Facilitated Learning Groups: an initiative to enhance psychiatric training in South Australia.

Abstract

Facilitated Learning Groups (FLGs) were introduced by the South Australian Psychiatry Branch Training Committee in 2016 to provide support for trainees. These incorporated Balint group principles but also had roles that extended beyond a traditional Balint group. This paper reports an evaluation of these groups after their first 12 months. An evaluation form was sent to all trainee participants, seeking quantitative and qualitative feedback about their experience. The majority of trainees found the FLGs to be beneficial. A thematic analysis of the written feedback revealed several key benefits for the participants, including having access to a senior psychiatrist who was outside of training and supervision, mixing with trainees across years and regions, and the capacity to discuss difficult work environments. A forum for trainees to develop reflective practice and discuss challenging issues, which is not involved in their assessment, was experienced positively by the majority of participants and should be considered for wider adoption across Australia and New Zealand.