Name

ifs-essen.de

Legal name

ifs - Institut für Systemische Familientherapie, Supervision und Organisationsentwicklung GmbH & Co KG

Website

https://ifs-essen.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Training & Education (Systemic Psychotherapy and Counseling)

NAICS

Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093), Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Outpatient Mental Health & Counseling Clinics (HLAFABAC)

Keywords

• Systemic therapy training
• Psychotherapy education programs
• Family therapy certification
• Supervision and coaching training
• Organizational development training

Headquarters

HQ city

Essen-Steele

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Course and Training Fees: The primary revenue stream is tuition and course fees for Aus-, Fort- and Weiterbildungs programs. Fees vary by program: multi-year training programs such as Systemische Beratung cost from 7,200 EUR; workshops such as PaKuT (Paarkurzzeittherapie) cost 300 EUR (270 EUR for ifs participants). Reduced pricing is offered to participants and graduates of multi-year ifs training programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ifs-essen.de is the web presence of ifs – Institut für Systemische Familientherapie, Supervision und Organisationsentwicklung GmbH & Co KG, a German training institute founded in 1988 in Essen. It sells state-recognized psychotherapy training (Ausbildung) in Systemic Therapy for both adult and child/adolescent tracks, multi-year Weiterbildung curricula in systemic family therapy, counseling, supervision, coaching, and organizational development, and a range of short Fortbildung workshops and online courses. The institute also operates its own outpatient psychotherapy clinics (ifs-Ambulanzen) in Essen and Leverkusen serving as both patient care and practical training sites.

Product overview

ifs-essen.de is the web presence of ifs – Institut für Systemische Familientherapie, Supervision und Organisationsentwicklung GmbH & Co KG, a German training and education institute founded in 1988 and based in Essen. The institute offers a portfolio of state-recognized and professionally accredited educational programs organized into three main pillars: (1) Psychotherapy Training (Ausbildung) in Psychological Psychotherapy (PP) and Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy (KJP) in the specialization of Systemic Therapy; (2) Further Education (Weiterbildung) consisting of 9 longer-term certification curricula including foundational programs in Systemic Family Therapy & Supervision, Systemic Counseling/Family Counseling, and advanced/specialization modules such as Systemic Child & Adolescent Therapy (KiJu), Systemic Trauma Therapy, Systemic Supervision/Coaching/Organizational Development, Systemic Coaching, Multifamily Therapy (MFT), and Systemic Organizational Development; and (3) Continuing Education (Fortbildung) comprising workshops, specialist days (Fachtage), online workshops, and standalone courses such as Systemic Health Coaching, Psychodrama systemisch, Child-Oriented Family Therapy (KOF), Hypno-Systemic Counseling, and the Spielgespräch method. The institute also operates the ifs-Ambulanz outpatient clinics in Essen-Steele and Leverkusen providing systemic therapy to patients while serving as practical training sites. A Moodle-based learning platform (moodle.ifs-essen.de) supports online learning for registered trainees. All programs are closed with an ifs certificate and may additionally lead to certification by a professional umbrella association (DGSF, DGSv). The institute provides its offerings at venues in Essen-Steele, Essen-Byfang, Wuppertal, and Cologne.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ifs-Ambulanz: ifs Ambulance for Systemic Therapy - providing adult and child/adolescent psychotherapy services in the Essen area, operating at multiple locations including Ambulanz am Markt, Ambulanz am Grendplatz, Ambulanz am Kulturforum, and locations in Leverkusen and Essen Mitte.

