The GP surgery as a secure base? Patterns of attachment in primary care

Elder, Andrew

doi:10.1080/14753630802614408

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Balint education participants develop skills that are important to the quality of medical services they provide, have a better relationship with patients and improve skills that allow them to more quickly notice and treat patients' problems. Acquired skills, on the other hand, reduce workplace stress and thereby increase job satisfaction [25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32].…”

Section: The Balint Group As Help With Occupational Burnout Syndromementioning

confidence: 99%

Balint group training: Theory and practice

Šapić¹

2023

Glas javnog zdr

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With regard to the many years of cooperation between the Balint Society of Serbia and the Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade (which, in recent years, has been realized through a promotional Balint workshop for GP residents), we believe that the application of the Balint method in continuous education would contribute to the improvement of doctors' professional performance. Balint education has shown excellent results for physicians of all medical specialties as well as for other healthcare professionals and associates (psychologists, special pedagogues, social workers, special education teachers, nurses) who want to improve their relationships with health care users, and it is especially helpful in the acquisition of skills necessary for working with "problem clients" as well as in the prevention of job burnout syndrome in healthcare professionals. The primary objective of this paper was to offer and present arguments on the importance of educational programs applying the Balint methodology, which is focused on the client-therapist relationship, and founded on psychoanalytic ideas. The secondary objective was to enhance awareness of the exceptional importance of the client-therapist relationship, which is of major therapeutic interest and essential to any treatment, and through participation and work in Balint groups, group members learn to understand and skillfully utilize the professional client/patient relationship. With its specific goals and methods, the education is beneficial to therapists, clients as well as health care institutions. A literature review was carried out regarding the previously published studies on the development, growth, and work dynamics of Balint groups and therapists i.e., counselors. Special attention was given to the discussions included in these studies, pertaining to the consequences of weaknesses, but also of strengths in the performance of Balint therapists. Attention was also paid to the issues related to the insufficient number of Balint groups and therapists that apply this practice in education, as well as to the support and assistance they are provided in regard to their work. The efficiency of Balint groups was also considered, including their contribution published in the literature, in addition to recommendations for overcoming this problem in the future. The founding father of this method, Michael Balint, a psychiatrist, started a training program for general practitioners (family physicians) more than 70 years ago, since he believed that they were specially overworked and burdened with a large number of patients and that improving doctors' knowledge in the field of psychology would facilitate their work. Later, this training program expanded, becoming more and more present in other branches of medicine. Today, Balint education is an integral part of medical studies and specialist training in psychiatry, gynecology, endocrinology, and family medicine in many European countries. Balint groups are intended for practitioners who professionally recognize the value of developing and deepening an empathic emotional relationship with their clients. These groups help doctors to reach a better understanding of a patient's overall condition, which in turn enhances the doctor's creative capacities to engage in the therapeutic process. In addition, the group process leads to a reduction in professional isolation that prevails among healthcare workers, contributing to the job burnout syndrome. Balint education enables a better connection between practitioners from different disciplines participating in the treatment. Thus, the Balint group members gain experience on the importance of alliance and cooperation in the treatment of their patients. Balint groups usually meet twice a month, during the academic year, giving participants the opportunity to become aware of what prevents them from having a better relationship with their clients as well as to find authentic answers that will reduce misunderstandings. Numerous studies have confirmed the importance of empathic relationships with clients in the provision of effective health care, and professionals also consider such relationships essential to their work. Balint groups are focused on reaching a better understanding through various associations, guided by a Balint leader, rather than on presenting ready-made solutions to a problem, which makes them applicable to a myriad of treatment situations.

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Section: The Balint Group As Help With Occupational Burnout Syndromementioning

confidence: 99%

Balint group training: Theory and practice

Šapić¹

2023

Glas javnog zdr

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“…This can be mitigated if the GP practice itself takes on some of the characteristics of a 'secure base' for its patients. 4 But the capacity to provide security for others depends on feeling "Those who are hyper-activating assume care-givers to be untrustworthy and unpredictable, and may therefore exaggerate their emotional responses in an attempt to arouse attention and maintain contact." secure and 'held' oneself.…”

Section: Balint's 'Capital'mentioning

confidence: 99%

Bowlby, Balint, and the doctor–patient relationship: towards a theory of human relationships in medical practice

Holmes

Elder²

2016

Br J Gen Pract

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Despite continuing technological advance, there is a widespread view that something is missing in current medical culture. This arises in part at least from the lack of a theoretical framework that describes the complexity of patient-centred clinical practice. Attachment theory, working in tandem with the ideas of Michael Balint, provides just such an account. ATTACHMENT THEORY AND HOW IT EXHIBITSDeveloped originally by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth, Attachment theory is an evidence-based psychobiological theory of human development and relationships.

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“…Elder, in his article, "The GP Surgery as a Secure Base: Patterns of Attachment in Primary Care, " 8 argues that if professionals feel secure and respected within the practice, then the practice itself is more likely to function as a secure base for its patients. In this case, the Balint group allowed for a secure place for emotional refl ection on the leaving process for Dr A and her peers.…”

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confidence: 99%

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2011

The Annals of Family Medicine

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The cornerstone of family medicine is the belief in both the continuity and availability of care. These beliefs are challenged when a doctor leaves his or her clinic because of personal reasons. In the example described in this article, the involvement of colleagues in a Balint group led a doctor to a fl ash insight into her confl icting feelings related to leaving her clinic. The group process helped her to prepare and deal with her own feelings and needs, as well as those of her patients and staff. Balint groups are a secure place to explore and gain insight into the emotional aspects of attachment and separation of physicians from their patients.

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The GP surgery as a secure base? Patterns of attachment in primary care

Cited by 9 publications

References 6 publications

Balint group training: Theory and practice

Balint group training: Theory and practice

Bowlby, Balint, and the doctor–patient relationship: towards a theory of human relationships in medical practice

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