Seelsorge

What Seelsorge does

Seelsorge & Begegnung im Stadtdekanat Köln is a non-profit pastoral care and community-encounter organization operating under the Catholic Stadtdekanat Köln (City Deanery of Cologne). Founded in 2009 and headquartered at Auguststraße 58, 50733 Köln, the organization provides spiritual accompaniment and community-based programs for people with psychiatric experience, as well as interfaith dialogue and bereavement support. Its core service offerings are delivered through recurring group programs including a creative writing workshop (Schreibwerkstatt), a painting group (Malgruppe), trauma-sensitive yoga, Biodanza, a women's group (Frauenspuren), a grief group (Trauergruppe), meditative dance, and psalm contemplation. The organization also co-leads the Garten der Religionen interfaith initiative in partnership with IN VIA Köln and collaborates with Alexianer, a major Catholic psychiatric care provider, with personnel such as Judith Bacher transitioning from Alexianer to lead the Seelsorge work.

The organization's output is delivered as in-person programming supplemented by media products (CDs titled Seelenlandschaften and Inseln, and published books). There is no digital platform, mobile application, or software product underpinning the service. The business model is non-commercial: all pastoral services are offered free of charge, with operations funded through the parent church entity Stadtdekanat Köln and modest voluntary contributions tied to media sales. With 22 employees, the organization operates as a small specialized unit within the Cologne Catholic deanery rather than as an independent enterprise, and it has no disclosed funding rounds, revenue figures, or M&A activity.

Name

Seelsorge

Legal name

Seelsorge & Begegnung im Stadtdekanat Köln

Website

https://seelsorge-und-begegnung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Seelsorge & Begegnung is a Catholic non-profit in Cologne providing free pastoral care and community programs for people with psychiatric experience, along with interfaith dialogue, bereavement support, and creative workshops, funded by Stadtdekanat Köln.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pastoral Care Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Healthcare Ministries (Hospitals, Clinics, Medical Missions) (BPAGAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Meditation Retreats, Workshops & Immersive Programs (HSADAJAF), Spirituality & Personal Growth Publishing (Mindfulness, Contemplative, New Age) (MPAJAHAH)

Keywords

• Pastoral care services
• Psychiatric spiritual support
• Community grief counseling
• Creative arts therapy
• Parish ministry programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Seelsorge & Begegnung im Stadtdekanat Köln operates Catholic-affiliated pastoral care programs for people with psychiatric experience in Köln, offering creative-arts therapy groups (writing, painting, yoga, dance, psalm contemplation), grief and women's support circles, and a small independent publishing line producing poetry and reflection books generated by group participants and pastoral staff.

Product overview

Seelsorge & Begegnung is a spiritual support service for people with psychiatric experience, offering a portfolio of programs including creative writing workshops (Schreibwerkstatt), painting groups, trauma-sensitive yoga, Biodanza dance therapy, women's groups (Frauenspuren), grief support (Trauergruppe), meditative dancing, and psalm contemplation. The organization also produces publications including CDs (Seelenlandschaften, Inseln) and books. Core activities center on spiritual accompaniment, community building, and ecumenical conversation about spirituality in psychiatric contexts. Programs run regularly throughout the year at their location in Cologne.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Creative Writing Workshops (Kreatives Schreiben) Group-based creative writing program for people with psychiatric experience, producing written works that have been published as books.
• Painting Groups (Malgruppen) Therapeutic art/painting group sessions offered as part of the pastoral care portfolio for participants with psychiatric experience.
• Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Body-based group practice adapted for trauma sensitivity, delivered within the Seelsorge & Begegnung program portfolio.
• Biodanza Dance Therapy Group dance/movement therapy sessions (Biodanza) offered as part of the creative-arts pastoral program.
• Women's Groups (Frauengruppen) Women-specific pastoral support and community group meetings hosted by Seelsorge & Begegnung.
• Grief Support (Trauerbegleitung) Bereavement accompaniment group offering pastoral grief support for individuals in the Köln deanery.
• Meditative Dancing (Meditatives Tanzen) Contemplative dance/movement group combining spiritual practice with group movement.
• Psalm Contemplation (Psalmen-Betrachtung) Scripture-based contemplative prayer group focused on the Psalms, offered within the pastoral care portfolio.
• Published Poetry and Reflection Books Books of poetry and spiritual reflections authored by group participants and pastoral staff, published by Seelsorge & Begegnung as a tangible output of the writing programs.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• IN VIA (Interreligiöser Dialog)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIN VIA operates the Garten der Religionen (Garden of Religions) at Stolzestraße 1a in Köln, a 1,750 sqm interfaith space with ten stations. Since 2001, this site has provided a venue for Seelsorge & Begegnung to conduct interfaith encounter events, promoting appreciation of all religions and mutual understanding.
• AlexianerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormer team member Judith Bacher transitioned her work focus to Seelsorgerin (chaplain) at the Alexianer, indicating an ongoing relationship between Seelsorge & Begegnung and the Alexianer network of Catholic healthcare providers in the Cologne region.
• Kölner Gebärdenchor St. GeorgminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPerforming arts group that provided musical accompaniment at the Herbstfest (Autumn Festival) 2025 event at Seelsorge & Begegnung, under the direction of Dr. Juliane Mergenbaum. Musician Peter Worms also performed.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Telefonseelsorge Deutschland: Church-funded 24/7 crisis helpline offering pastoral care and psychosocial support across Germany; comparable because it provides free, faith-anchored emotional and existential support to people in mental-health crises, including those with psychiatric experience.
• Stiftung Seelsorge (Evangelische Stiftung): Protestant foundations dedicated to pastoral-care work; comparable as faith-based institutions offering structured pastoral and spiritual accompaniment, including in psychiatric and crisis contexts.

Broad incumbents

• Malteser Deutschland: Catholic-affiliated aid organization offering social, pastoral, and healthcare services across Germany; comparable for its faith-based delivery of psychosocial and community support to vulnerable groups.
• Diakonie Köln und Region: Protestant social welfare organization providing counselling, psychiatric support, and community programmes in the Cologne region; comparable because it is the Protestant counterpart to Catholic pastoral and psychosocial services for vulnerable people.
• Caritasverband für die Stadt Köln: Catholic social services organization for Cologne; comparable as a parallel Catholic-affiliated nonprofit offering psychosocial counselling, crisis support, and community services to vulnerable populations including people with mental illness.
• Alexianer GmbH: Large Catholic healthcare and social services network operating hospitals, psychiatric clinics, and care facilities across Germany; comparable because it is a Catholic-affiliated organization delivering mental-health and pastoral-care services to people with psychiatric experience in the same region.

Emerging players

• Irre menschlich Hamburg e.V. German nonprofit advocating for and supporting people with mental illness through education, encounter, and anti-stigma work; comparable because it serves the same target group (psychiatric experience) through community-based, non-clinical programming.
• Ex-In (Genesungsbegleiter) Deutschland: Network training and certifying peer support workers with lived experience of mental illness across Germany; comparable for its focus on empowering people with psychiatric experience through structured peer and community programmes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seelsorge

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Seelsorge