ABSTRACT
Family doctors are just as acutely exposed to powerful emotions but they are expected to work without the safety net of supervision. Perhaps the time has come for them to provide mentoring or supervision for all doctors as a basic necessity. Balint groups were originally always led by psychoanalysts and, although this is no longer the case, there is still a shortage of general practitioners (GPs) with sufficient experience to lead a group. Groups also need members and, although Michael Balint's work is widely known and respected, GPs have never rushed to join groups in large numbers. Balint groups are used in some vocational training programmes in this country, in Europe and the USA. It is difficult to prove that Balint training for doctors improves the quality of care for their patients. Personal therapy is not part of the training curriculum for family doctors as it is for counsellors and psychotherapists, although some might argue that it should be.
