scholarly journals Does Anyone Have a Case? The Balint Group Experience

2006 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Runkle
Keyword(s):  
Balint Group ◽  
Group Experience

The Balint group experience for medical students: a pilot project

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheila O’Neill ◽  
Kirsty Foster ◽  
Alexa Gilbert-Obrart
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Balint Group ◽  
Group Experience

The Effects of the Balint Group on its Members and Leader

1972 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 379-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans-Konrad Knoepfel
Keyword(s):  
Medical Treatment ◽  
Group Work ◽  
Emotional Experience ◽  
Family Doctor ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Considerable Saving ◽  
The Family ◽  
Heavy Burden ◽  
Balint Group ◽  
Group Experience

Balint's work promotes better psychological and medical treatment of many so-called “problem patients.” With understanding, these patients often lose the characteristic of being a heavy burden and even become interesting and gratifying. Time invested at the beginning phase of treatment often brings considerable saving of time over extended periods. The doctor's need for intensive involvement diminishes and psychological emergencies become less frequent. Balint helped to make these goals possible by teaching psychoanalytic principles in a simple way, talking in clear, comprehensible language and creating for physicians the possibility for emotional experience and growth through group work. Such experience is indispensable for the training of the family doctor. This paper summarizes essential elements of the group work, in which the leader profits as well as the family doctor. The leader has to learn to formulate clinical experience in clear, non-technical language which describes how patients are treated in the practice of hospital and office medicine. The group experience, furthermore, helps the physician to develop his capacity for empathy by better understanding himself.

scholarly journals Virtual balint group experience due to the COVID-19 pandemic

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S127-S128
Author(s):  
Rebecca Brown ◽  
Nicola Philips
Keyword(s):  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Case Discussion ◽  
Safe Environment ◽  
Time Commitment ◽  
Qualitative Feedback ◽  
Video Consultation ◽  
Balint Group ◽  
Group Engagement ◽  
Group Experience ◽  
Natural Way

AimsIn the changes brought about by remote working, the local psychotherapy case discussion group (Balint Group) has developed as a remote service via video consultation. It is important to consider the effect that this change in method of delivery has had on experience.MethodAn anonymous survey was distributed to determine the benefits and challenges from participants and facilitators with at least a month of virtual Balint Group experience. The open-ended survey questions captured extended answer responses from 16 students and trainees, and 5 (co-)facilitators, within Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. The qualitative feedback was analysed by thematic analysis, identifying three main themes.ResultThe first theme of practicalities was centred around access to the group. The virtual format had benefits in terms of reducing travel and time commitment and so improving attendance. However, disadvantages were in technological issues and finding a private and safe environment, individuals often not leaving the work environment on which they were reflecting.The second theme of communication identified how virtual methods are a less natural way of interacting (for example sequential point making), losing both immediacy of reactions and non-verbal communication. There was a loss of essential communication cues, with disjointed conversation affecting contribution.The third theme of group dynamics had some advantages, feeling less intimidating virtually. Yet disadvantages included loss of group cohesion, with participants not building the same relationships (on arriving and leaving a group space), and trust. The more subtle emotions in the group might be missed and opinions given less openly. The facilitators needed to be more directive and experienced difficulties maintaining group engagement and managing the frame.ConclusionThe advantages of virtual format are more based on accessibility and the disadvantages more experiential. There are elements of being physically remote that lead to a disembodied experience, that might impact on capacity to reflect emotionally. This might make it more difficult to identify unconscious processes and the experience might be more cognitive. There is a risk that virtually participants will feel more alone with difficult feelings and unsupported by the group.When mental health is being affected by social isolation due to the pandemic, having groups virtually can mimic this isolation in working life. Overall the preference remained for an in-person group.However, it was clear that access to some form of a group was important, to contain anxiety during these unprecedented times.

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