range from €56/year (students/trainees, first year free) to €412/year (legal/juristic members). Additional WFOT individual membership available for €25/year. Fees are collected via SEPA direct debit or invoice.
2. Ergotherapie-Kongress Revenue: The biennial Ergotherapie-Kongress (held in Bielefeld 2026, Rostock 2027) generates revenue through attendee registration fees. Exhibitors (70+ per event) pay for booth space. The congress attracts around 2,200 attendees.
3. DVE AKADEMIE Continuing Education: The DVE AKADEMIE offers fee-based continuing education seminars and courses for members and non-members. Sessions are offered in-person and online across categories including Basiswissen, Zielgruppe, Am Puls der Zeit, Beratung & Kommunikation, Gesundheitsförderung/Prävention, and Für die Praxis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

DVE is a German nonprofit professional membership association (eingetragener Verein) for occupational therapists, founded in 1954 and headquartered in Karlsbad. It provides advocacy, collective bargaining for reimbursement rates, continuing education through DVE AKADEMIE, the biennial Ergotherapie-Kongress, the ERGOTHERAPIE UND REHABILITATION trade journal, and member resources including the EBP-Datenbank (Evidence-Based Practice database) and Assessment-Datenbank.

Product overview

Deutscher Verband Ergotherapie e.V. (DVE) operates as a membership-based professional association offering a comprehensive portfolio of services to occupational therapists in Germany. The organization functions as a platform-plus-services model, combining professional development through the DVE AKADEMIE (continuing education), knowledge resources including the EBP-Datenbank (evidence-based practice database with 1,400+ study summaries), and the Assessment-Datenbank. Core offerings include the annual Ergotherapie-Kongress (congress), Herbsttagung Selbstständige (autumn conference for self-employed), ERGOTHERAPIE UND REHABILITATION journal, and the DVE Podcast. Member-exclusive tools include ETpro documentation software, the Praxen-Suche directory, and DVEaktuell newsletter. The association also provides WFOT recognition services for schools, insurance products, labor law consultation, and operates a shop for publications in partnership with Schulz-Kirchner Verlag. With approximately 14,000 members, DVE serves as the primary professional voice for occupational therapists in Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DVE AKADEMIE: The academy's program offers a versatile range of continuing education courses for occupational therapists.
• EBP-Datenbank
• DVE Podcast
• DVEaktuell
• ETpro
• Fachzeitschrift ET Reha (Ergotherapie und Rehabilitation)

