Editorial

Welcome to the winter issue of our newsletter! We are committed to continue the effort of spreading the Balint groups in Greece. An important component of this goal is the training of new group leaders that begun last September under the auspices of the British Balint Society which provides formal certification to leaders. 

In the current issue you will get the opportunity to get to know the man behind the groups, their founder Michael Balint. We cite some original excerpts of a series of tape-recorded interviews that were conducted in 1965 in London. Michael Balint, open and revealing, talks about his personal life, psychoanalysis and the birth of the groups. You can read further here.

We had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Alkistis Igoumenaki, Certified Leader and member of the German Balint Society. She shared her experience with the groups under the German leadership style as well as her impressions about the groups in Greece. You can read the full interview.

The 3rd Athens Balint Weekend took place last November. Participants included members of ongoing groups as well as newcomers who were interested in getting to know Balint work. The clinical material presented as well as the ideas around different leadership styles provided the opportunity for thinking and reflecting. Read the full report.

In 2017 we will launch open workshops which will take place one Saturday every month. They are addressed to physicians of all specialties, interns, clinical psychologists and health psychologists. For details, click here.

We wish you wholeheartedly happy holidays and a joyous and creative 2017! 

Magda Hadjidemetri
Editor