About Nathalie
Hi, I’m Nathalie Himmelrich.
I’m looking forward to meeting you online or live!
As a holistic grief and trauma counsellor and coach
from Zurich, Switzerland,
I support individuals worldwide navigating the profound challenges of life, death, and everything in between.
My work is rooted in compassion, guiding people through grief and trauma with empathy and understanding.
I’m also an author of multiple grief resource books and the founder of the Grieving Parents Support Network, dedicated to providing comfort, connection, and hope to those who have experienced loss.
Who I work with
- Bereaved individuals, parents & families
- Individuals facing sudden or traumatic loss
- Partners navigating grief together
- Professionals seeking trauma-informed training
Ready to work with me? I offer individual coaching and counselling sessions online or in Zurich. Explore my counselling services or view my coaching offerings here →
Nathalie Himmelrich’s Journey to Becoming a Grief and Trauma Counsellor
Nathalie Himmelrich is a dedicated writer, holistic counsellor, coach, mother, and advocate for healing. Specialising in relationships, grief, and trauma, she is committed to helping individuals find hope and resilience in the face of loss.
Personal background
Nathalie Himmelrich’s journey through grief began with the heartbreaking loss of her daughter, a profound experience that reshaped her life, followed by the suicide of her mother.
Professional response
With years in private practice, she knew she needed to find support herself. Her story is one of resilience and transformation, demonstrating that healing can emerge from profound sorrow.
What you can expect working with Nathalie
As a grief expert, she utilises her personal experiences to guide others navigating similar paths. Her work is rooted in compassion, guiding people through grief and trauma with empathy and understanding.
Find out about how Nathalie works with clients or read some testimonials.
Core philosophie
She emphasises the importance of embracing vulnerability and acknowledges that healing is not about “getting over” a loss but integrating it into one’s life – her dedication to helping others find strength in their grief.
Nathalie’s guidance through books and podcasts with worldwide reach
Nathalie’s work, through several grief resource books, courses, and her podcast, “How To Deal With Grief and Trauma,” offers solace and practical advice to those in mourning. She continues to inspire and provide hope to countless individuals worldwide, illustrating that even the deepest wounds can be pathways to new beginnings.
Beyond her therapeutic work, she is a sought-after speaker at international conferences and workshops, sharing insights on grief, healing, and the complexities of human connection.
Nathalie’s journey underscores the power of sharing personal narratives, fostering connections that remind others they are not alone.
Curious to know more
Personal Podcast Episodes
“Trauma is not what happened to you,
but what happens within you
as a response to it.”Gabor Maté
Professional Background
Private Practice for Grief and Trauma Counselling
Nathalie has been working in Private Practice since 2004.
Nathalie’s approach is grounded in evidence-based trauma and grief methodologies. Her training combines academic credentials in psychology and education with specialised certifications in trauma and grief work. Here are her core training and qualifications:
Professional Training
- Psychology Masters in Social Science (in Training) (ACAP, Australian College of Applied Psychology, Sydney, Australia)
- ACMC Associate Certified Meta-Coach (Sydney, Australia)
- Grad Dip Psychotherapy (ACAP, Sydney, Australia)
- Bachelor in Education (Zurich, Switzerland)
Certifications
- Certified Sound and Safe Protocol (SSP) and Rest and Restore Protocol (RRP) Provider, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges
- Foundations of Polyvagal Informed Practice Clinical Training Series (Deb Dana, Rhythm of Regulation, USA)
- The Polyvagal Certificate – Safety, Connection, and the Human Experience (Stephen Porges, Deb Dana, et all., Polyvagal Institute, USA)
