What IEF does

IEF (Institut für systemische Entwicklung und Fortbildung) is a Swiss registered association (Verein) headquartered at Schulhausstrasse 64, Zürich, operating since 1967 in the field of systemic therapy education. It functions as a professional education institute delivering postgraduate training, continuing education, workshops, conferences, and personal advisory services to mental-health and human-services professionals across German-speaking Switzerland. Its core customer segments are licensed psychologists, psychotherapists, physicians, social workers, mediators, legal professionals, educators, and pastoral counselors — all seeking accredited or competency-enhancing training in systemic approaches.

The technical/methodological core is a proprietary integration of systemic therapy with hypno-systemic methods (notably Marte Meo video-based interaction analysis developed by Maria Aarts), supplemented by structural family therapy, multi-family therapy, integrative systemic trauma therapy (combining hypno-systemic methods, EMDR techniques, inner parts work, and bilateral stimulation), social-pedagogical family accompaniment, and mediation/conflict-culture frameworks. Programs are organized into six Fachbereiche (specializations): Systemische Psychotherapie, Hypnosystemisch!, Systemisch vertieft, Mediation und Konfliktkultur, Elterncoaching, and Marte Meo, plus tiered formats spanning entry-level offerings (Einstiegsangebote), short courses (Kurzangebote), multi-year postgraduate Weiterbildungen, and conferences (Tagungen). The postgraduate program is accredited by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) and additionally holds EduQua quality certification, both functioning as regulatory and quality moats.

IEF's business model is tuition-based professional services revenue: multi-year postgraduate programs billed per module or semester, supplemented by per-event short courses, workshops, Impulsabende, webinars, conferences (e.g., the 'Kraftwerk Familie' conference), personal consultation fees, and optional in-house/institutional training. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is single-channel-direct from the Zürich campus plus online webinar delivery, targeted domestically to German-speaking Switzerland. Go-to-market relies on the institute's magazine 'Impulse,' in-person info evenings, personal consultations, organic search, and the reputation of its 70+ instructors (which includes internationally recognized figures such as Maria Aarts and Prof. Eia Asen). Ownership is an independent registered association with no parent company, no external investors, and no disclosed funding rounds.

Name

IEF

Legal name

IEF Institut für systemische Entwicklung und Fortbildung

Website

https://ief-zh.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Short description

IEF is a Swiss non-profit education association headquartered in Zürich that delivers accredited postgraduate training, continuing education, workshops, and conferences in systemic psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, mediation, and parent coaching to mental-health and human-services professionals across German-speaking Switzerland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Training Programs: Revenue generated from postgraduate training programs in systemic psychotherapy, including foundational courses and advanced certifications that are accredited by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (BAG). Programs span multiple years with tuition fees per module or semester.
2. Continuing Education Courses: Shorter-format workshops, seminars, and impulse evenings (Impulsabende) offered to mental health professionals for skill development and continuing education credits.
3. Specialized Workshops: Focused training offerings on specific topics such as trauma therapy, parent coaching, mediation, and high sensitivity, delivered as multi-day intensives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IEF provides postgraduate training and continuing education programs in systemic psychotherapy, counseling, coaching, mediation, and related fields for mental health and helping professionals. Its flagship offering is the BAG-accredited "Systemische Psychotherapie" postgraduate program, complemented by specialization tracks in hypnosystemic methods, Marte Meo, parent coaching, mediation, supervision, and trauma therapy, delivered through in-person seminars, webinars, and short-format courses.

