Calendar of Events - The American Balint Society

                                                            

The four-day Intensive course is designed to teach Balint group leadership technique primarily through experiential groups, supplemented by topic-focused small discussion groups and faculty panel discussions. Attendees will have ample time to present cases, practice leading a Balint group, and engage informally with other participants. 

The Spokane Leadership Intensive course is appropriate for clinicians new to the Balint Group method as well as experienced Balint Group leaders. The course is well-suited to those who are currently leading, expect to lead in the future, or are seeking a better understanding of Balint groups.  The curriculum is appropriate for physicians (primary care, psychiatry, other specialists), psychologists, social workers, other mental health care providers, veterinarians, and pastoral care providers.

Course Details

Because group cohesiveness affects participants’ experience of the course, registrants are required to commit to attending all sessions and to attending each session in its entirety. Please do not plan to arrive late, leave early or miss sessions.

The Balint Leadership Intensive is a training course and is not intended as therapy. Nevertheless, Balint Group work can sometimes stir up strong feelings. Prospective registrants who are experiencing a particularly vulnerable period in their lives may want to consider participating in this training at a later date.
Course Schedule

Join a special online Balint group where the focus will be not only hearing cases, but a debrief "intensive style" where Ali Manning and LIsa Buck will talk about leadership moves and help you solidify your skills. The group will meet four times for 90 minutes each session. We will work a case and then spend time discussing what happened and what the leaders considered during the case.

Leaders facilitating the group: Lisa Buck, MD, and Ali Manning, MD


Lisa Buck, MD, has been involved with Balint work since her intern year of residency in Family Medicine, circa 1991. Balint training as a credentialed leader and supervisor soon followed. This work has been a passion for the entirety of her career. Lisa has led groups of residents, homeless shelter staff members, and groups of seasoned clinicians. Joining Ali to lead an intensive style online group with a debrief is new territory for the ABS and she is looking forward to sharing this experience with you. 




Ali Manning, MD, B.Ed, FRCPC, is Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Director of Postgraduate Psychiatry Education at Dalhousie University. Her first introduction to Balint was on the Beach where she was "bitten by the Balint bug" and quickly went to successfully incorporate these into local residency programs. Ali's Balint facilitation is style is informed by both the Balint method and her teaching philosophy, which is in evident not only in how she teaches groups but also how she teaches others to teach groups. She's looking forward to joining forces with Lisa Buck to bring this exciting new Program offered by the American Balint Society.


Time: 5:30PM - 7:00PM Eastern Time/2:30PM - 4:00PM Pacific. 
Number of meetings and Dates: Four (4) weekly meetings on the following days: April 27, May 4, May 11 and May 18, 2026.
                                                Cost: $240/non-members; $150/members

Cancellation Policy:
If cancelled by the ABS or hosts due to insufficient registrants, those registered will receive their money back. Otherwise, no return of fee is possible, including in the event of registrant's partial attendance or inability to complete the sequence of sessions. 

1. Registrants must have attended at least one Balint Leadership Training Intensive. 
2. Registrants must be clinically active and willing to present cases.
3. Balint work can stir strong emotions. If the registrant is at an unusually stressful period in their life, we recommend they sign up at another time.
4. Because the success of the group depends in part on cohesion, steady attendance matters. Registrants must intend to attend all sessions of the group.
5. In welcoming international participants, please know that the meetings will be held in English.

Target Audience
This series is appropriate for clinicians new to the Balint Group method as well as experienced Balint Group leaders. Suitable for those in active practice including physicians (primary care, psychiatry, other specialists), nurse practitioners, psychologists, social workers, and others. 

Accreditation
The AAFP has reviewed Balint Group - Decreasing Isolation with Peer Consultation, and deemed it acceptable for AAFP credit. 

AMA/AAFP Equivalency: AAFP Prescribed credit is accepted by the American Medical Association as equivalent to AMA PRA Category 1 Credit toward the AMA Physician's Recognition Award. When applying for the AMA PRA, Prescribed credit earned must be reported as Prescribed, not as Category 1.

The American Balint Society is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The American Balint Society maintains responsibility for this program and its content.  

More Information

Grievance Policy:
Any concerns should be brought to the attention of Rebekah Schiefer, Committee Chair.

