Communication skills training in psychiatry

Good communication skills are the basis of all effective doctor-patient relationships, and psychiatrists in particular have to manage many types of complex interaction. Research shows the benefits of communication skills training. This article describes strategies for teaching relevant clinical communication skills to trainee psychiatrists on MRCPsych courses and in local centres. The authors set out a sustainable training framework using higher trainees as tutors. There is a need for more widespread teaching of clinical communication skills in psychiatry and at an early stage of specialist training. LEARNING OBJECTIVES After reading this article you will be able to: recognise the importance of communication skills in psychiatric training understand how to deliver clinical communication skills training on exam courses and in local teaching provide constructive feedback on clinical communication skills to trainees and medical students, either in groups or individually.