About Balint Groups

A Balint group is a group of peers brought together in a workplace setting, facilitated by specially trained leaders, and structured to enable its participants to think together, confidentially, about professional relationships and work that is preoccupying them.

Originally devised to support doctors, Balint groups are now being used in the wider healthcare sector, education and most recently, outside the UK, in law. In bringing the Balint method to the UK legal profession, our aim is to support practitioners in their work; to enhance the lawyer-client relationship; and to safeguard professional wellbeing.

This method of facilitated group work is valued because of its focus on understanding the impact of day-to-day work and working relationships. The specific way in which groups are facilitated and structured, as well as the nature of the discussion, allows the development of thought and learning in the group which is based on personal experience rather than technical knowledge. This leads to new perspectives and approaches both to work and working relationships, which in turn lead to better client care.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Balint groups differ from other group-based work due to their very specific structure, the training of and facilitation by its leaders, and the focus on a case or matter and the related working relationships. The development of thinking and the creative approach encouraged within the group is key. In exploring the working relationship in a ‘relational’ context (within a group of peers rather than 1:1), significant understanding about the lawyer-client relationship is generated and new ways of thinking develop. This can provide significant relief for those involved in sharing their experiences of work and their working relationships.

  • Balint groups have been used successfully to support the professional development and wellbeing of doctors for over 60 years. Originally created to help clinicians understand difficult or complicated interactions with patients, they have been adapted over the years into a highly effective resource to support a range of professionals in their working relationships.

    Balint groups within the legal profession enable their participants to:

    • Improve personal and professional resilience by addressing issues leading to stress, anxiety and burnout;

    • Increase self-awareness and understand responses evoked in the lawyer-client relationship which impact work;

    • Work more productively with colleagues and better serve clients;

    • Tolerate the stresses and strains of day-to-day practice;

    • Communicate better and more effectively;

    • Find pleasure and satisfaction in work and professional relationships.

  • Balint sessions are typically conducted with small groups of 8-12 participants and focus on the collective discussion of a perplexing case or matter presented by a participant, with the help of two Balint-trained facilitators. Groups meet at regular intervals, usually once every two to four weeks, for sixty to ninety minute sessions. Participation is on a voluntary basis, but once joined the participants commit to the group. The anonymisation of case details, the confidentiality of the group and all issues discussed in each session is paramount.

    The facilitated conversation begins with an unprepared presentation of a recent case, matter or situation that a practitioner has found challenging in some way. The group discussion which follows explores the case/matter presented, offering varied perspectives and responses, in order to help the presenter think about the issues in a different way. This enables the presenter to better manage the situation/relationship in hand as well as future or similar interactions as they arise in practice.

    Particular importance is attached to establishing a confidential, empathetic group that encourages creative thinking among its members, ensuring that participants feel safe and supported. Rather than focus on the technical/legal aspects of the case, the conversation explores how the work or relationship is experienced by the lawyer as well as by the client and, through its retelling, how it is experienced by members of the group. Through this process, new perspectives are opened up for the presenter and, at the same time, for the whole group about their own work and working relationships.

  • At Balint Legal we have tailored the Balint model to meet the specific needs and concerns of the legal profession.

    We offer structured and facilitated peer support groups which may be in-person or online. These groups include:

    • Solicitors within law firms;

    • Barristers within sets of chambers;

    • In-house counsel within their organisations;

    • Judges and those involved in tribunal work;

    • Independent legal practitioners.

    We also offer the possibility of joining a cross-profession group comprising lawyers in different roles. This is run independently of any firm, set of chambers or other organisation, and brings the opportunity for varied perspectives on work and working relationships in different settings.

  • It is important to emphasise that we are not therapists or counsellors, and we do not work in any clinical mental health capacity. Balint groups are not therapy groups.

    In our work as part of Balint Legal we also do not offer 1:1 coaching or support.

    Rather, our aim is to create a safe and supportive environment for lawyers to engage with their peers in a group setting about issues evoked by their day to day practice and working relationships. Our primary purpose is to develop the capacity of group participants to reflect about their work and its impact, to develop greater self awareness and empathy in the professional setting, and to strengthen their ability to better manage relationships with clients and colleagues in challenging and stressful situations.

    Ultimately our aim is to help lawyers better serve their clients and thrive in the pressurised legal world.

  • Balint groups were developed by Michael and Enid Balint some 60 years ago. At the Tavistock Institute in the early 1950s, Michael and Enid became involved in the training of GPs, developing Balint groups and publishing their research about these groups in The Doctor, His Patient, and the Illness in 1957. This seminal work has been edited and adapted over the years in subsequent publications. 

    We have compiled some resources regarding Balint groups and their development, as well as their application to the legal sector.