Articles

ACGME (2007). Competencies & Balint Training: Competencies Taught by Balint work.

This article from the American Balint Society website, lists the competencies as specified by the ACGME which are taught by Balint training. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education is responsible for the accreditation of postgraduate medical training programs within the U.S.A.

Addison, R. (1994). Balint Leadership and Hermeneutic Research, Proceedings of the International Balint Federation Congress, Charlston Carolina.

Addison, R., Miller, W., and WIlliamson, P. (1994). Outline for Closing Plenary, Proceedings of the International Balint Federation Congress, Charlston Carolina.

Balint, Enid (1969) The Possibilities of Patient-Centred Medicine. Royal College of General Practitioners, 17:269. Historically fascinating and still relevant today, this article explores the tensions in the GP's varying roles as explored in early Balint seminars.

Balint, E., (1980). The Doctor Patient-Relationship in the 1980's. Talk delivered in South Africa. Extracts relating to Balint group leadership

Balint, E., (1985). The history of training and research in Balint-groups. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy,1(2), 1-9

Benoit, Reverzy and Suied (2002). Three testimonies about meeting Michael Balint and his ideals. The American Journal of Psychoanalysis, Vol. 62, No. 4. These short memoirs include an account of a paediatricianís experience of being a Balint group member ñ "a training that no reading and no teaching could replace."

Benson, J. and Magraith, K. (2005). Compassion fatigue and burnout: the role of Balint groups. Australian Family Physician. 34-6, 497-498. Describes how Balint groups can help prevent compassion fatigue and burnout.

Brock, C., Johnson, A., (1999). Balint Group Observations: The White Knight and Other Heroic Physician Roles. Family Medicine, 31(6):404-8.

Cataldo, K., Peeden, K., Geesey, M. and Dickerson, L. (2005). Association Between Balint Training and Physician Empathy and Work Satisfaction. Family Medicine 37(5):328-31.

Council of the British Balint Society, (1994). 'Essential' and 'Desirable' Characteristics of a Balint Group, Proceedings of the International Balint Federation Congress, Charlston Carolina.

Courtenay, M., (1984). The place of Balint work in medicine - looking back - looking forward, Journal of the Balint Society, 12, 8-11.

Courtenay, M., (1977). The leaders, the doctors, and their patients. Journal of the Balint Society.

De Lambert, Louise (2010). Postscript to Balint Work Increases the Ability to Think One's Own Thoughts. Group analysis, 43:86.

Devens, M. and Dornfest, F. (2007) Balint co-leadership: Suggested checklist for general preparation of new coleaders prior to leading a group together at Intensives (unpublished).

Dornfest, Frank. How-To Manual. This manual  includes a description of Balint groups for future participants, an overview of groups for practicing GPs, trainees, or students, a description of the Balint group leader roles and functions, ground rules for a Balint group, and a comparison of Balint groups with personal and professional development groups. Included is a 44-reference bibliography.

Dufey, J. (1994). A New World Address, Proceedings of the International Balint Federation Congress, Charlston Carolina.

Ghetti, C., Chang, J., Gossman, G. (2009). Burnout, Psychological Skills, and Empathy: Balint Training in Obstetrics and Gynecology Residents. Journal of Graduate Medical Education

Gill, C., (1985). Tensions in General Practice, Journal of the Balint Society, 13, 10-16.

Haslam, Nick, (2007). Humanising medical practice: the role of empathy. Medical Journal of Australia. 187: 381-2. An excellent overview and brief literature review of the importance of empathy in medical practice.

Jablonski, Henry (2003). Defining Balint Work - Is there a heartland? and which are the neighbouring countries?. In Salinsky, J. and Otten, H. ( eds. )  (2003). The doctor, the patient and their well-being ? world wide. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Balint Congress Berlin  2003. The International Balint Federation.

Johnson, A., Nease, D., Jr, Milberg, L. Addison, R., (2004). Essential Characteristics of Effective Balint Group Leadership. Family Medicine,36(4):253-9.

Johnson, A., Brock, C., Hamadeh, G., and Stock, R, (2001). The Current Status of Balint Groups in US Family Practice Residencies: A 10-year Follow-up Study, 1990-2000. Family Medicine, 33(9):672-7.

Johnson, A. (2001). The Balint Movement in America. Family Medicine, 33(3), 174-7.

Katz-Bearnot, Sherry (2007). The Medical Education of Generation RX. The Future of Psychoanalytic Education Conference, New York, 2007. About the author's work educating medical students and young doctors about patients and their relationships with their patients, using psychoanalytic ideas and with a nod to Michael Balint.

Kjeldmand, Dorte. (2006). The Doctor, the Task and the Group: Balint Groups as a Means of Developing New Understanding in the Physician-Patient Relationship. A PhD thesis on Balint groups in Sweden.

Kjeldmand, D. et al (2004). Balint training makes GPs thrive better in their job. Patient Education and Counselling, 55:230-235. (Swedish research on Balint groups demonstrating some of their benefits).

Klee, Thomas (2008) The function of Balint's levels of mind in Balint groups. Journal of the Balint Society.

Lachowsky, M. (1994). The Effect of Balint Work on Our Patients, Proceedings of the International Balint Federation Congress, Charlston Carolina.

Leggett, Andrew (2009). Establishing a Balint group for mental health workers: the Inala community mental health experience. Proceedings of the 16th International Balint Congress, Polana Brasov, Romania.

Levenstein, S. (1994). Balint Group Leadership, Proceedings of the International Balint Federation Congress, Charlston Carolina.

