Spring Balint Weekend 2026 - Whalley Abbey

Refresh your enthusiasm!

Revive your empathy!

Resource yourself!

Come to understand your feelings and work more effectively!

Come to the Balint Spring Weekend Workshops at Whalley Abbey, Lancashire - 6th to 8th February 2026

The Balint Spring Weekend is a residential weekend based at the peaceful & comfortable conference house of Whalley Abbey on the Banks of the River Calder in the grounds of the ruined abbey. Non-residential places are available.

Time will be spent in case discussion groups in which doctors, psychotherapists, counsellors, nurses, other allied health professionals, medical, nursing and other students can share and explore their feelings about their patients in the safety of small groups. For those who already have Balint group experience and who want to learn, practice & improve their group leadership skills there will be a Balint Leaderhip group which will run concurrently.  

On Saturday morning there will be a talk for which the speaker will be identified later.

Saturday afternoon is free to give you time to explore locally, eg the abbey ruins, gardens, riverside path & village or to visit the market town of Clitheroe with its castle or Pendle Hill with its Quaker and witchcraft connections.

Whalley has a railway station with connections to Manchester and is only 20 minutes from the motorway network. Coming from down south, you may be best catching a train to Preston and then getting a taxi. 

Options for Attendance: 

"All-In" residential price includes wholesome food and comfortable en-suite accommodation from Friday evening meal to Sunday Lunch inclusive. Please note that bedrooms at Whalley Abbey are limited in number so please book early to avoid disappointment.

"Non-residential" places are available and include lunch. There is the option to add on evening meals if required. See booking.com for nearby accommodation to book yourself. 

Bursaries are available for those earning less than £18,000 per annum. Please contact the Treasurer, Dr Ann Evans finance@balintsociety.org.uk to discuss this.

"Student Places" we are offering a limited number of subsidised places for medical, nursing and other students from professions involved in one to one relationships with patients, clients or pupils. You should have some clinical / practical face to face experience so that you have cases to discuss. The subsidised rate is £70 for members (membership of the Balint Society for students is £20 a year). This is a non-residential rate. . Please note that this subsidy only applies to students undertaking their initial training, not postgraduate studies. If you wish to attend the conference as a student you must first apply in writing via email to katherineburn@hotmail.com providing details of the course you are on and the name of your medical school or university.  Your application must be approved before you complete your registration.

Discount for Balint Society Members is £60 against the fees shown below. 

Members will be sent a discount code via email. Please contact the administrator@balintsociety.org.uk if you have not received your discount code.

Certificates and PPD - 9 hours

Event Timetable:

Please find the timetable here:  2026 Programme

Leadership Experience - Please state your previous Balint group experience if any. Please state if you are on the Balint group leadership accreditation pathway & if you have any experience of leading Balint groups. The groups available will be a ‘Case Discussion Group’ and a ‘Leadership Group’.

Cancellation by a Delegate

The Balint Society tries to make events cost neutral, so our cancellation policy aims to ensure that we cover our costs, but no more. Cancellation requests should be sent in writing to Balint Events.  Cancellation requests received 4 weeks before an event start date will be refunded in full.  After this date the following cancellation policy will apply:

Where no venue costs are incurred by the Society, the fee paid minus the Balint Society Administration charge of £25.00 will be made. For payments made by bank transfer, the bank account name and number must be included with the cancellation request so that the refund can be arranged.

Where venue costs attributable to a delegate are incurred, this amount plus the Balint Society Administration charge of £25.00 will be deducted from the fee paid before a refund is issued. For very late cancellations, this may mean that no refund is possible as the Society will be committed to pay the venue. 

In the case of payment by Trusts, an alternative delegate may be sent to the event free of charge.

Please note that when a delegate does not attend, no refund can be issued. In the circumstance that the event has to be cancelled by us, the Balint Society will provide a full refund to delegates.

Occasionally it is necessary to make late changes to an event programme and the Society reserves the right to do this.

If the event is cancelled for reasons without our control, such as the event being under-subscribed, we will refund the fee but will not be liable for any expenses incurred by you in making arrangements to attend the event. 

Delegates must ensure that their place on the Balint event has been confirmed before booking travel and accommodation.