Balint groups - An Australian perspective
Marion Lustig MBBS, is a psychotherapist, Melbourne, President of the Balint Society of Australia, and Honorary Lecturer, Department of Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Victoria.
Balint groups are an important, internationally established method of training general practitioners in the psychological aspects of their work. Small groups of GPs meet regularly with a trained leader to discuss clinical material from their practices, with a focus on the doctor-patient relationship. This article explains the Balint group model and its benefits and describes what is known about Balint groups in Australia, including avenues for Balint group experience available to Australian GPs.
Balint groups were developed by psychiatrist Michael Balint – who worked with general practitioners in London in the 1950s – to meet the specific and unique needs of GPs. Since then, the Balint group method has continued, developed, and become internationally recognised, with an International Balint Federation and groups and societies in many countries.