Grief Support for Kids and Families in NYC: Therapy, Groups & Camps

Losing a spouse or parent is one of the hardest things a family can go through — and navigating grief while also trying to support your children can feel impossible. The good news is that New York City has a genuinely strong network of grief resources for kids, teens, and surviving parents, many of them free or sliding-scale. This guide pulls together the most trusted options so you can focus on your family instead of endless searching.

Where to Start: A Few Things Worth Knowing First

Grief doesn't follow a schedule, and neither does getting kids into support. A few practical notes before diving in:

• School counselors are an underused first call. Your child's guidance counselor or school social worker can often make warm referrals, flag behavioral changes you might miss at home, and in some cases connect you to on-site grief groups. Loop them in early.
• Group support and individual therapy serve different needs. Peer grief groups help kids see they're not alone — which is enormously powerful. Individual therapy goes deeper. Many families do both, especially in the first year.
• Keep kids in support even when they resist. A 13-year-old who insists they're fine often benefits most from a peer group where no adult is in the room. Many teens warm up after just a session or two.
• You need support too. Several of the organizations below offer concurrent adult groups so a parent and child can both get support at the same time, in the same building.

Peer Grief Support Groups for Kids and Families

Our House NYC

Our House runs structured peer support groups specifically for grieving children, teens, and their surviving caregivers. Groups are age-matched — so a 7-year-old and a 13-year-old would each be with kids their own age — and a caregiver group runs concurrently, meaning you're all getting support at the same time. This model is particularly helpful for solo parents who can't easily arrange childcare. Programs are free or low-cost depending on your situation. This is one of the most well-regarded children's grief programs in the city.

Cancer Support Community Greater NY & CT at Gilda's Club

If your loss was cancer-related, Gilda's Club (now part of the Cancer Support Community network) offers something particularly meaningful: groups where everyone in the room understands what it means to lose someone to cancer. They run groups for children, teens, and adults separately, so kids aren't sitting in an adult grief circle. Programming includes workshops, social events, and ongoing support groups — all free to members. The NYC location has a warm, community-center feel rather than a clinical one, which many families find easier to walk into.

Hospital-Affiliated Bereavement Programs

Memorial Sloan Kettering – Bereavement Support

If your loved one was treated at MSK, the bereavement program is available to your family after the loss — including support for children. This is a clinical, hospital-based program staffed by trained social workers and counselors. If MSK was involved in your family's cancer journey, reach out to their social work department directly; they can walk you through what's available for both adults and kids at no additional cost.

Calvary Hospital Bereavement Department

Calvary Hospital, known for its palliative and end-of-life care in the Bronx, runs a bereavement department that offers free services — and importantly, these groups are open to the broader community, not just families of Calvary patients. They run specialized grief groups for different types of loss and age groups. If you're in the Bronx or outer boroughs, this is worth a direct call to find out what's currently running and whether it's a fit for your children.

Sliding-Scale and Free Counseling Programs

The Jewish Board – Loss and Bereavement Program for Children and Adolescents

The Jewish Board's bereavement program for children and adolescents is one of the city's best-kept open secrets: it's free, it's run in structured group cycles (so your child joins at the start of a new cohort), and the groups are age-matched. Despite the name, the program serves families of all backgrounds and faiths. This is a strong option for a 7-year-old and a separately-run group for a 13-year-old. Contact them to find out when the next cycle begins — there can be a wait, so it's worth getting on the list sooner rather than later.

CancerCare

CancerCare provides free professional counseling and support groups for people affected by cancer — including children and families after a loss. They offer services in person, by phone, and online, which makes them accessible regardless of where you are in the city. For families dealing specifically with cancer bereavement, CancerCare's counselors are specialists, not generalists. Financial assistance and case management are also available if you're navigating practical post-loss challenges.

Center for Loss and Renewal

The Center for Loss and Renewal offers individual and group therapy for adults and families navigating grief and major life transitions. It's a sliding-scale practice with experienced therapists who specialize specifically in loss — not a general mental health clinic where grief is one of many issues. Worth reaching out if you're looking for individual therapy for yourself as a surviving parent.

Community and Faith-Based Support

Saint Monica's Church

Saint Monica's on the Upper East Side has been noted as a community resource for grief support programming. Faith communities can be a meaningful part of the support network — especially for families who want a spiritually grounded context alongside or instead of clinical therapy. Check directly with the parish for current programming availability.

Grief Camps for Kids

Experience Camps

Experience Camps is a free, week-long sleep-away camp for children ages 7–17 who have lost a parent, sibling, or primary caregiver. It's not therapy in a clinical sense — it's a camp experience where every single camper has experienced a significant loss. Kids swim, play, do arts and crafts, and just get to be kids — surrounded by peers who understand. The research on programs like this is strong: the peer connection alone can be transformative, especially for kids who feel isolated in their grief at school.

Applications typically open in winter for summer sessions. Spots are competitive, so apply as early as possible. Experience Camps operates in several states; check their site for the nearest location and transportation options from NYC.

Tips for Talking to Kids About Grief at Home

Professional support matters, but so does what happens at the dinner table. A few things that help:

• Name the feelings out loud. "I miss Dad today. Do you?" opens the door without forcing anything.
• Let kids see you grieve. When children see a parent cry and then keep functioning, they learn that grief is survivable.
• Expect grief to resurface at milestones. Birthdays, school performances, the first day of a new year — these bring grief back. That's normal, not regression.
• Don't rush the timeline. There's no finish line. Kids may need different types of support at 7 than they will at 9 or 15.

A Note on Finding the Right Fit

Not every program will be the right fit for every family, and that's okay. If your child tries a group and it doesn't click, try a different format — individual therapy, a different age cohort, or even just a school counselor check-in while you wait for a group spot to open. The goal is connection and support in whatever form your child can receive it. You're doing the right thing by looking.