SEMINAR TRAINING FOR CONTRACEPTIVE CARE – THE SEMINAR
Balint (1957) was the pioneer of the study of interactions between doctors and patients, and his group training methods have been used widely. Originally, the groups were led by psychoanalysts who were not themselves general practitioners, and whose concern was not the teaching of general practice, but the running of a group where problems met by general practitioners could be studied. Within the Institute of Psychosexual Medicine, Main has extended Balint’s ideas by training doctors experienced in psychosexual medicine, who are not themselves psychoanalysts, to be the leaders of groups where the question of psychosomatic sexuality can be studied.
The method of training is based on case discussion of the member’s ongoing clinical work, and is aimed at developing skills rather than instilling knowledge (Main, 1983). Group members may be disappointed at the length of time it takes to acquire new attitudes and skills. It is important to stress that these groups are not for supervision, where members come for advice about what to do with their patients, but opportunities to think afresh about what is going on in the consultation. The responsibility for the management of the patient remains with the doctor at all times.
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