Essener Kontakte E.V.

What Essener Kontakte E.V. does

Essener Kontakte e.V. is a registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein, VR 2173) headquartered in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, founded in 1972 from a citizen initiative to support mentally ill and disabled residents. The organization operates as a community-based social psychiatric center providing free counseling, peer support, psychosocial court accompaniment, youth mental health prevention, family counseling, transition support for foster care leavers, and professional training — all delivered in-person at physical locations including the Kontakt- und Beratungsstelle TREFFPUNKT at Frohnhauser Platz 1, schools, courts, and family homes in the Essen area.

The business model is a charitable hybrid of donations and government grants. Core services are free to users; subsidiary Contigo-Ruhr gGmbH provides fee-supported ambulatory psychiatric nursing, day facilities, supported living, and special housing forms. The organization is politically and denominationally neutral, recognized as gemeinnützig, and operates under the umbrella of Der Paritätische NRW. With 8 employees and a leadership team headed by Vorstand Christina Zindel, the entity is small and community-scaled.

The organization operates no proprietary technology platform and depends on referral-based community GTM through more than 10 partner organizations. Revenue is from donations and public subsidies with no commercial pricing model. The company is not investment-grade in a traditional VC/PE sense, but functions as a stable, mission-driven social psychiatric service provider with 50+ years of institutional continuity.

Name

Essener Kontakte E.V.

Legal name

Essener Kontakte e.V.

Website

https://essener-kontakte.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Essener Kontakte e.V. is a non-profit social psychiatric association founded in 1972 in Essen, Germany, providing free mental health counseling, peer support, youth prevention, family services, and psychosocial court accompaniment to individuals, families, and care leavers in the Essen region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Psychiatric Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241), Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG), Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH), Specialized Student Support (Foster/Homeless/Migrant/McKinney-Vento) (EDAJAIAJ)

Keywords

• Social psychiatric services
• Mental health counseling
• Psychosocial support
• Community mental health
• Victim support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Essen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Funding: The organization accepts donations and issues donation receipts (Spendenbescheinigung). Donors can provide their address in the payment reference for official documentation.
2. Public Funding and Subsidies: As a recognized charitable organization (gemeinnützig) and operator of a Social Psychiatric Center, the organization receives public funding and subsidies from government sources and welfare organizations to support its services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Essener Kontakte e.V. is a non-profit social psychiatric association that delivers free counseling, psychosocial court accompaniment, youth mental-health prevention, family counseling, transition support for foster youth, and professional training in Essen. It operates a Contact and Counseling Center (TREFFPUNKT) and partners with its subsidiary Contigo-Ruhr gGmbH to provide outpatient psychiatric care, day facilities, assisted living, and special housing forms. Services are funded by public subsidies, welfare-organization grants, and donations.

Product overview

Essener Kontakte E.V. is a non-profit association providing a comprehensive portfolio of social-psychiatric services in Essen, Germany. Founded in 1972, the organization operates as a network of interconnected programs rather than a single product. The core offerings include the Kontakt- und Beratungsstelle TREFFPUNKT (contact and counseling center), Psychosoziale Prozessbegleitung (psychosocial court accompaniment), Verrückt? Na und! (school-based prevention program), LIGA – Leben in Gastfamilien (transition support for foster youth), Cooles für Kids (family counseling), and Weiterbildung: Seelische Gesundheit (professional training programs). A subsidiary, Contigo-Ruhr gGmbH, provides additional psychiatric care services including outpatient psychiatric nursing, day facilities, supported living, and special housing forms. The services work together to provide a continuum of care from prevention and counseling through to accommodation and specialized psychiatric support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kontakt- und Beratungsstelle TREFFPUNKT A contact and counseling center at Frohnhauser Platz 1, Essen, providing open meetings, themed groups, cultural events, day trips, and consultation services for people with mental illness, self-help groups, relatives, and interested citizens. Open Monday-Thursday 10:00-17:00 and Friday 10:00-14:00.
• Psychosoziale Prozessbegleitung Psychosocial court accompaniment providing qualified support, information, and assistance for particularly vulnerable victims during criminal proceedings. Services focus on reducing individual stress, avoiding secondary victimization, and restoring testimony capability.
• Verrückt? Na und! – Regionalgruppe Essen A school-based mental health prevention program delivered in cooperation with Irrsinnig Menschlich e.V. and gesundheitsziele.de, bringing the topic of mental crises to educational settings from grade 8 onwards to reduce fears and prejudices and convey confidence and solutions.
• LIGA – Leben in Gastfamilien Support program for young people turning 18 who are leaving foster care, providing counseling and accompaniment to transition foster families into host families and ensure continued support beyond youth welfare office jurisdiction.
• Cooles für Kids Family counseling service for families experiencing stress, providing support in finding appropriate assistance when parents are under significant psychological strain and cannot directly change their current life situation.
• Weiterbildung Seelische Gesundheit Educational and training seminars for professionals, organizations, and the public covering topics including basics of mental illness, communication skills, mental first aid for children and youth, psychotraumatology, de-escalation, crisis intervention, and self-harm risk assessment. Training is led by experienced specialists including psychologists and psychotherapists.

