About Derek
Derek Bakay uses a client-centered approach to therapy. He focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and career concerns. Derek connects practical techniques with a respectful, person-focused attitude.
He works to understand each person's situation before shaping a plan together. Derek holds a Licensed Mental Health Counselor credential - LMHC - and brings 15 years of professional experience to his practice in New York. He draws on cognitive behavioral tools to help identify thought patterns that fuel worry and low mood.
How Derek works
He also uses solution-focused strategies to set clear, achievable goals for change. Sessions are collaborative and straightforward. Derek listens first, then offers techniques and homework that fit real life.
He avoids labeling and centers the client’s strengths and priorities when planning next steps. Derek helps people facing relationship strain, intimacy-related questions, parenting challenges, and career transitions. He also supports those coping with caregiver stress, chronic illness or disability, and issues that can show up during midlife or fatherhood.
People meet Derek for short-term problem solving or longer work on deeper concerns like self-esteem, life purpose, and managing impulsivity. He mixes skill-building with practical discussion so clients leave sessions with clear ideas to try between appointments.
Derek lists 3 ways of working on the entry:
What Derek works with
The areas below are the ones Derek selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Career difficulties
- Depression
Also listed
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Blended family issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Coaching
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Fatherhood issues
- Impulsivity
- Intellectual disability
- Intimacy-related issues
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Traumatic brain injury
- Visually impaired
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | LMHC |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 15 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | New York |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How client-centered and goal-focused therapy works online
Derek uses client-centered methods to create a respectful, person-focused space where people set the pace. This approach centers the client's experience and strengths and is useful for exploring identity, parenting concerns, and relationship stress.He also uses cognitive behavioral therapy, a practical approach that helps identify unhelpful thoughts and develop new coping strategies. CBT can be effective for anxiety, depression, and challenges that respond to skill practice and behavior change.
Solution-focused therapy is part of his toolkit for brief, goal-oriented work. It focuses on what is already working and on small, achievable steps to reach a specific outcome like improving communication or managing work stress.
Finding the right mix of approaches is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss goals, try methods that fit the person's needs and preferences, and adjust the plan over time based on what helps most.
Online sessions offer flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video calls allow for face-to-face conversation when that feels helpful. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging can fit into busy days and support steady progress between longer sessions.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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