News & Events
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Member Society of the International Balint Federation
Dear Members and Friends of the Hellenic Society of Medical Psychology and Balint Groups, We have the pleasure to announce that on May, 22, 2021 our Society became a member of the International Balint Federation sealing this way our collaborative relationships with the "Balintian" international community that date from the formation of our first Balint group in Greece in 2012. We would... -
Interview with Eleftheria Tsaltas, Professor of Psychology at the Medical School of Athens
The Professor of Psychology at the Medical School of Athens and founding member of our Society, Mrs Eleftheria Tsaltas, talks with Alia Hotary about the training of young doctors and the role of Psychology in the psycho-prophylaxis of medical students and health professionals. English subtitles available when watching the video. https://youtu.be/MSqzqXBkx2s -
Dr. Mastrominas interview
Dr. Minas Mastrominas MD, PhD, obstetrician-gynecologist specialized in IVF and director of the assisted reproduction unit “Embryogenesis”, discusses with Lida Bitrou the psychological aspects of IVF and the doctor-patient relationship Let me begin our discussion by asking you which characteristics would you say should govern the relationship between the doctor and his patient. The doctor-patient relationship is generally characterized as a relationship... -
Steve Crossman’s article presentation
Dr. Crossman’s article was published at the American Medical Association Journal of Ethics, on July 20121. At the opening of his interesting article, Steve Crossman calls the reader to reflect on a number of questions related to the various, sometimes contradictory, feelings arise when doctors are faced with certain “difficult” cases throughout their practice. ““INVESTING IN EACH OTHER – BALINT...
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Participation in the online conference of the Maritime Hospital of Athens on October, 2, 2020
We will participate in the online conference of the Nautical Hospital of Athens entitled “Care for the patient in IVF” that will take place on 10th October 2020, where Mrs Lida Bitrou, clinical psychologist and accredited Balint group leader, will give a talk on the emotions in IVF treatment and their management in the therapeutic relationship by the clinician (doctor,... -
First Scientific Conference of Psychologists at the University Psychiatric Hospital “Eginition”: Balint group for the medical and nursing staff (March 2019)
We have the pleasure of inviting you to the First Scientific Conference of Psychologists organized on 30 March 2019, by the psychological services staff of the First Psychiatric Clinic of the University of Athens- Eginition Hospital, in the context of which we will talk about Balint groups and conduct a group for the psychiatrists, psychologists and nurses of the university...
Who we are
Hellenic Society of Medical Psychology and Balint Groups
In 2012, a small group of psychoanalytically-oriented psychologists in Athens, interested in the exchange of clinicians on their work with patients, learned about Balint groups and formed the first ongoing case-discussion group based on the Balint methodology. Very soon the first doctor, a neurologist, was added to the group, as Balint groups were originally created for doctors, and the main purpose of the group became from that point onwards the dissemination of the method that highlights the importance of the therapeutic relationship and the unconscious dynamics involved in it, among health professionals. Very shortly after, at the initiative of its members, the group was placed under the auspices of the British Balint Society in the context of which the training of the first group leaders took place. Thus, the first formal Balint group in Greece was formed under the name the “Hellenic Balint Group”.
What are Balint groups?
Balint groups were created in Great Britain in 1950 by the psychoanalysts Michael and Enid Balint, who were keen to help general practitioners to achieve a deeper understanding of the emotional content of the doctor-patient relationship and thereby improve the therapeutic potential. Later on these groups are disseminated in Europe and the rest of the world, occupying an important position in the clinical practice and training of health professionals and gradually extended to other professional areas such as social workers, educators, teachers etc.
At the center of Medicine is always a human relationship between a doctor and a patient.
Michael Balint
Why become a member?
Participation in a Balint group can help a health professional in many ways. The way in which it will affect the practitioner is related to the special characteristics of their occupation, their position and the particular characteristics of the setting in which they work.
Since the 1950s, when Balint groups took place for the first time in Great Britain, their goal was to strengthen general practitioners in dealing with difficult cases, through reinforcing the focus on the therapeutic relationship between the clinician and the patient.
Balint Group Training
Balint groups constitute a method of training and research (“training-cum-research” groups) that provide to health/mental health professionals (doctors, psychologists, nurses, midwives, social workers etc) a space to narrate their experiences from their clinical practice within a group of peers with the aim of better comprehending the psychological aspects of their work and cultivate personal skills like understanding, empathy and active listening towards their patients.