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In mental health services the use of Balint groups is familiar to doctors who are training to work in psychiatry and this experience is viewed as an integral part of their education. Nurses are less familiar with Balint groups and are not usually taught about this group approach as part of their pre-registration training. This article describes the use of a nurse-led Balint group in the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. The group provided a supportive and accepting environment, a form of clinical supervision, psychosocial education and personal exposure to feelings in a professional setting. It provided nurses with a valuable opportunity to develop knowledge and skills of psychodynamic theory and practice. The authors suggest that Balint group work can complement one-to-one clinical supervision to help further explore and enhance the therapeutic relationship between nurse and patient. Further work needs to be carried out to evaluate the use of Balint groups in multiprofessional teams.
Mental Health Practice. 21, 2, 18-21. doi: 10.7748/mhp.2017.e1202
CorrespondenceAnita.Green@sussexpartnership.nhs.uk
Conflict of interestNone declared
Peer reviewThis article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software
For author guidelines, go to rcni.com/writeforusReceived: 12 August 2016
Accepted: 06 March 2017
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