Products and services

• DVE AKADEMIE Continuing-education program providing seminars and online seminars (Online-Seminare) for occupational therapists seeking continuing professional development; available to DVE members through the members portal.
• Ergotherapie-Kongress Biennial national congress for the German occupational therapy profession, serving as the primary continuing-education and networking event with multiple session tracks and partner exhibitions.
• Herbsttagung Annual autumn conference (alternating with the Ergotherapie-Kongress) providing topic-focused continuing education and networking for DVE members and the broader ergotherapy community.
• EBP-Datenbank (Evidence-Based Practice Database) German-language database of 1,400+ evidence-based practice studies relevant to occupational therapy, providing members with searchable access to research evidence for clinical decision-making.
• Assessment-Datenbank Curated database of standardized assessments, test instruments, and evaluation tools applicable in ergotherapy practice, supporting evidence-based clinical assessment decisions.
• ERGOTHERAPIE UND REHABILITATION (journal) Professional journal published by DVE covering clinical practice, scientific research, and policy issues in occupational therapy and rehabilitation; available by subscription.
• ETpro Documentation Software Specialized documentation and billing software for self-employed ergotherapists, available as a member-exclusive tool for daily practice administration, treatment documentation, and reimbursement workflows.
• Praxen-Suche (Practice Finder) Online directory allowing the public to search for DVE-affiliated ergotherapy practices by location and specialty, providing patient-acquisition visibility for member practices.
• Versicherungsstelle des DVE (Insurance Service) Member-exclusive insurance service providing professional liability and practice insurance products to DVE members at negotiated terms through the association's insurance partner network.
• WFOT-Anerkennung (WFOT Recognition Service) Recognition service that processes applications on behalf of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT), enabling German-trained ergotherapists to obtain WFOT recognition required for working in many countries abroad.
• Arbeitsrechtsberatung (Labor Law Consultation) Member-exclusive consultation service providing advice on employment and labor law issues relevant to employed and self-employed occupational therapists in Germany.
• Mitgliedschaft (Membership Subscription) Annual membership subscription providing access to the association's collective bargaining representation, EBP-Datenbank, continuing-education discounts, legal consultation, insurance offerings, and member-exclusive tools and publications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 70% of German ergotherapy schools hold WFOT recognition processed through the DVE's Ausbildungsausschuss.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SHV | Spitzenverband der Heilmittelverbände e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe DVE is a member of the SHV, the umbrella association of therapeutic professions in Germany. Through SHV, the DVE contributes its positions to health policy discussions and the SHV coordinates collective action among its member associations on reimbursement, legislation, and regulatory matters affecting therapeutic services.
• WFOT | World Federation of Occupational TherapistscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe DVE is a member of the WFOT, which sets global standards for ergotherapy education, research, and practice. WFOT has 111 member organizations representing approximately 633,000 occupational therapists worldwide. The DVE sends delegates (Ina Roosen, Claudia Merklein de Freitas) to WFOT. DVE also offers WFOT individual membership add-on for €25/year.
• COTEC | Council of Occupational Therapists for the European CountriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe DVE is a member of COTEC, founded in 1986 in Dublin with German participation. COTEC promotes the role of occupational therapy in European healthcare and society, supports Public Health and prevention initiatives, and provides a networking platform. As of December 2024, 33 countries are represented. DVE delegates: Birthe Hucke and Eva Denysiuk.
• Bündnis Therapieberufe an die HochschulencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe alliance advocates for primary-qualifying academic education as the standard training pathway for therapeutic professions in Germany. The DVE participates as a member to advance the professionalization of occupational therapy education.
• IG Heilmittelerbringer im G-BAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA coalition of all 17 leading therapeutic associations united to demand voting representation of therapeutic providers in the Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss (G-BA), Germany's highest decision-making body for the statutory health insurance system.
• AHPGS | Akkreditierungsagentur im Bereich Gesundheit und SozialesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccreditation agency in the field of health and social services. DVE collaborates on accreditation matters related to ergotherapy study programs.
• Aktionsbündnis TeilhabeforschungminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance for participation research. DVE participates to contribute the occupational therapy perspective to participation-focused research.
• American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS national association for occupational therapy. DVE maintains international professional exchange through membership and participation.
• Bundesvereinigung Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung e.V. (BVPG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal association for prevention and health promotion. DVE's Fachausschuss Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung engages through this partnership.
• DATPPP e.V. | Deutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Tageskliniken e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman working group of day clinics. DVE collaborates on psychiatric ergotherapy and day clinic care topics.
• DGEW | Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ergotherapiewissenschaft e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman society for ergotherapy science. DVE collaborates on scientific standards and research in occupational therapy.
• DGP | Deutsche Gesellschaft für Palliativmedizin e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman association for palliative medicine. DVE maintains an Arbeitsgruppe Palliative Care that collaborates through this network.
• DVfR | Deutsche Vereinigung für Rehabilitation e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman association for rehabilitation. DVE participates to advance rehabilitation perspectives in occupational therapy.
• EbM-Netzwerk | Netzwerk Evidenzbasierte Medizin e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvidence-based medicine network. The DVE's EBP-Datenbank aligns with EBM principles, and DVE participates in the network for scientific exchange.
• GmAR | Gesellschaft medizinischer Assistenzberufe für Rheumatologie e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSociety of medical assistant professions for rheumatology. DVE participates in interdisciplinary exchange on rheumatology-related occupational therapy.
• HVG | Hochschulverbund Gesundheitsfachberufe e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity network for health professions. DVE participates to advance academic education for occupational therapists.
• NETZWERK BiG Berufe im GesundheitswesenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork for health professions. DVE participates for interdisciplinary exchange on health profession issues.
• NGBR | Verein zur Förderung eines Nationalen Gesundheitsberuferates e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation for the promotion of a National Health Professions Council. DVE participates to advocate for the professional interests of occupational therapists within the broader health professions framework.
• Vereinigung für Interdisziplinäre Frühförderung – Bundesvereinigung e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation for interdisciplinary early intervention. DVE collaborates on pediatric occupational therapy in early childhood development.
• zentrales adhs-netzminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentral ADHD network. DVE contributes the occupational therapy perspective on ADHD care and treatment.
• Deutsches Jugendherbergswerk (DJH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman youth hostels association. DVE collaborates on youth health and community-based occupational therapy initiatives.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Occupational Therapy Australia (OTA): Australia's national professional association for OTs, with comparable advocacy, CPD, and member-benefit structures aligned to DVE's offerings.
• American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA): The US national professional association for occupational therapists. AOTA is the closest international analogue to DVE, offering advocacy, continuing education, evidence resources, and member services to American OTs.
• Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT): Canada's national OT association, providing advocacy, professional development, and practice resources. Directly comparable to DVE in mission and member-services portfolio.
• Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT): The UK professional body and trade union for occupational therapists. RCOT parallels DVE's combined advocacy, education, and member-service mandate in a different national health system context.

Regional players

• EVS — ErgotherapeutInnen Verband Schweiz: Swiss national association for occupational therapists. Direct DACH peer to DVE with similar advocacy, education, and member-benefit functions within Switzerland's separate healthcare system.
• ZVK — Deutscher Verband für Physiotherapie (PHYSIO-DEUTSCHLAND): Germany's primary physiotherapy professional association. Adjacent Heilmittelverband sharing SHV membership, similar collective-bargaining dynamics with GKV, and comparable member-service model.
• Ergotherapie Austria (ERGOAUSTRIA / Bundesverband der Ergotherapeutinnen und Ergotherapeuten Österreichs): Austrian national professional association for OTs. Comparable to DVE in mandate and service mix, but operating in a different (DACH) market with separate reimbursement and education frameworks.
• SHV — Spitzenverband der Heilmittelverbände e.V. German umbrella association of therapeutic professions including ergotherapy, physiotherapy, speech therapy, and podiatry. DVE is a member; SHV is the allied incumbent through which DVE channels national-level health-policy positions.

Broad incumbents

• WFOT — World Federation of Occupational Therapists: Global umbrella for OT associations with 111 member organizations across ~63 countries representing ~633,000 OTs. DVE is a member; WFOT sets international education and practice standards that DVE implements.
• COTEC — Council of Occupational Therapists for the European Countries: European-level council of OT associations across 33 countries. DVE participates via delegates; COTEC functions as a broader regional incumbent overlapping with DVE's international engagement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6fxTuLdH116xnw_m8d7giQ
• Instagraminstagram.com/dve_ergotherapie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dve-ergotherapie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Deutscher Verband Ergotherapie e.V.