ABS Grievance Policy

Health care professionals are invited to attend the Healing, Mindfulness and Compassion Retreat at the beautiful and tranquil Ratna Ling Conference Center in the Redwoods of Sonoma County, California. The weekend conference combines Eastern and Western approaches to healing: Tibetan Yoga and Meditation as well as Balint sessions that address the complex emotional landscape of the clinician-patient relationship. The Balint group format is an empathy-enhancing practice to strengthen treatment alliances, improve care delivery, increase practitioner resilience and decrease professional isolation. Further context on the neuroscience of compassion and its importance in the provision of effective service will increase understanding of the connection between practitioners’ self-care and the care they are able to offer others. The accommodations and architecture are exquisite and the weekend is educational, restful, and rejuvenating.

Cancellation Policy
Registrants wishing to cancel their registration must do so in writing by the cancellation deadline of March 12, 2026. For cancellations received by the cancellation date, $100 of the registration fee will be withheld for administrative fees and the refund will be issued within 30 days of acknowledgment of the cancellation. For cancellations received after the cancellation date, no refunds will be available. 
Complete Event Details

• Help the group explore the patient-clinician relationship when issues of diversity and difference arise
• Find opportunities to help the group dig deeper
• Facilitate a group in which the clinician’s identity and personal values seem at odds

• Help the group explore the patient-clinician relationship when issues of diversity and difference arise
• Find opportunities to help the group dig deeper
• Facilitate a group in which the clinician’s identity and personal values seem at odds

Leaders: Frank Dornfest, MD and Albert Lichtenstein, PhD
Time: The first meeting will be 90 minutes 7:00pm - 8:30pm Eastern Time/4:00pm - 5:30pm Pacific Time. Subsequent meetings will be 60 minutes 7:00pm - 8:00pm Eastern/4:00 - 5:00 Pacific. 
Number of meetings and Dates: Ten (10) monthly meetings on the following Thursdays: October 15, November 19, and December 17, 2026; January 21, February 18, March 18, April 15, May 20, June 17, and July 15, 2027. 

Fee:
$250 for ABS Members
$400 for non-members

Cancellation Policy:
If canceled by the ABS or hosts due to insufficient registrants, those registered will receive their money back. Otherwise, no return of fee is possible, including in the event of registrant's partial attendance or inability to complete the sequence of sessions. 

1. Registrants must be clinically active and willing to present cases.
2. Balint work can stir strong emotions. If the registrant is at an unusually stressful period in their life, we recommend they sign up at another time.
3. Because the success of the group depends in part on cohesion, steady attendance matters. Registrants must intend to attend all sessions of the group.

Target Audience
This series is appropriate for clinicians new to the Balint Group method as well as experienced Balint Group leaders. Suitable for those in active practice including physicians (primary care, psychiatry, other specialists), nurse practitioners, psychologists, social workers, and others. 

Accreditation
The AAFP has reviewed Balint Group - Decreasing Isolation with Peer Consultation, and deemed it acceptable for AAFP credit. 

AMA/AAFP Equivalency: AAFP Prescribed credit is accepted by the American Medical Association as equivalent to AMA PRA Category 1 Credit toward the AMA Physician's Recognition Award. When applying for the AMA PRA, Prescribed credit earned must be reported as Prescribed, not as Category 1.

The American Balint Society is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The American Balint Society maintains responsibility for this program and its content.  

More Information

Grievance Policy:
Any concerns should be brought to the attention of Rebekah Schiefer, Committee Chair.

ABS Grievance Policy

                                                         

The four-day Intensive course is designed to teach Balint group leadership technique primarily through experiential groups, supplemented by topic-focused small discussion groups and faculty panel discussions. Attendees will have ample time to present cases, practice leading a Balint group, and engage informally with other participants. 

The New England Leadership Intensive course is appropriate for clinicians new to the Balint Group method as well as experienced Balint Group leaders. The course is well-suited to those who are currently leading, expect to lead in the future, or are seeking a better understanding of Balint groups.  The curriculum is appropriate for physicians (primary care, psychiatry, other specialists), psychologists, social workers, other mental health care providers, veterinarians, and pastoral care providers.

Course Details

Because group cohesiveness affects participants’ experience of the course, registrants are required to commit to attending all sessions and to attending each session in its entirety. Please do not plan to arrive late, leave early or miss sessions.

The Balint Leadership Intensive is a training course and is not intended as therapy. Nevertheless, Balint Group work can sometimes stir up strong feelings. Prospective registrants who are experiencing a particularly vulnerable period in their lives may want to consider participating in this training at a later date.
Course Schedule

Cancellation Policy

Registrants wishing to cancel their registration must do so in writing by the cancellation deadline of September 15, 2026. For cancellations received by the cancellation date, $100 of the registration fee will be withheld for administrative fees and the refund will occur within 30 days of acknowledgment of cancellation. For cancellations received after the deadline, no refunds will be available. 

