Our Teams

OUR MANAGEMENT

STEFANIE HÜNDGEN

CEO

Stefanie Hündgen was convinced of the clinic's treatment concept from the very beginning and was touched by its special spirit.

‘I am impressed by the life's work of clinic founder Dr. Erich von Weckbecker and very grateful for what this passionate doctor has left us: A timeless concept that, in its holistic nature, offers the ideal support for our physical and mental well-being. Together with this particularly warm, familiar Weckbecker spirit, which can be felt at all times among the staff and in our dealings with guests, this clinic is a real treasure! I see it as my great task to preserve this and develop it further in line with modern healthcare needs. Because people here should be able to experience how much healthier and happier their lives can be in the future too.’

ELLEN MORPER

DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR, HEAD OF ADMINISTRATION

SANDY BENEDICT

DEPUTY CLINIC DIRECTOR

OUR DOCTORS

DR. MED. YVONNE HÖFER

CHIEF PHYSICIAN

Specialist in general medicine, naturopathy, nutritional medicine, fasting doctor, further training in specialised psychotherapy.

Early on in her medical career, Dr. Yvonne Höfer recognised her passion for holistic approaches to health and the crucial role of nutrition in the treatment of chronic illnesses. As a representative of integrative medicine, Dr. Höfer believes that the main goal is to treat the cause of illness: ‘Civilisation diseases are on the rise and require interdisciplinary therapeutic approaches that address the cause. Nutritional and fasting therapy offers an effective treatment option here.’ At the Malteser Klinik von Weckbecker, she wants to work with the entire team to offer patients the best possible care and support on their path to sustainable health.

TO THE INTERVIEW

ADA VON KETTELER

REPRESENTATIVE MEDICAL DIRECTOR, SENIOR PHYSICIAN

General practitioner, F.X. Mayr doctor

For Ada von Ketteler, diet and exercise are the cornerstones of health in general - including the treatment of many chronic illnesses. Above all, the general practitioner wants to help people to help themselves and motivate them to take responsibility for their own health.

‘What fascinates me about Weckbecker's concept is the holistic view of the person with therapeutic fasting as the basis. In this way, we show patients a way to a healthier lifestyle,’ says Mrs von Ketteler. Methods according to F.X. Mayr methods, such as chewing training, can, in her view, be optimally combined with therapeutic fasting according to Weckbecker.

DR. MED. JOACHIM WERNICKE

Doctor of internal medicine, gastroenterology, naturopathy, homeopathy (with diploma), chirotherapy, environmental medicine and emergency medicine; recommended as a doctor by FOCUS magazine in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Dr. Joachim Wernicke made the decision to become a doctor at the age of 10 after an accident with a near-death experience. As a young doctor, a serious illness led him to naturopathy and homeopathy. In line with his guiding principle of ‘living love and alleviating suffering’, personal attention to patients is of great importance to him.

‘Identiﬁcation with the patient is important in order to be able to objectively interpret subjective complaints,’ says Dr. Wernicke. The effects of mental experience on the body should not be forgotten. Joachim Wernicke's aim is to continue the legacy of Dr. Erich von Weckbecker and preserve the spirit of the clinic.

DR. MED. MARTHA WELCHAR

Doctor specialising in internal and geriatric medicine

For Dr. Martha Welchar, the mental and spiritual aspect is an element of holistic treatment. It is important to her to see and treat the patient as a whole.

‘In our fast-moving times, the spiritual aspect is often neglected in the context of medical care; however, it can be important for promoting one's own resilience - in line with Weckbecker's tradition of the four-pillar concept,’ says Welchar. ‘This is a key factor, especially in the treatment of today's widespread complaints caused by stress.’

Dr. Welchar believes that close cooperation between doctors, therapists and nutrition experts is the only way to provide patients with comprehensive care.

