13 Facts About Nic Waal

Nic Waal grew up in the section of Oslo known as Homansbyen, apparently an active and curious child, but unusually sensitive.

Nic Waal attended the University of Oslo, became politically active as a radical socialist, and finished her medical studies in 1930.

Nic Waal continued her psychoanalysis in Berlin as a student under Salomea Kempner, and in 1933 and 1934 she was accepted in the German and Danish-Norwegian Psychoanalytic associations, respectively.

In 1936, Sigurd Hoel and she divorced, and in 1937 she married Wessel Nic Waal and took the last name Nic Waal for good.

Nic Waal continued her training first under another refugee from the Nazi regime, the Austrian Otto Fenichel, and then with Reich until 1939, when she opened her own psychoanalytic practice and joined the staff at Gaustad psychiatric hospital, where she remained on staff until 1947.

Nic Waal was a key figure in the successful evacuation of children from the Jewish children from Oslo when it became known that they were about to be deportation to Auschwitz concentration camp.

The children were carried on the floor of Nick's car - first the younger ones, then Waal went back for the older ones.

Nic Waal remained on the staff at Gaustad and at Ulleval hospital, but worked in Denmark, United States, Switzerland, and France, with Serge Lebovici.

Nic Waal was remembered by Cyrille Koupernik as "that Norwegian madwoman".

Nic Waal remained professionally active as the director of her institute until her death in 1960, finding time to help juvenile offenders.

Nic Waal had two children with Wessel Waal, the psychiatrist Helge Waal and the child psychologist Berit Waal Skaslien.

Nic Waal divorced Waal and married Alex Helju in 1951, who died in a boating accident in 1954.

In spite of her personal problems, Nic Waal maintained an active and passionate professional life, integrating advocacy on public health issues, a strong interest in teaching, and clinical discipline into a broad range of issues in her field.