Workshop Saturday, October 3rd.
Containing the way of Balint in our professional lives
Adam Becze, Katalin Dobo, Anna Szöke
27 participants
AIM and CONCEPT: Following a presentation reviewing Michael Balint’s professional and personal life trajectory, we will use the conference motto as a guiding thread to evaluate and think about our own experiences that led us to the Balint method, and to jointly articulate its significance in our professional (sometimes even personal) functioning. This will be more like an experimental workshop offering an opportunity to learn about one’s journey towards and with the Balint method.
Workshop Presenters:
Adam Becze, MD (becze.adam@) – General Practitioner since 2015; Educational expert since 2021 at Dpt. of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, current chair of the Bálint Mihály Psychosomatic Society of Hungary (BSH);
Katalin Dobó, MD (dobo.katalin@) – General Practitioner for 40 years in Budapest, family psychotherapist, Balint leadership trainer and supervisor; former chair&member of the Board in the BSH;
Anna Szőke, MD (kissszoke@gmail’dot’com); – Psychiatrist, Psychotherapist, Head of Outpatient Mental Care Unit of University of Szeged, Faculty of Medicine, member of the Board in the BSH;
Aging, Continuity, and Letting Go:
Personal and Professional Transitions in Balint Leadership
Mary Wassink, André Matalon, Penny and Aldrew Elder
Max. 17 participants.
Summary:
As Balint work increasingly spans entire professional lifetimes, a growing number of leaders and supervisors remain actively engaged well beyond retirement. While the Balint literature has addressed mentorship and succession, less attention has been given to the lived, subjective experience of aging within Balint leadership. This workshop brings together senior Balint leaders to explore aging not only as a professional transition but as a deeply personal and relational process.
Containing the leader: Building up competence for supervision of accredited leaders
Philip Herzog, Doris Salmen
Chair: Tove Mathiesen
Max. 29 participants.
The workshop addresses accredited and experienced leaders, running ongoing groups at home. They should be willing to present a challenge or problem that has occurred in their Balint group.
Facilitators:
Philipp Herzog, Dr. med., accredited trainer and supervisor for Balint Group leaders – German Balint Society, GP, Specialist for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy.
Doris Salmen, medical doctor, accredited trainer for Balint Group leaders – German Balint Society, Psychooncologist, Medical Psychotherapist in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Background and context
The idea for this workshop came up during the work of the special working group on “Supervision for Balint group leaders” in the Leadership Task Force. Historically almost from the beginning of the “research cum training seminars” supervision had been an element intrinsic to Balint work, as the method emerged from the psychodynamic background of Michael and Enid Balint. An IBF Task Force survey in 2022 showed that 95% of the IBF member societies would be interested in supervision groups for leaders at international IBF congresses. Supervision of leaders is not only a means of keeping quality standards of Balint group leadership and important for Continuing Professional Development (CMP), but it can also offer containment for the leaders, who do hard work in containing their groups.
Connected, Engaged, Contained:
Reflections on leading Balint groups for medical students
Alice Polomeni, Albert Lichtenstein
Max. 22 participants.
Short summary :
This workshop proposes to reflect on Balint groups in undergraduate medical education. Drawing on international experiences, it aims to explore implementation challenges, including structural and cultural barriers. It will approach key questions on format, facilitation, and integration to support students’ relational capabilities. Leading strategies will be discussed.
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