Instituto Acolher

What Instituto Acolher does

Instituto Acolher (ITA) is a Brazilian autonomous nonprofit organization headquartered in São Paulo that provides psychological and spiritual-integration services targeting the Catholic clergy, consecrated religious, seminary candidates, formators and a smaller layperson segment. Founded in 2000 by a multidisciplinary team of psychologists, psychoanalysts and religious professionals, ITA has operated for 25 years, celebrating its 25th anniversary in December 2025, and positions itself as one of the oldest institutes in Brazil specialized in religious-context mental health. The institute's clinical offering comprises ten interconnected services: Neuropsychological Assessment, Individual Psychotherapy, Psychodiagnosis, Cognitive Stimulation, Spiritual Integration, Group Psychotherapy, Vocational Profile Assessment, Courses and Advisory Services, Supervision for Psychologists, and Study Groups for Formators and Psychologists. Its underlying methodology combines established psychotherapeutic approaches (Psychoanalysis, CBT, Gestalt, Jungian, Logotherapy, Psychodrama and Rorschach-based projective techniques) with proprietary protocols such as the Psycho-spiritual Integration Program and the Vocational Profile Assessment, which evaluate vocational fulfillment, spiritual itinerary and psychological readiness in tandem.

ITA's business model is professional services revenue, generated through fee-for-service individual and group psychotherapy, neuropsychological evaluation, psychodiagnosis, supervision of psychologists working in religious formation, short courses for formators and religious superiors, and institutional consulting for seminaries, dioceses and religious congregations. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is set via direct contact (WhatsApp and email). Go-to-market is community-led through referrals from the Catholic Church hierarchy — formal relationships with CNBB (National Conference of Bishops of Brazil) and CRB (Conference of Religious of Brazil), individual bishops, religious superiors and seminary formators drive client acquisition — supplemented by event-driven engagement via bate-papo sessions, courses and webinars streamed on YouTube and Google Meet, with registration handled through Google Forms. The institute distributes services across 8 Brazilian cities (São Paulo HQ, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Osasco, Passo Fundo, Rio de Janeiro, São José dos Campos) covering the Southeast, South and Northeast regions, and additionally maintains international knowledge-exchange contacts with similar institutions in the United States and Canada. The organization operates without external equity or venture funding, is self-sustaining through service fees and courses, and is led by Director Padre Adalberto Wojciech Mittelstaedt (a Verbite priest and Doctor in Religious Sciences) and Vice-Director Maria Ondina da Silva Peruzzo.

Name

Instituto Acolher

Legal name

Instituto Acolher

Website

https://institutoacolher.org.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Instituto Acolher is a São Paulo-based Brazilian nonprofit founded in 2000 that delivers psychological and spiritual-integration services — psychotherapy, psychodiagnosis, vocational assessment, supervision and training — primarily to Catholic priests, consecrated religious, seminary candidates and their formators across 8 Brazilian cities and online.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Psychotherapy Services: Direct psychological services including individual psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, psychodiagnosis, and neuropsychological evaluation provided to priests, religious, and laypeople. Services offered at multiple physical locations and online.
2. Courses and Training: Short courses and training programs on topics related to the psychology of religious and priestly life, organized for religious superiors, coordinators, formators, and interested parties. Includes both online and in-person formats.
3. Supervision Services: Specialized supervision for psychologists working in the field of religious and priestly formation, providing professional development and guidance.
4. Institutional Consulting: Advisory services for religious institutions including seminaries, congregations, and dioceses on psychological aspects of formation and care.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Instituto Acolher (ITA) is a Brazilian psychological assistance institute that delivers psychotherapy, psychodiagnosis, neuropsychological evaluation, and psycho-spiritual integration services to priests, religious, consecrated persons, seminarians, and laypeople. The institute also provides vocational assessments for candidates to priesthood and religious life, along with courses, advisory services, supervision, and study groups for formators and psychologists working in religious formation. Services are delivered in person across eight Brazilian cities and remotely via online platforms.