Products and services

• Psychotherapie-Ausbildung (PP / KJP) State-recognized psychotherapy training (Ausbildung) in the specialization of Systemic Therapy, offered in both Adult (Psychologische Psychotherapie, PP) and Child & Adolescent (Kinder- und Jugendlichenpsychotherapie, KJP) tracks, leading to Approbation as a licensed psychotherapist. Intakes occur twice yearly in April/May and October/November.
• Systemische Familientherapie und Grundzüge der Supervision Multi-year Weiterbildung curriculum in systemic family therapy and basics of supervision, recognized by the DGSF professional association. Targeted at professionals seeking certification in systemic family therapy.
• Systemische Beratung / Familienberatung Further education curriculum in systemic family counseling (700 hours), recognized by DGSF, leading to certification eligibility as a systemic family counselor.
• Systemische Kinder- und Jugendlichentherapie (KiJu) Advanced specialization course in systemic child and adolescent therapy, building on foundational systemic family therapy training.
• Systemische Traumatherapie Advanced course in systemic trauma therapy qualifying practitioners to work with traumatized individuals using multi-method approaches that integrate trauma symptom management and daily life integration.
• Systemische Supervision, Coaching und Grundzüge der Organisationsentwicklung Advanced weiterbildung in systemic supervision, coaching, and organizational development, recognized by DGSv.
• Systemisches Coaching Further education program in systemic coaching for professional and workplace contexts.
• Multifamilientherapie und Grundlagen der Systemischen Gruppentherapie (MFT) Advanced training in multifamily therapy and foundational systemic group therapy methods.
• Systemische Paartherapie Specialized further education in systemic couples therapy.
• Systemisches Gesundheitscoaching Continuing education in health-promoting life, leadership, team, and management consulting with resource expansion. Next cohort starts October 2026.
• Traumapädagogik und traumazentrierte Fachberatung Further education in trauma pedagogy and trauma-centered specialist counseling.
• Kinderorientierte Familientherapie (KOF) Child-oriented family therapy method developed by Martin Soltvedt, enabling rapid application for engaging children in therapeutic dialogue.
• Psychodrama systemisch Continuing education combining psychodrama methods with systemic approaches using scenic formats, role-playing, and constellation work.
• Hypno-Systemische Beratung und Therapie Further education combining hypnotherapy techniques with systemic counseling and therapy approaches; held at the Wuppertal seminar venue.
• Systemische Organisationsentwicklung Advanced training in systemic organizational development for leading and managing change processes in organizations.
• Offene Familienrekonstruktion Open family reconstruction workshop as an intensive format for exploring family system dynamics.
• Systemisch Kompakt Compact introductory further education providing an entry point into systemic working with short, manageable units covering systemic attitudes, theory, and core interventions.
• Online-Workshops Virtual workshop offerings covering topics such as team development, flexible mindset, moderation, and self-care for systemic practitioners.
• Das Spielgespräch (Online-Fortbildung) Online continuing education in the 'Spielgespräch' method, developed by Martin Soltvedt, for quickly engaging children in therapeutic conversation, available as a 3-part online format.
• ifs-Ambulanz (Outpatient Clinic) Outpatient clinic offering systemic therapy for adults and children/adolescents at multiple locations in Essen-Steele, Essen Mitte, and Leverkusen, accepting all statutory health insurers (alle Kassen). Serves as both a patient care facility and a practical training site for psychotherapy trainees.
• ifs Seminars & Workshops (Fachtage) Shorter-format workshops and specialist days (Fachtage) covering current topics in systemic therapy, trauma, couples work, and organizational development, including PaKuT (Paarcounseling Short-term Therapy), suicide prevention, conflict resolution, and systemic leadership.
• Praxissupervision Practice supervision sessions for family therapists, counselors, supervisors, and coaches, offered as ongoing group sessions.
• Systemische Onlineberatung und Medienkompetenz Further education in systemic online consulting and media competence, addressing digital communication methods in systemic practice.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DGSF (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Systemische Therapie, Beratung und Familientherapie)coreOthersifs trainers and programs are certified and recognized by DGSF. Training programs lead to DGSF-certified qualifications in systemic therapy, counseling, and supervision. ifs trainers also contribute to DGSF publications and scientific conferences.
• DGSv (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Supervision und Coaching)coreOthersifs training programs in supervision and coaching are recognized by DGSv. Faculty members hold DGSv teaching supervisor and supervisor certifications.
• AGPT (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Psychoanalytische Psychotherapie)minorOthersListed among credentialing bodies for ifs trainers. Participation in interdisciplinary professional networks in the psychotherapy field.
• PTK NRW (Psychotherapeutenkammer Nordrhein-Westfalen)coreOthersifs workshops and continuing education programs are accredited by PTK NRW, earning continuing education points (Fortbildungspunkte) for licensed psychotherapists in NRW.
• Carl-Auer-Systeme-VerlagminorOthersCarl-Auer-Systeme-Verlag is listed among recommended publishers for systemic therapy literature. ifs trainers have published extensively with this publisher.
• Auditorium NetzwerkminorOthersAuditorium Netzwerk publishes video and audio recordings of ifs events, Fachtage, and workshops. ifs trainers have media publications (DVD, CD) through this publisher.
• Vandenhoeck & RuprechtminorOthersif trainers including Hanswille and Hermans have published major textbooks with Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, a leading academic publisher in psychology and psychotherapy.
• DPtV (Deutsche PsychotherapeutenVereinigung)minorOthersifs news section features DPtV petitions and professional policy campaigns on fair reimbursement for psychotherapy services, indicating alignment with the professional association's advocacy efforts.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Helm Stierlin Institut Heidelberg: One of the oldest and most established systemic therapy and family therapy training institutes in Germany, offering DGSF-recognized Weiterbildung curricula. Directly comparable to ifs as a private Aus- und Weiterbildungsinstitut focused on systemische Therapie and Beratung.
• Zentrum für Systemische Therapie und Beratung (ZSTB): Private systemic therapy and counseling training institute offering DGSF-recognized curricula. Comparable to ifs in target audience (psychosocial professionals), curriculum depth, and continuing education offerings.
• IST Institut für Systemische Therapie und Beratung: Cologne-based private institute providing systemic therapy, counseling, supervision and organizational development training. Geographically adjacent (NRW) and directly comparable as a regional competitor in the same systemic training niche.
• Milton Erickson Institut (MEI) Deutschland: National network offering hypnotherapy and systemic training recognized by professional associations. Comparable to ifs in Weiterbildung/Fortbildung structure, professional certification pathways, and faculty-driven content model.
• IGST Institut für systemische Therapie: Hamburg-based private institute offering DGSF-certified systemic therapy, counseling, supervision and coaching training. Directly comparable to ifs in product mix (Ausbildung, Weiterbildung, Fortbildung) and DGSF/DGSv alignment.

