Balint therapy, also called Balint training, is a form of group support addressed to representatives of aid professions. Its creator is a doctor and psychoanalyst Michael Balint, who in the 1930s. In the 1980s, he created the first training group for doctors. The main goal was to enable medics to better understand their own emotions and their impact on the patient.
Assumptions and goals of Balint therapy
Michael Balint assumed that the patient-doctor relationship has a significant impact on treatment outcomes, because the doctor is the “cure” in itself. He sought to develop sensitivity and the ability to cope with the patient’s feelings, as well as to understand his own reactions. He also assumed that joint analysis of difficult cases gives a chance to shape the right attitudes and provide patients with better care.
According to this approach, the basic goals of Balint training are:
- personal and professional development,
- prevention of burnout,
- better understanding of the patient,
- improving the quality of the assistance provided.
What does the Balint training look like?
A Balint group usually consists of 8 to 12 people, and is headed by a properly trained leader. During the meetings, participants present situations they have encountered at work, without going into medical details. They talk about the emotions that accompanied them at that time and the difficulties they had to face.
Other participants can ask questions and talk about how they would behave in the event of a similar event. The content discussed during the meetings is covered by secrecy.
Who are Balinta groups for?
Currently, Balinta groups are created primarily for:
- doctors,
- psychologists and psychotherapists,
- nurses,
- paramedics,
- social workers,
- teachers,
- mediators,
- career counsellors