Grief Counseling in NYC
Life after loss can feel like learning how to live in a world that has changed.
When someone important to you dies, you don't simply lose the person. You may lose routines, roles, plans, a sense of security, or a future you assumed you'd share.
Grief counseling gives you a place to make sense of what's changed, experience your loss without judgment, and gradually discover what moving forward can look like for you.
There isn't a correct way to grieve, and there isn't a timeline you need to follow.
Grief Doesn't Always Look the Way You Expect It To
You may be deeply sad. But grief can also leave you feeling angry, numb, distracted, anxious, guilty, relieved, or simply unlike yourself.
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You may find that:
You keep reaching for the person who isn't there.
A thought occurs to you, something happens during your day, and for a split second, you still think you can call them.
Everyone else seems to be moving on.
The calls and check-ins have slowed down, but your life still feels profoundly different.
Your feelings are more complicated than sadness.
There may be anger about how the person died. Guilt about what you did or didn't say. Relief after a long illness. Resentment. Regret. Even moments of happiness followed by guilt for feeling okay.
Sometimes You're Grieving More Than The Person You Lost
Loss has a way of touching parts of life you may not have expected.
The death of a spouse can leave you wondering what life looks like on your own. Losing a parent can change your sense of family, identity, and where you fit in the world.
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And when a relationship was complicated—or you've spent years caring for someone who was ill—grief can hold emotions that seem contradictory: sadness, anger, exhaustion, guilt, even relief.
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Those feelings don't mean you're grieving incorrectly. They may mean your relationship and your loss are uniquely yours.
What Grief Counseling Can Look Like
The goal of grief counseling isn't to forget the person you loved, force yourself toward acceptance, or return to exactly who you were before the loss.
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Some losses change us. Therapy can give you space to understand what has changed, make room for whatever you're feeling, and find a way to carry it that leaves room for the rest of your life, too.
A place where you don't have to protect anyone else.
Family and friends may be grieving too, or you may worry that you're burdening them. Therapy gives you a space where your experience can be the focus.
Room for complicated feelings.
Love and anger can coexist. So can sadness and relief. There is space to explore whatever you're feeling without deciding whether you "should" feel it.
Understanding what the loss has changed.
We can look beyond the immediate pain to explore questions of identity, relationships, purpose, and what this loss means for the life ahead of you.
Moving forward without leaving someone behind.
Healing doesn't require severing your connection to the person you lost. Together, we can explore how that relationship can remain part of your life while you begin engaging more fully with the life that's still yours.
WHY Robert Bakst, LCSW
Experienced Grief Counseling in NYC
For more than 30 years, I've helped people navigate bereavement, grief, and the life changes that often come with them.
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My psychoanalytic training shapes a thoughtful, collaborative approach to grief counseling that makes room for the full complexity of your experience rather than trying to fit your grief into a predetermined process.
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I provide virtual grief counseling for clients throughout New York, including NYC, and Florida.
I was recommended his services after losing a family member and needed someone to work through my loss experience. In my experience interacting with Robert, I found him to be an intelligent, insightful, empathic professional.
Billie S.
I can't thank Robert enough. After a couple sessions I was really looking forward to Future ones. Kind, understanding and makes you feel comfortable talking to him. Highly recommend.
Roy C
Mr. Bakst was easy to talk to and very understanding. Always made me feel like he cared, was attentive, and helped me open up (something I did not think I would be able to do).
Kyle M.
FAQ About Grief Counseling
There is no wrong time. Many people reach out when grief feels stuck, when it is affecting work, sleep or relationships, or when they feel they have to hide what they are going through from the people around them. You do not need to wait until you are in crisis.
When should I see a grief therapist?
Grief counseling gives you a place to talk openly about the person you lost and everything you are feeling, including anger, guilt, numbness or relief. Together we look at what the loss has changed in your life, your relationships and your sense of who you are, at a pace that feels right to you.
What happens in grief counseling?
Complicated grief is grief that stays intense and disruptive for a long time, often a year or more after a loss, and makes it hard to function or reconnect with life. It is more likely after a sudden or traumatic death, or when the relationship itself was complicated. Therapy can help you work through what is keeping the grief from easing.
What is complicated grief?
Anticipatory grief is the grief that begins before a loss, such as when someone you love is seriously ill or declining. It is common for caregivers and can bring sadness, exhaustion, guilt and even relief, all at once. Therapy offers support during this time and after the loss.
What is anticipatory grief?
No. There is no correct way to grieve and no timeline you need to follow. Grief often comes in waves, and it can resurface around anniversaries, holidays or life changes years later. The goal of counseling is not to forget the person or force acceptance, but to find a way to move forward while keeping your connection to them.
Is there a timeline for grief?
All grief counseling sessions are held virtually by secure video or phone. I am based in Manhattan and work with adults throughout New York City, New York State and Florida, so you can meet from home or anywhere you have privacy.
Do you offer grief counseling in NYC in person?
Your Life Has Changed. You Don't Have to Know What Comes Next Yet.
There can be pressure after a loss to heal, move forward, or find a "new normal."
You don't have to rush there.
For now, you can begin with a place to talk honestly about what you've lost, what you're carrying, and what life feels like today.