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• gesundheitsziele.decoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Health goals initiative. The Verrückt? Na und! program is a model project for the exemplary implementation of health goals 'Growing up healthy' and 'Preventing depression'.
• Contigo-Ruhr gGmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary organization of Essener Kontakte e.V. providing extended mental health services including ambulatory psychiatric care (Ambulant Psychiatrische Pflege), day facility TOR23, assisted living (Betreutes Wohnen), special housing forms, and Zentrum 60plus for elderly mental health services.
• Palette an der Ruhr gGmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the social psychiatric network, cooperating with Essener Kontakte e.V. in providing mental health services.
• SoNII – Soziales Netzwerk Integration und Inklusion e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial network for integration and inclusion. Joint initiatives include 'Orte der Herzenswärme' and community events like the Kurdish folklore program.
• Arbeit im Revier e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional organization in the Ruhr area focused on employment and social integration, cooperating in social psychiatric support.
• Irrsinnig Menschlich e.V. (Verrückt? Na und!)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEssener Kontakte e.V. has been a cooperation partner since 2015, implementing the 'Verrückt? Na und!' mental health prevention program for youth in Essen schools. This is a prevention program from Irrsinnig Menschlich e.V. in cooperation with gesundheitsziele.de.
• Der Paritätische NRWminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor welfare organization in North Rhine-Westphalia. Essener Kontakte e.V. operates under the umbrella of this Paritätischer organization.
• DV der psychosozialen Hilfsvereinigungen (Psychiatrie-Netz)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational association of psychosocial help organizations. Essener Kontakte e.V. participates in this network for psychiatric support.
• Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gemeindepsychiatrie (AGPR Rheinland)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking group for community psychiatry in the Rhineland region. Essener Kontakte e.V. participates as a community psychiatric service provider.
• Essener Bündnis gegen DepressionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional alliance against depression in Essen, affiliated with Deutsche Depressionshilfe. Essener Kontakte e.V. contributes to depression awareness and support.
• Selbsthilfe Psychiatrie-Erfahrener Essen (SPE Essen e.V.)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelf-help organization for people with psychiatric experience in Essen. Cooperation partner for peer support and self-help group activities.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Aktion Mensch e.V. Germany's largest social funding organization for disability inclusion, mental health, and social participation; operates complementary grant programs that fund local initiatives serving overlapping populations (people with mental illness, disabilities, and care leavers).
• Deutsche Depressionshilfe: National organization funding regional alliances including Essener Bündnis gegen Depression (where Essener Kontakte participates); comparable mission in depression awareness, peer support, and crisis intervention at greater geographic scale.
• Der Paritätische NRW: Major umbrella welfare association under which Essener Kontakte e.V. operates; coordinates and represents hundreds of social-psychiatric and social service member organizations across North Rhine-Westphalia.
• Caritasverband für das Bistum Essen e.V. Regional Caritas association providing social-psychiatric counseling, addiction support, and family services across the same Essen catchment area; comparable service mix but much larger scale and denominational affiliation.
• Diakonie Ruhr: Regional Protestant welfare organization delivering social-psychiatric services, outpatient assisted living, and youth/family support in the Ruhr area; directly competes for municipal subsidies and similar client populations in adjacent NRW cities.

Direct peers

• Palette an der Ruhr gGmbH: Direct peer gGmbH partner in the Essen social-psychiatric network cooperating with Essener Kontakte e.V.; offers complementary psychosocial services, day programs, and supported employment for people with mental illness in the same geographic market.
• Selbsthilfe Psychiatrie-Erfahrener Essen (SPE Essen e.V.): Local peer-led self-help organization for people with psychiatric experience; formally listed as a cooperation partner of Essener Kontakte e.V. and addresses overlapping client segments through peer support and self-help groups in Essen.
• Irrsinnig Menschlich e.V. National operator of the Verrückt? Na und! school mental health prevention program of which Essener Kontakte e.V. is the Essen regional partner; directly comparable mission (youth mental health prevention and stigma reduction) and similar nonprofit structure.
• SoNII – Soziales Netzwerk Integration und Inklusion e.V. Local inclusion-focused nonprofit and formal cooperation partner of Essener Kontakte e.V.; runs community events, cultural programs (e.g., Kurdish folklore), and integration initiatives serving overlapping populations in Essen.
• BApK Bundesverband der Angehörigen psychisch Kranker: National family advocacy and support organization for relatives of people with mental illness; operates self-help groups and counseling that overlap with the 'families affected by mental illness' segment served by Essener Kontakte e.V.'s Cooles für Kids program.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/essener-kontakte-e.v.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Essener Kontakte E.V.