OUR MEDICAL CENTER

ISABELL JANKE

HEAD OF DEPARTMENT

OUR THERAPISTS AND PERSONAL TRAINERS

JASMIN SCHERNER

TEAM LEADER SPORTS THERAPY

OUR KNEIPP & COLON THERAPISTS

EVELYN SCHNEIDER

TEAM LEADER

OUR NUTRITIONAL THERAPISTS

DIPL. OEC. TROPH. ANDREA CHIAPPA

HEAD OF NUTRITION

Andrea Chiappa is a qualified ecotrophologist and medically certified fasting instructor (dfa - German Fasting Academy) and has been Head of Nutrition at the clinic since March 2022. He previously worked as a nutritional therapist, lecturer and teacher for numerous fasting and health facilities.

‘Fasting and switching to an alkaline, vegetable-oriented diet creates the conditions in the body for the therapies and naturopathic applications of the clinic programmes to take full effect,’ says Andrea Chiappa, a qualified ecotrophologist and Head of Nutrition. To ensure a lasting eﬀect, the nutritional therapists use educational kitchens, one-to-one discussions, lectures and shopping training sessions to teach people how to adopt a healthier diet in everyday life in the long term. Together with the kitchen and service, the team aims to show that enjoyment and healthy eating are not a contradiction in terms.

MARIA KNÜTTEL

HEAD OF DEPARTMENT

OUR CHEFS

MARK DECKER

CHEF

TIMOTHÉE KAISER

REPRESENTATIVE KITCHEN MANAGER

OUR SERVICE TEAM

PEGGY GREWEN

HEAD OF DEPARTMENT

OUR PASTORAL CARE & PSYCHOLOGY TEAM

ANNE HARTMANN

HEAD OF DEPARTMENT

Anne Hartmann has been working for Malteser International since 2006, initially as a chaplain in an acute hospital and since 2012 as head of the chaplaincy and psychology department at the Malteser Klinik von Weckbecker.

She has a degree in Catholic theology and is training as an analytical psychologist according to C.G. Jung. Her work in our clinic focuses on individual counselling, mindfulness courses, the organisation of lunchtime prayers and meditations as well as group activities with creative elements (literary texts, free painting, imagination, musical elements, experiencing nature).

‘I value the opportunities for experience and inner development that open up to our patients during their stay. The distance from everyday life and the experience of attentive interaction with one's own body enables inner reflection on one's own life situation and history.
I see it as my task to accompany and support the thoughts, feelings, doubts, questions and new beginnings that arise in this way.’

SILKE SOLF

Silke Solf is a non-medical practitioner for psychotherapy and has completed training as a trauma-centred counsellor and trauma educator at the ‘Fachinstitut für Psychotraumatologie’. She is currently undergoing psychotherapeutic training in systemic work with personality traits with Prof Dr. T. Holmes.

As an integrative grief therapist, she worked for 11 years in the pastoral and psychosocial care of the dying and their relatives. Silke Solf has been working at the Malteser Klinik von Weckbecker since July 2019. Her work focuses on individual counselling, organising lunchtime prayers and meditations as well as group discussions and activities on various topics.

‘The core elements of my work are therapeutic work with questions of life and meaning as well as dealing with loss. A stay at our clinic offers patients a wonderful opportunity to get back in touch with their soul and thereby find access to their own sources of inner strength and self-love. My aim is to pass on inspiration and suggestions to develop a gentle, friendly connection with oneself and to let go of limiting belief patterns.’

SIMONE LIEGAU

Simone Liegau is a non-medical practitioner for psychotherapy and is training in client-centred talk therapy according to C. Rogers. She is a music geragogue and has completed training as a psychotherapeutic aroma practitioner.

Simone Liegau has been working at the Malteser Klinik von Weckbecker since April 2023. Her work focuses on individual counselling, organising lunchtime prayers and offering group sessions on various topics (e.g. meditation, healing singing).

‘I want to support our patients in getting to know themselves better, leaving stressful life events and crises behind them and emerging from them stronger, taking personal responsibility and finding a path to a self-determined and meaningful life. It is important to me to treat our patients with absolute respect and empathy. And to convey to them that they can be there with everything that is.’