Dr. Helen Allan, from the Centre for Research in Nursing and Midwifery Education, at the European Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, has been invited to accept the position of President of the Association of Psychosexual Nursing.

This is an organisation of practising nurses, who use Balint Seminars to reflect and develop clinical nursing and work mainly in the field of women's health. The Balint approach is based on the assumption that the psyche and the soma, or the mind and body, are intimately connected in patients' symptoms and experiences of health and illness. There are four regional Balint seminar groups as well as a national meeting twice a year to reflect on case material in Balint seminars.

The Association welcomes members from all areas of nursing and NHS clinical practice such as physiotherapists.

This group is seen as central to two areas of future development for the Centre at Surrey: firstly, emotions and learning and secondly women's health and midwifery. A research report into learning through emotions was undertaken in 2003 by Dr Jan Savage entitled Emotions in Practice: A study of Balint seminar training as experiential learning for qualified nurses'. It is published through the RCN Institute and available on the RCN website.

The following comments have been made about the contribution of the Association's work through the Balint Seminars to nursing practice by members and attendees at the seminars:

--'I find that developing my skills in psychosexual awareness has also improved my skills with all my patients. I reflect more on all aspects of the nurse/patient relationship and listen to my own feelings in the encounters. I think my patients are benefiting as a result.'

--'I have a sense of surprise when we discover what is going on here and how we can manage the difficult and painful situation.'

--'I do not believe I would still be working in these very intimate and emotional areas if not supported by (Balint psychosexual) seminar work'.

--'The support gained from my colleagues in the seminar group was crucial to my professional development.'