Balint in the Animal World: Balint Groups for Veterinary Professionals

Objective Veterinary medical providers face many of the same stressors related to the therapeutic relationship that human medical providers face, and have reported high rates of emotional distress as an aspect of Veterinary practice. Balint Group work is relatively novel in Veterinary Medicine, and the Balint method has yet to be evaluated in the veterinary community. We hypothesized that applying the Balint method in veterinary medicine would be feasible and offer similar benefits to veterinary providers. Method The authors offered monthly in-person Balint groups, co-led by two American Balint Society trained leaders and evaluated feedback from Balint group attendees to determine the value and feasibility of adapting Balint groups from Human Medicine to veterinary professionals. Balint groups were offered to the veterinary community at a non-profit urban specialty and emergency hospital. During the pandemic, the group transitioned to an online format. All participants were sent an anonymous email survey to collect feedback about their experience. Results Monthly Balint Groups were offered to veterinary professionals, with traditional Balint structure and parameters and co-led by ABS trained leaders. Feedback was obtained, indicating that Balint Group discussions were helpful to Veterinarians. Conclusions Balint Groups are a useful tool for veterinary professionals and are likely to provide similar benefits to those enjoyed by human healthcare providers.