Broad incumbents

• Psychotherapeutenkammer Nordrhein-Westfalen (PTK NRW): State professional chamber that accredits ifs's continuing education programs and issues Approbation frameworks. Comparable as the broader regulatory and professional infrastructure governing ifs's core products, not a direct commercial competitor.
• Universitätsklinikum Essen - Klinik für Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie: University hospital outpatient clinic (Psychotherapie-Ambulanz) in Essen that also trains psychotherapy postgraduates. Comparable as a regional outpatient mental health provider and practical-training site, though anchored in university rather than private institute setting.

Regional players

• Lindauer Psychotherapie Wochen (LPW): Long-running German continuing-education congress and workshop provider for psychotherapists. Comparable to ifs's Fortbildung/workshop arm in audience and topic overlap, though operating via conference format rather than year-round institute.

Others

• DGSv (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Supervision und Coaching): Professional association certifying ifs's supervision and coaching curricula. Comparable as the umbrella organization defining the standards ifs's supervision/coaching products must meet.
• DGSF (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Systemische Therapie, Beratung und Familientherapie): National professional association that certifies ifs's Weiterbildung programs and to which ifs trainers contribute. Comparable as the ecosystem/credentialing body whose recognition underpins ifs's regulatory moat.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ifs.essen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ifs-essen.de
• Instagraminstagram.com/ifs_essen

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 ifs-essen.de