Lichtenstein, Albert and Lustig, Marion (2006). Integrating intuition and reasoning: how Balint groups can help medical decision making. Australian Family Physician. 35(12), 987-989. Includes case vignettes.

Lustig, M. (2004). Generating a reflective space for GPs; working with Balint groups. Australasian Journal of Psychotherapy, 23:66-85. Includes case vignettes.

Lustig, M. (2006). Balint groups: an Australian perspective. Australian Family Physician Vol. 35 (8):  639-652 . Introductory article including case vignettes. (Some of the information on this website first appeared in this article).

Lustig, M. (2007). From psychoanalytic psychotherapy to Balint groups: what do leaders need to know? Australasian Journal of Psychotherapy, 26(1), 40-46. Aimed at psychotherapists interested in leading Balint groups.

Lustig, Marion (2008). Humanising medical practice: the role of empathy. 188 (4): 263-264.This letter is a reply to Haslam, Nick (2007) and highlights the role of Balint groups in developing empathy.

Milberg, Laurel. Some Random Thoughts about Balint Group Pitfalls, Pratfalls, and Pot Holes  . This  article raises common and deadly problems that can derail Balint Groups, either in how they are organized or how they are run.

Milberg, Laurel (2002). Balint Groups From the Perspective of a Teacher. Presented as keynote address at Balint Weekend Meeting at Exeter College, Oxford, U.K. An experienced American Balint group leader presents feedback from GP trainees on their Balint group experiences during training

Donald Nease (2007). Mutiny on the Balint? A reflection on the relevance of Balint, 50 years hence. Family Medicine 39(7):510-11. This article, written in response to an article by Smith and Anandaraja (see below) is a thoughtful overview of Balint work. In particular, Nease defines what is unique about Balint groups and considers issues of orthodoxy, boundaries, flexibility and group safety.

Norell, J. (1991). The International Balint Federation: past, present and future. Family Practice. 8 (4): 378-381. Historical article.

Orman, Jan (2005). Balint Groups - A Participant's Experience at the RACGP Conference in Darwin 2005.

Pinder R, McKee A, Sackin P, Salinsky J, Samuel O, Suckling H. 'Occasional Paper 87 - Talking about my patient: the Balint approach in education' RACGP publication - A new publication exploring the influence of Balint groups in general practice, has been published by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). This publication is the report of a research project into Balint group work in vocational training in the London area. The report explores what happens when a Balint group takes place in vocational training, how it is variously read and understood by practitioners and with what likely benefits and consequences. The case studies illustrate both the potential of the small group and also of the method used to investigate the subject.

Platt, F. (1994). Findings from Miles Workshops on Physician-Patient Communication, Proceedings of the International Balint Federation Congress, Charlston Carolina.

Royal College of General Practitioners (2007). Curriculum Statement 2: The general practice consultation. This document outlines the U.K. general practice training curriculum with respect to the consultation. It recommends Balint groups for doctors in training and explains why.

Salinsky, J. (2002). The Balint movement worldwide: present state and future outlook: a brief history of Balint around the world. The American Journal of Psychoanalysis 62:4. Historical article.

Salinsky (2003, revised 2005). Balint groups and the Balint method. An excellent overview, including history, Balint groups for GPs and GP trainees, a description of how a trainee group operates, Balint in the UK, benefits of Balint groups, research.

Salinsky (2009). 'Writing prescriptions is easyÖ' Franz Kafka and his country doctor. Presented at the International Balint Federation Congress, Rumania. A delightful reflection about a Kafka short story about a night call from hell and what a Balint group might have made of the case.

Samuel, O.W. (1989). How doctors learn in a Balint group. Fam. Pract. 6, 108-113. A lucid introduction.

Sanders, D. (1994). The Use of Individualized Balint Training in One-On-One Teaching, Proceedings of the International Balint Federation Congress, Charlston Carolina.

Schoenberg, P. and Suckling, H. (2004). A Balint group for medical students at Royal Free and UCH School of Medicine. Journal of the Balint Society, 32:20-23.

Smith, Marcia and Anandaraja, Gowri (2007). Mutiny on the Balint: balancing resident developmental needs with the Balint process. Family Medicine 39:7, 495-7. This article describes a Balint group in an American family medicine training program in which the residents initially expressed strong dissatisfaction with the group. Some modifications were made to allow the group to address professional development topics and the group spontaneously returned to a process more consistent with traditional Balint.

Storas, B. (1994). Psychiatric Group Supervision in Family Practice and Concomitant Focus Group Evaluation, Proceedings of the International Balint Federation Congress, Charlston Carolina.

Suckling, H. (2005). What do Medical Students discuss in Balint Groups?, Journal of the Romanian Balint Society. Themes of the cases discussed in Balint Groups for medical students.

Suckling, H. (2006). Balint in a nutshell (unpublished). A handout for medical students which is an excellent introduction for anyone.

Suckling, H and Shoenberg, P (2005). What effect does a Balint group have on medical students? The International Balint Federation and The Swedish Association of Medical Psychology. Proceedings of the 14th International Balint Congress Stockholm 2005. 55-60.

Turner, A. and Malm, R. (2004). A preliminary investigation of Balint and Non-Balint behavioural medicine training. Family Medicine, 36(2): 114-7 (research on Balint groups in GP training).

Rüth, Ulrich (2009). Balint Work Increases the Ability to Think Oneís Own Thoughts: Classic Balint Group Work and the Thinking of W.R. Bion. Group Analysis 2009; 42; 380