Doctors' Health Alliance
The Doctors' Health Alliance (formerly the Australasian Doctors Health Network) is an independent network of doctors' health services across Australia raising awareness about the importance of doctors’ health and wellbeing. The website is designed to bring together doctors and medical students who share an interest in the health and wellbeing of their colleagues. The site provides news and resources for promoting doctors' health, for helping your colleagues and for your own self-care, which is an essential prerequisite for competent medical practice.
Support, Insight, and Connection: The Balint Group Experience
Balint groups are small, supportive groups where healthcare professionals including doctors can reflect on their patient experiences. They provide a safe space to explore emotional and relational challenges in clinical practice.
The benefits of participating in a Balint group:
- Support: Balint groups provide a confidential environment where healthcare professionals can share challenges, fostering a sense of solidarity and reducing feelings of isolation.
- Empathy: Group discussions enhance understanding of patients’ emotions and perspectives, strengthening clinician-patient relationships.
- Burnout prevention: By offering a structured space to process complex feelings towards patients, Balint groups help alleviate emotional burdens and mitigate the risk of burnout.
- Professional growth:
Participants report increased engagement in their practice, with enhanced skills in active listening, self-reflection, and creative problem-solving.
How do they work?
Groups meet for 1½ to 2 hours, in person or online, with trained facilitators. Members share cases from practice, focusing on clinician-patient relationships. Discussions allow exploration of different perspectives and approaches.
Find out more about BalintANZ
Find a Balint group to join
Australian Doctors in Recovery
The Australian Doctors in Recovery (ADR) Group is a fellowship of medical, dental and veterinarian men and women, including students, who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from addiction, including alcoholism.
They host twice weekly meetings via Zoom as well as an annual conference.
Australian Doctors In Recovery (ADR) | There Is A Solution (idaa.org)
The Essential Network for Health Professionals
Browse the resources below to find more information about health and wellbeing for medical professionals.
Medical Benevolent Association of NSW
The Medical Benevolent Association of NSW (MBANSW)
provides confidential counselling and
short-term financial assistance to support doctors through times of crisis,
illness, accident, impairment, loss of income or grief. We assist practicing,
non-practising, retired and suspended doctors as well as final year medical
students and doctor’s families. Our financial assistance is aimed at helping
with basis living costs, through the crisis, and is normally limited to a period
of two to four months. Our counselling and social work services extend for as
long as needed. We can also refer doctors to other specialist services
including Financial Counselling, Addiction, Domestic Violence, Grief
Counselling as well as Pro-Bono Legal and Medical Insurance services. Our
services are free, confidential and independent of any regulatory body and no
referral is necessary.
Requests for assistance for
yourself or a colleague or family member, can be made by contacting our Senior
Social Workers by phone or email as indicated below.
Phone: 02 9987 0504 (ext 1)
Email: support@mbansw.org.au
Drs4Drs
Drs4Drs is an online service that coordinates health programs and education materials for doctors and medical students.
Training
Drs4Drs offers an online modular education course to help doctors who are interested in learning to care for other doctors and medical students. Register via their website to complete the training.
Free counselling
Drs4Drs can also provide doctors and medical students with up to three counselling sessions of one hour each.
Call Dr4Drs on 1300 374 377 (1300 Dr4Drs) 24/7, 365 days a year.
Drs4Drs telephone counselling service is provided by Converge International. Counsellors are based in Australia and are registered psychologists (AHPRA), qualified social workers (AASW) or qualified counsellors (ACA; PACFA). Calls are received by a person who will triage the call and explain the support options available. If the call is assessed as urgent, the caller can choose to be referred for a confidential telehealth consultation by one of the counsellors who is available at the time. If the call is not urgent, a later counselling appointment will be made.