Product overview

Instituto Acolher (ITA) is a psychological and spiritual assistance institute offering a unified suite of clinical services focused on the mental health and well-being of religious professionals, priests, and laypeople. The service portfolio comprises ten interconnected offerings: Neuropsychological Assessment (acolhida), Individual Psychotherapy, Psychodiagnosis, Cognitive Stimulation, Spiritual Integration, Group Psychotherapy, Vocational Profile Assessment, Courses and Advisory Services, Supervision for Psychologists, and Study Groups for Formators and Psychologists. These services range from initial intake and assessment through individual and group therapy to specialized training for religious formators, forming a comprehensive care pathway for the consecrated and ecclesiastical community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Neuropsychological Assessment (Avaliação Neuropsicológica)

Named customers5 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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Catholic Church and its organismscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerITA maintains formal relationships with the Catholic Church and its organisms. The institute is autonomous but operates within the framework of Catholic Church relationships, following the ethical codes that govern the activities of psychologists and religious professionals in society. The institute's director is a Catholic priest (Padre Adalberto Wojciech Mittelstaedt).
• CNBB (Conferência Nacional dos Bispos do Brasil)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerITA collaborates with CNBB (National Conference of Bishops of Brazil) in efforts to expand psychological services for consecrated persons and priests in Brazil. The director of ITA, Padre Adalberto Wojciech Mittelstaedt, has indicated the need to work with CNBB and CRB to expand such services.
• CRB (Conferência dos Religiosos do Brasil)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerITA collaborates with CRB (Conference of Religious of Brazil) to develop and expand psychological support services for religious persons and consecrated life in Brazil.
• Conselho Federal de PsicologiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerITA follows the ethical guidelines of the Federal Psychology Council for its psychological services. The institute's website includes a link to the CFP website.
• Conselho Regional de Psicologia SPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerITA follows the ethical guidelines of the Regional Psychology Council of São Paulo for its psychological services. The institute's website includes a link to the CRPSP website.
• International Institutions (USA and Canada)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerITA maintains contact with similar institutions in the United States and Canada, exchanging experiences and enriching its practice through international cooperation in the field of psychology and religious life.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Southdown Institute: Canadian residential and outpatient treatment center serving Catholic clergy and religious with psychological assessment and therapy — comparable to ITA in its psycho-spiritual integration model and international reference point cited by ITA leadership.
• Saint Luke Institute: US-based mental health provider specializing in psychological and psychiatric care for Catholic clergy and religious, with programs for evaluation, treatment, and ongoing formation support — directly comparable to ITA's mission of providing psychotherapy, psychodiagnosis, and vocational assessment for priests and consecrated persons.
• Saint Raphael Psychological Services: US Catholic-affiliated psychological services practice offering psychotherapy, psychological evaluations, and consultation for clergy, religious, and seminarians — overlapping with ITA's core services (individual/group therapy, psychodiagnosis, vocational profile assessment).

Regional players

• CONFER (Conferência dos Religiosos do Brasil) formation programs: Brazilian Catholic organization coordinating formation for religious life that overlaps with ITA's institutional training and advisory services to congregations and formators, often as a commissioning body.
• NESME (Núcleo de Estudos em Saúde Mental e Psicanálise): Brazilian psychoanalytic study center referenced as a membership affiliation of ITA's vice-director; a Brazilian regional peer operating in adjacent psychoanalytic and mental health professional training territory.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Charities USA: Large US network of Catholic social and human services agencies including counseling; a broad incumbent in faith-based social services that, like ITA, operates under Church-recognized frameworks and serves clergy and laypeople.
• VIRTUS (Protecting God's Children / Praesidium): Catholic Church-affiliated organization providing training and compliance programs for clergy and religious formation — comparable as a Church-aligned professional services provider serving formation houses, though focused on safeguarding rather than mental health.

Others

• Fazenda da Esperança: Brazilian Catholic community referenced as a prior affiliation of ITA's director; not a direct competitor but a related faith-based organization in the same Catholic ecosystem that contributes to referral and formation pipelines.

Emerging players

• Istituto di Psicologia della Religione (Catholic University of the Sacred Heart / LUMSA): Italian academic centers researching and applying the psychology of religion, with adjacent training activities for clergy and religious — comparable to ITA in combining psychological practice with Catholic vocational discernment.
• Centro de Psicologia da Religião (PUC-SP / PUC-Rio): University-based research and practice centers in Brazil studying the psychology of religion — overlapping with ITA's domain in religion-psychology integration but operating through academic rather than clinical channels.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/institutoacolher.ita
• Instagraminstagram.com/ita_instituto_acolher
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/instituto-acolher

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Instituto Acolher