- NARM – Neuro Affective Relational Model – Developmental Trauma Therapy (Michael Mokrus, Polarity, Zurich, Switzerland)
- SE Trauma Therapy – Somatic Experiencing – Shock & Developmental Trauma Therapy (Urs Honauer, Polarity Bildungszentrum & Zentrum für Innere Oekologie, Zurich, Switzerland)
- Holistic Counselling, A Psychology of Awakening, based on the Lataif System and Essence work (Rafia Morgan and Turiya Hannover, Working With People, Italy)
- Grief Recovery Specialist (Grief Recovery Method, UK)
- Coaching Essentials, Coaching Genius, Associate Certified Meta-Coach (Dr L. Michael Hall, Sydney, Australia)
- Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Practitioner and Master Practitioner Level (Rob Whitewood, Sydney, Australia)
- Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Master Practitioner and Trainer Level (Pip McKay, Sydney, Australia)
- The Journey Method (Brandon Bays and Kevin Billett, Journey Australasia)
Further Education
- The Tuning Board Advanced Training: Vertigo, Neuroception and Balance (Darrel Sanchez, Polarity, Zurich, Switzerland)
- The Tuning Board Advanced Training: The Pelvis and the Centre of Our Embodiment (Darrel Sanchez, Polarity, Zurich, Switzerland)
- The Tuning Board, Basics (Darrel Sanchez, Polarity, Zurich, Switzerland)
- Healing Collective Grief and Trauma (Dr Peter Levine and Thomas Hübl, Polarity, Zurich, Switzerland)
- Schema Therapy and Couples Dynamic (Ambauen Psychology, Stans, Switzerland)
- Deb Dana’s Advanced Master Class Retreat Series (Deb Dana, Rhythm of Regulation, USA, Potsdam, Germany, Sitges, Spain)
- Replacing Stockholm Syndrome with a New Framework of Appeasement (Stephen Porges, Polyvagal Institute, USA)
- Attachment, Contact, and Identity (Michael Mokrus, Polarity, Zurich, Switzerland)
- Professional Grief Accompaniment for Families with Early Child Loss During Pregnancy, Pre and Postnatally (Franziska Maurer, kindsverlust.ch, Bern, Switzerland)
- Attachment and Relationship (Rafia Morgan and Turiya Hannover, Italy)
- Male and Female Dynamics, Inner Man & Inner Woman (Rafia Morgan and Turiya Hannover, Croatia)
- Essence Work, Lataif (Rafia Morgan and Turiya Hannover, Italy)
- Path of Love (Rafia Morgan and Turiya Hannover, UK)
- Support for Family Survivors of Suicide Victims (Verein Refugium, Zurich, Switzerland)
- ASIST Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (Living Works, Sydney, Australia)
- Enneagram (Brandon Bays and Kevin Billett, Australia)
- Family Constellation (Australia and Switzerland)
- Focusing (Eugene Gendlin, Sydney, Australia)
- Touch for Health – Kinesiology (Nature Care College, Sydney, Australia)
- Transaction Analysis, Gestalt Therapy, Creative Interventions in Psychotherapy, Sandplay (Sydney, Australia)
- Grief and Loss Specialisation (ACAP, Sydney, Australia)
- Family and Relationship Training (John Gottman, Australia)
- Voice Dialogue (Hal and Sidra Stone, Australia)
- Quadritiny Process (Volker Krohn, Melbourne, Australia)
Publications
Books
- Bridging the Grief Gap: Building a Bridge of Understanding Between the Bereaved and Their Support Network, 2021
- Das erste Jahr nach dem Verlust eines Kindes überleben: Persönliche Geschichten von trauernden Eltern, 2018
- Surviving My First Year of Child Loss: Personal Stories from Grieving Parents, 2017
- May We All Heal: Creative Healing After Loss, 2016
- Trauernde Eltern: Wie ein Paar den Verlust eines Kindes überlebt, 2015
- Grieving Parents: Surviving Loss as a Couple, 2014
Articles
- Ezine Articles – various articles written by Nathalie Himmelrich
- Still Standing Magazine – various articles written by Nathalie Himmelrich
Newspaper Articles
- Nach Kindstod: Zwischen Freude und Trauer – Interview with Nathalie Himmelrich, Migros Magazin (in German)
- Sie hält Erinnerung an die Sternenkinder wach – Interview with Nathalie Himmelrich, Zürichsee Zeitung (in German)
- Mutter-los – Interview with Nathalie Himmelrich, Erlenbacher Dorfbott, Seite 3 (in German)
Media Appearances
Zwischen Freude und Trauer – TV Interview with Nathalie Himmelrich Talk Täglich, Tele Züri (in German)
Languages
- Swiss German and German – native speaker
- English – native speaker
- French – conversational
- Italian – conversational
- Spanish – conversational