ABS Grievance Policy
Any concerns should be brought to the attention of Eran Metzger, metzger@hsl.harvard.edu.

ABS Grievance Policy

• Help the group explore the patient-clinician relationship when issues of diversity and difference arise
• Find opportunities to help the group dig deeper
• Facilitate a group in which the clinician’s identity and personal values seem at odds

Course Overview

The Seattle Intensive is unique in that it is designed to accommodate a single group of participants led by three credentialed faculty. The conference will be held in Seattle's University District with the exact location to be shared upon registration. No lodging is provided for this conference because of its local character. 

This three-day Intensive course is designed to teach Balint group leadership technique primarily through experiential groups, supplemented by topic-focused small discussion groups and faculty panel discussions. Attendees will have ample time to present cases, practice leading a Balint group, and engage informally with other participants. Faculty-guided debriefings provide opportunities to receive feedback on participants’ practice sessions in a safe and supportive setting. Participants emerge from the course with a deeper understanding of Balint group leadership techniques and responsibilities and improved awareness of the method’s limitations and risks.

The high faculty:participant ratio makes this course well-suited to meet the needs of those new to Balint group leadership as well as those who have experience and wish to hone their skills. Each Intensive course is unique, reflecting the diversity of the faculty, attendees, and the cases offered. 

Tentative Schedule 

Course Details

Because group cohesiveness affects participants’ experience of the course, registrants are required to commit to attending all sessions and to attending each session in its entirety. Please do not plan to arrive late, leave early or miss sessions.

The Balint Leadership Intensive is a training course and is not intended as therapy. Nevertheless, Balint Group work can sometimes stir up strong feelings. Prospective registrants who are experiencing a particularly vulnerable period in their lives may want to consider participating in this training at a later date.

Cancellation Policy

Registrants wishing to cancel their registration must do so in writing by the cancellation deadline of December 11, 2026. For cancellations received by the cancellation date, $100 of the registration fee will be withheld for administrative fees and the refund will occur within 30 days of acknowledgment of cancellation. For cancellations received after the deadline, no refunds will be available. 

ABS Grievance Policy
Any concerns should be brought to the attention of Kathy Knowlton, tryekk@aol.com .

ABS Grievance Policy

Restoring the Core of Clinical Practice

2027 National Meeting of the American Balint Society

Washington University
St. Louis, Missouri 
April 14 - 16, 2027

Early Registration Deadline: December 15, 2026
Registration Closes: February 25, 2027
 

Virtual Registration 

We are pleased to announce there is a virtual option for those unable to attend in person. The Virtual Congress will provide four (4) longitudinal Balint Groups (all groups offered in Central time), as well as livestreaming of paper presentations and continuing education credit (APA and AAFP/AMA).

• Non-Member Registration: $525
• ABS Member Registration: $450
• Residents, students, fellows receive a reduced rate: $350

Tentative Schedule 

Conference Details 

Cancellation Policy

Registrants wishing to cancel their registration must do so in writing by the cancellation deadline: February 25, 2027. For cancellations received by the cancellation date, $100 of the registration fee will be withheld for administrative fees, and the refund will occur within 30 days of acknowledgment of cancellation. For cancellations received after the deadline, no refunds will be available. 

Restoring the Core of Clinical Practice

2027 National Meeting of the American Balint Society

Washington University
St. Louis, Missouri 
April 14 - 16, 2027

Early Registration Deadline: December 15, 2026
Registration Closes: February 25, 2027
 

Registration Fees

For those joining us in St. Louis, registration is limited to 50 participants.  Previous conferences have filled before the registration deadline, so early registration is strongly encouraged. 

Single Registration:
    $700 by December 15, 2026; $750 regular rate

ABS Member Registration:
    $625 by December 15, 2026; $675 regular rate

Residents, students, fellows receive a reduced rate:
    $475 with no early registration differential.

• Longitudinal Balint Group sessions.
• Paper presentations and workshops.
• Enid Balint Essay Winner Presentations.
• Continuing education credit (APA and AAFP/AMA).
• Opportunities for networking and relaxation in a beautiful environment.
• Gala dinner, two breakfasts, one lunch and daily refreshment breaks.

Tentative Schedule 

Conference Details 

Cancellation Policy

Registrants wishing to cancel their registration must do so in writing by the cancellation deadline: February 25, 2027. For cancellations received by the cancellation date, $100 of the registration fee will be withheld for administrative fees, and the refund will occur within 30 days of acknowledgment of cancellation. For cancellations received after the deadline, no refunds will be available.