Product overview

IEF (Institut für systemische Entwicklung und Fortbildung) is a Swiss educational institute offering a comprehensive portfolio of professional training programs in systemic approaches. The core offering includes the BAG-accredited postgraduate program 'Systemische Psychotherapie' along with specialized tracks in Hypnosystemisch!, Systemisch vertieft, and supervision training. These are complemented by dedicated programs in Mediation und Konfliktkultur, Elterncoaching, and Marte Meo methodology. The institute provides programs at various levels: entry-level offerings (Einstiegsangebote) for newcomers, short formats (Kurzangebote) like impulse evenings and workshops, full training programs, and conferences (Tagungen). Additional services include personal consultation, information evenings, and the 'Impulse' magazine. IEF positions itself as the oldest and leading systemic institute in Switzerland, combining hypnotherapeutic roots with modern systemic therapy approaches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Systemische Psychotherapie BAG-accredited postgraduate training program in systemic psychotherapy covering therapeutic approaches for children, adolescents, and adults. The flagship program qualifies graduates to practice as federally recognized psychotherapists in Switzerland.
• Hypnosystemisch! Specialization program integrating hypnotherapy with systemic therapy approaches, focusing on trance states, solution-oriented techniques, and therapeutic metaphors for trauma and psychological disorders.
• Systemisch vertieft Advanced deepening program for systemic practitioners seeking to expand their therapeutic repertoire and personal style beyond foundational training.
• Mediation und Konfliktkultur Training program in mediation and conflict culture, including specialized tracks for mediation in youth criminal proceedings (Fachstelle für Mediation im Jugendstrafverfahren).
• Elterncoaching Training program for parent coaching covering family dynamics, communication strategies, and resource-oriented approaches to supporting parents.
• Marte Meo Video-based counseling method developed by Maria Aarts for analyzing and supporting developmentally appropriate interaction in families, with focus on micro-interactions in child development.
• Sozialpädagogische Familienbegleitung Nine-day training program for social-pedagogical family accompaniment, providing low-threshold, high-quality support for families in crisis situations.
• Weiterbildung Systemische Supervision Supervision training for professionals seeking to guide and mentor other practitioners in systemic approaches.
• Tagungen (Conferences) Professional conferences and events such as the Kraftwerk Familie conference offering interdisciplinary exchange and networking for family professionals. The Kraftwerk Familie conference held May 8-9, 2026 attracted 120 participants.

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Netzwerk Psychotherapie Ukraine-SchweizminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2022IEF supports the Psychotherapy Network Ukraine-Switzerland, which maintains contacts with psychotherapists in Lviv and surrounding areas. IEF provides financial support to a clinic treating traumatized individuals with addiction, donates generators and power banks for clinic operations, invites Ukrainian psychotherapists to Zürich for professional exchange and recuperation, and offers online seminars for professional support. This is a charitable humanitarian initiative rather than a commercial partnership.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Helm-Stierlin-Institut: Heidelberg-based institute for systemic family therapy training founded by the Stierlin family. Offers postgraduate Weiterbildung programs in systemic therapy, making it a close comparable to IEF in both methodology and target learner profile.
• IGST Hamburg (Institut für Gestalttherapie, Systemische Therapie und Beratung): Hamburg-based institute providing postgraduate training in systemic therapy, counseling, and supervision. Direct competitor in the DACH postgraduate systemic-therapy Weiterbildung market with overlapping instructor networks.
• ifs Essen (Institut für Systemische Therapie, Coaching und Pädagogik): German postgraduate training institute for systemic therapy, coaching, and pedagogy with a similar multi-year curriculum structure and continuing-education accreditation model to IEF.
• M.E.G. (Milton Erickson Gesellschaft): Tübingen-based German society for hypnotherapy and Ericksonian approaches, providing certified training that overlaps directly with IEF's Hypnosystemisch! and integrative trauma therapy offerings.
• ZIST (Zentrum für Integrative Therapie und Systemische Therapie): Penzberg-based institute offering training in psychotherapy and systemic therapy methods, serving a similar postgraduate professional learner profile in the DACH region.
• Wieslocher Institut für Systemische Lösungen: Wiesloch-based systemic solutions institute offering postgraduate training and coaching certifications, comparable to IEF in its focus on applied systemic approaches for working professionals.
• Institut für Familientherapie Weinheim: German institute specializing in family therapy training, with postgraduate Weiterbildung programs that overlap with IEF's Familienbegleitung and family counseling curriculum.
• ifs Berlin (Institut für Systemische Therapie): Berlin-based systemic therapy and coaching training institute with multi-year postgraduate programs and instructor pools directly comparable to IEF's offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Hochschule für Systemische Beratung und Therapie: Trier-based higher-education institution offering degree-bearing systemic therapy programs. Broader scope than IEF (Bachelor/Master), but serves a similar postgraduate learner market in the DACH region.

Regional players

• systemis.ch: Swiss-German platform and network for systemic practice that lists training providers and conferences, representing a regional (Swiss) adjacency to IEF's professional community and a potential ecosystem partner or competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 IEF