Clinical music therapy specializing in the support of pregnancy and/or baby loss, infertility, and involuntary childlessness
I support adults experiencing perinatal loss, infertility, and/or involuntary childlessness, offering a safe space to express and symbolize their lived experience at their own pace.
Other types of grief and loss can also be supported — see my Services section.
When a loss related to parenthood is experienced, it can be difficult to find a space to speak freely about the experience – especially when those around us, or the professional environment, don't always know how to hold that reality.
Music therapy offers a safe space where you can express yourself at your own pace, with or without words.
The support may include musical exploration, guided writing, or the creation of a song or symbolic work – a way to honour your baby's place in your life, give form to the experience, and create a trace or memory when these are sometimes absent.
No musical experience required.
The approach adapts to each person's space, needs and capacities.
This support can be particularly helpful for people experiencing :
I support parents who have experienced a perinatal loss – miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death, termination of pregnancy, infertility, or the loss of a parental project. Sessions are offered individually or as a couple, online, in English and in French, anywhere in Canada.
Music therapy can also support people experiencing other types of significant grief or loss. This service is offered in person, in English and in French, to clients in the Laurentians (Quebec). Please feel free to contact me to explore whether your situation could be supported within my practice.
Do you represent an organization, a residence, an association or a group in the Laurentians? I invite you to contact me to discuss how music therapy could meet the needs of your clients – in French or in English.
If you support people who are grieving and wish to explore whether music therapy could complement your approach, I invite you to reach out. An informal conversation can often quickly clarify whether a referral would be appropriate for your client.
I am available to answer your questions by email or a brief no-cost phone call.
A first exchange allows us to clarify the nature of your approach and verify whether this support is a good fit for your needs.
You are welcome to contact me by email with any questions, to schedule a first appointment, or to explore whether your situation can be supported within my practice.
A brief no-cost phone call can also be arranged, if needed, to connect before beginning the process.
Nathalie Maillard is a certified music therapist (MA, MTA), holding a Bachelor's degree in Psychology (UQAM), a Bachelor's degree in Music (Université de Montréal), and a Master's degree in Music Therapy (Concordia University). Her master's thesis focused on therapeutic songwriting with individuals who had experienced pregnancy loss. Her clinical practice favours a trauma-sensitive approach, respectful of each person's pace and open to forms of expression that sometimes go beyond words.
She contributed to the establishment of the first music therapy service for parents experiencing perinatal bereavement at Santé Québec Laurentides (information sheet, in French), where she continues to serve this population within the public healthcare system.
In private practice, she also offers individual sessions – both in person and online – as well as music therapy programs for community groups, including family caregivers.
"Music therapy is a discipline in which certified music therapists use music within the therapeutic relationship to support development, health and well being. Music therapists use music in a safe and ethical manner to address human needs on the cognitive, musical, physical, social, communicational and spiritual levels. Music therapy results from the interaction between the client, the music and the music therapist."
-Association Québécoise de Musicothérapie
To learn more about the profession :
I am a member in good standing of both professional associations.
Music therapy belongs to the family of creative arts therapies - therapeutic approaches that use artistic expression to support health and well-being.
It does not constitute an act of psychotherapy under Quebec legislation.
Personal information shared by email or during initial contact is treated confidentially and used solely for professional communications related to the services offered.
No personal information is shared without the consent of the individual concerned, except as required by law.
For any questions regarding the handling of personal information, please contact:
Nathalie Maillard, MA, MTA
Certified Music Therapist
Certain musical works address the realities of perinatal bereavement with sensitivity. This listening list is offered as a complementary resource for those who wish to find, through music, an echo of their experience.
This list is offered as a resource and does not replace professional support.
