BalintANZ Board 2025-26
Meredith Waugh - President
Gold Coast Qld
Meredith is a social worker, psychologist and psychoanalytic psychotherapist in part-time private practice. She first participated in a Balint group at the Hobart Intensive Workshop in 2017 and has been leading Balint groups since 2021. Currently, she is on the Leadership Accreditation Pathway.
Leonie Sullivan - Vice President
Sydney NSW
Leonie Sullivan is a Training and Supervising Psychoanalyst and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist. She has been involved in Balint work for over 40 years and is a founding member for both the Australian and New Zealand Society as well as the Chinese Balint Federation. She is an accredited Leader and Leader Trainer, running groups privately as well as in the public health system.
Daniel Brass - Immediate Past President
Melbourne VIC
Daniel is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist in private practice in Melbourne. He participated in a Balint group as a first year medical student and then throughout medical and specialist training.
Sheila O'Neill - Treasurer
Canberra ACT
Sheila has a background in General Practice with a particular interest in women’s health. Her current focus is on medical education and the doctor/patient relationship. She first participated in a Balint group in 1998 with Gregorio Kohon and has been co-leading online Balint groups for GPs since 2020.
Ethel Tillinger - Secretary
Melbourne VIC
Ethel Tillinger is a psychologist, psychotherapist in part-time private practice with over 30 years clinical experience. She has been leading Balint groups for mental health professionals and GP’s since 2012. She is currently training in group analytic psychotherapy with the Australian Association of Group Psychotherapists and is on the Balint Leader Trainer Accreditation Pathway.
Claudia Gross - Chair of Training
Auckland NZ
Penny Woods
Auckland NZ
Penny is a New Zealand psychiatrist with a longstanding interest in psychotherapy. She has been leading Balint groups for psychiatry registrars since 2019 and co-leads a monthly Balint group for other health practitioners.
Navita Mysore
Melbourne VIC
Navita is a psychiatrist, psychotherapist and executive coach with a background in public mental health and medical administration. With a focus on occupational violence and workplace safety, she first engaged in Balint method in 2016 and at present is helping to expand its role in creating safer and sustainable workplaces in all industries.
Rutger de Ridder
Whangãrei NZ
Rutger works as private and locum psychiatrist in Auckland and Whangārei, Aotearoa-New Zealand. Rutger registered in the Netherlands as psychiatrist-psychotherapist in 2002 with special interest in individual and group-treatment of complex PTSD. He has experience leading Balint Groups in the context of training psychiatry registrars in psychodynamic psychotherapy and Balint Group work with medical staff in various general hospital settings. His work experience includes psychodynamic group-psychotherapy, dialectical behaviour therapy, mindfulness practice groups and Kaupapa Māori.