Scientific Meeting: “Clinical Addendums to Grief, Mourning, and Melancholia”

  •  September 10, 2026
     8:00 pm - 10:00 pm

***This meeting is virtual and will be held on ZOOM.***

NYPSI’s 1086th Scientific Meeting:

“Clinical Addendums to Grief, Mourning, and Melancholia”

Thursday, September 10, 2026

8:00 – 10:00 PM (EST)

Presenter: Norman Straker, M.D.

Discussant: Stephen Rittenberg, M.D.

Pertinent to all mental health professionals, Norman Straker, MD will address the importance of recognizing and treating the most vulnerable patients who have faced or will face the loss of a loved one. Reporting on his treatment of 70 grieving patients from his private practice, he offers a clinical addendum to psychoanalytic and psychiatric theories on grief and mourning. Dr. Straker is a faculty member of NYPSI, a member of the IPA committee on Health, a founding member of the subspecialty of psycho-oncology, a consultant at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a clinical professor a Weill Cornell. This meeting will help clinicians meet the difficult challenges of treating their patients who are facing the loss of a loved one and treating those who are grieving after the death of a loved one.

2 Contact Hours. 2 CME/CE credits will be offered. See details below.

General Admission: $50

Student Admission: $35

Free Admission for current NYPSI members/students and HFI Candidates

Registration link coming soon!

Please note registration closes at 2 PM on Thursday, September 10th.

THIS MEETING IS VIRTUAL; READ INSTRUCTIONS BELOW:

***Registration in Zoom Before the Meeting is Required to Attend***

After you have completed registering for the event, please look out for a confirmation email with more details on how to receive your Zoom Link.

Evaluation Survey and CME/CE documentation will be emailed after the event.

Please make sure you type your email correctly when you register!  Contact with questions.

OPTIONAL READINGS
    1. Simon, N. M., & Shear, M. K. (2024). Prolonged Grief Disorder. The New England journal of medicine, 391(13), 1227–1236. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMcp2308707.
    2. Ahluwalia, S., Bandini, J., Maglione, M., Miles, J., O’Hollaren, K., Zhang, D., Yedavalli, M., Yagyu, S., Motala, A., & Hempel, S. (2026). Care of Bereaved Persons : A Systematic Review. Annals of internal medicine, 179(4), 535–547. https://doi.org/10.7326/ANNALS-24-03679.
    3. Straker N. (2020). The Treatment of Cancer Patients Who Die. Journal of Psychodynamic Psychiatry, 48(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1521/pdps.2020.48.1.1
BIOGRAPHIES

Norman Straker, M.D. is Clinical Professor, Weill Cornell Medical Center; Consultant, Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; and Attending Psychiatrist, New York Presbyterian Hospital. He is the author of Facing Cancer and the Fear of Death: A Psychoanalytic Perspective on Treatment. Dr. Straker is on the faculty of NYPSI.

*

Stephen Rittenberg, M.D. 

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Educational Objectives: Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

  1. Describe that the intensity and length of the grieving process is influenced by multiple factors previously not elaborated in the literature.
  2. Explain how a psychoanalyst working with a dying patient or their spouse can influence the course of the survivors grieving process.
  3. Describe the counter transference reactions prevalent in psychoanalytic therapy with a grieving patient.

Psychologists

New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY – 0073.

New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education programs for psychologists. New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute maintains responsibility for this program and its content. DISCLOSURE: None of the planners and presenters of this CE program has any relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Social Workers

New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW – 0317.

Physicians
ACCME Accreditation Statement
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of American Psychoanalytic Association and New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute. The American Psychoanalytic Association is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
AMA Credit Designation Statement
The American Psychoanalytic Association designates this live activity for a maximum of [2] AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Disclosure Statement
The APsA CE Committee has reviewed the materials for accredited continuing education and has determined that this activity is not related to the product line of ineligible companies and therefore, the activity meets the exception outlined in Standard 3: ACCME’s identification, mitigation and disclosure of relevant financial relationship. This activity does not have any known commercial support.

Venue:  

/by