Balint Society

The Balint Society, founded in 1969, is a supportive and collaborative medical organization of clinicians and teachers who emphasize the importance of the use of emotion and personal understanding in the doctor's work and the therapeutic potential of the doctor-patient relationship. The society was created to continue the efforts of Enid and Michael Balint who made a school in the 1950s to educate other doctors of the patient-doctor relationship. The doctor's social values are promoted through a group process of exploration and training in their Balint Groups. The goal of the Balint Group is for the medical participants to transform uncertainty and difficulty in the doctor-patient relationship into a greater understanding and meaning that nurtures a more therapeutic alliance between clinician and patient.

According to the Constitution of the American Balint Society, "the Society acts primarily to describe, promote, support, and train leaders for groups of the type initiated by Dr. Balint and now established in medical school, residency training and primary care practice in this country."

The Balint Society is also affiliated with the International Balint Federation, which helps out with the coordination of Balint activities in many countries.