A Balint group is an experiential, small group educational activity in which practicing GPs meet regularly to discuss difficult or intriguing cases. The focus is on the psychological aspects of general practice, and particularly the emotional content of the doctor-patient relationship. Balint groups provide a supportive setting in which GPs can rediscover the human side of general practice,  add a refreshing new dimension to their work and avoid burnout.

Since the Balints' pioneering work in the 1950s, the Balint group method has continued and developed. Balint work has become well recognized internationally. Balint group participants include:

• established GPs
• GP registrars,
• medical students,
• and sometimes registrars or established practitioners from other specialties and disciplines.

There is an International Balint Federation and Balint groups and societies operate in many countries. 

Michael Balint introduced many interesting concepts in his famous book "The Doctor, His Patient and the Illness", including the concept of "the drug, doctor". By this he meant that the patient responds, not just to a pharmacological substance, but to the person of the doctor: the atmosphere the doctor generates and what the interaction means to both of them. The doctor, too, responds to the patient as a person, and the doctor's response can be a source both of difficulty in their interaction and also of important information about the nature of the patient's problems. A Balint group explores such issues through detailed discussion of participants' accounts of their interactions with patients. Through participation, GPs learn to understand and skillfully utilize the doctor patient relationship.

Balint group participants  report  increased ability to cope with difficult doctor- patient interactions,  psychologically challenging situations in general and mental health issues; reduction in work-related stress; and increased professional satisfaction.