Workshops are used in many psychiatric teaching and learning contexts, from undergraduate to continuing professional development. Most psychiatrists have at some time attended a workshop. However, the terms workshop, tutorial and small-group teaching are used indiscriminately. It is therefore important to reflect on what characterises a workshop, the learning theories behind their development and what learning needs workshops best meet. We give an outline of the evidence for workshops in medical education and review the principles governing how to conduct workshops and the use of technology to enhance their delivery. Data collected from an undergraduate psychiatry course delivered in an Irish university are used to illustrate how applying these principles contributes to optimising the use of workshops from both the learners’ and facilitators’ perspective.

The General Medical Council suggests that leadership skills are a core requirement for all doctors. The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement goes further, stating that doctors have not only an intrinsic leadership role but also a responsibility to contribute to the effective running of healthcare organisations. The Medical Leadership Competency Framework (MLCF) outlines a structure with domains, elements and competency outcomes, all of which are clearly spelled out with examples and methods of learning for different stages of a medical career. The revised curriculum for postgraduate training in psychiatry contains many aspects of the MLCF, both complementing and supplementing its emphasis on the development of personal qualities and skills. This article highlights this approach and describes how the development of leadership and management skills fits with the current structures for 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.

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing unprecedented rates of unemployment. Poorer mental health is a cause and a consequence of unemployment, and job seekers with poorer mental health remain unemployed for longer. The review in this month's Cochrane Corner aimed to evaluate the effects of health-improving interventions on job seeker's re-employment rates. This commentary critically evaluates the review and explores the relevance of its findings.

Effective communication skills are essential for all healthcare professionals. Specialist teaching on communicating with people with intellectual disabilities is often lacking, resulting in poorer healthcare and worse outcomes than in the general population. Working with professionally trained actors with intellectual disabilities, we developed an interprofessional workshop that sought to provide authentic communication skills training to enable healthcare students from various disciplines to communicate effectively with patients of all abilities. In a survey, students reported that they found the workshops rewarding and confidence-building, and that they learnt more about the roles of their interprofessional colleagues.

Clinical formulation was introduced in its present form a little over 30 years ago and is, in essence, a concise summary of the origins and nature of a person's problems, together with opinion on what may go wrong in the future and what steps should be taken to improve matters. In our article we discuss how, in recent times, the task of preparing a clinical formulation has rightly become a multidisciplinary exercise involving the whole clinical team and, even more important, that nowadays the patient – the subject of the clinical formulation – together with their carers should also be actively involved in the process and feel some ownership of the conclusions and decisions. In addition, we compare these developments in clinical formulation with similar developments, arising for the same reasons, in clinical teaching and education.

Health Education England's 2014 report Broadening the Foundation Programme has led to a rapid increase in the number of psychiatry placements for foundation doctors. This will have implications for existing psychiatrists in that they will start to teach, train and supervise foundation doctors. This article outlines how to develop high-quality foundation posts and how to support doctors in meeting the foundation curriculum competencies, which include experience of working in multidisciplinary teams and developing communication skills. The knowledge and skills gained in psychiatry placements will be valuable to all doctors, no matter what their future career intentions.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of lifelong neurodevelopmental disorders characterised by difficulties in social interactions and social communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviours. Relative to the general population, individuals with ASDs are likely to be overrepresented in secure psychiatric care and custodial settings. Outcomes vary and can be problematic in the context of co-occurring intellectual disability, psychiatric disorder and challenging behaviours. To date, there is little in the way of specialised clinical guidance on the prescription of psychotropic medicines for individuals with ASDs, particularly information on any differences in efficacy and/or tolerability of specific medications. This review summarises the key research to date on the prescription of psychotropic medication in ASD with and without comorbid psychiatric or neurodevelopmental disorders, within the context of the existing clinical guidance. Some critical analysis is provided to aid clinicians in following a safe, effective and individualised approach to prescribing for people with ASDs.

Psychiatrists have a role in teaching all medical undergraduates and foundation year doctors generic skills to become good doctors, but they also have to appeal to and nurture the interests of future psychiatrists by maintaining core psychiatric skills/knowledge in their teaching. They must tackle poor recruitment to psychiatry and stigma against both the profession and its patients. Medical students and junior doctors tend to be strategic learners, motivated by passing assessments, and psychiatrists are often guilty of gearing their teaching only to this. This article explores the assessment process itself and ways to optimise it, and presents a case for going beyond teaching how to pass exams in order to address wider issues relating to psychiatry.

Journal clubs are a mandatory aspect of psychiatric training in the UK, yet are not always seen as a stimulating experience. Clarifying the aim of the club and tailoring it to the needs and wishes of the audience is an essential step. Teaching skills in critical appraisal is often seen as the main purpose of journal clubs. Depending on the audience, being able to formulate questions from clinical dilemmas, search the literature, and integrate research evidence, clinical expertise and the patient's needs and wishes may be as important. Linking these tasks in the journal club with routine clinical practice increases the chances of changing attitudes and behaviour and thus influencing care. New approaches to using social media and online formats mean that journal clubs are no longer restricted to a particular place or time, although the social aspect of meeting colleagues continues to be important for many.

We outline benefits and problems of introducing internet-based approaches (e.g. e-learning, social networking) into journal clubs. We also look at potential risks to the continuing existence of clubs posed by the changing health economy and the move in psychiatry from clinical medicine to community care. Overall, we are optimistic for the journal club's survival.

Although mentoring has been widely accepted as a support mechanism for newly appointed consultants, there are many other applications of coaching and mentoring that are less widely appreciated, such as in the development of leadership skills or in having coaching conversations with trainees to facilitate learning. This article summarises some of the basic principles and practices of coaching and mentoring, with a focus on useful knowledge for psychiatric trainers. It describes some of the qualities and skills needed in a coach or mentor; the use of questioning techniques and models; and how the coach or mentor needs an awareness of the importance of the contract in the coaching and mentoring relationship, of the role of coaching or mentoring supervision, and of the ability to evaluate coaching or mentoring. It also discusses some of the organisational context, challenges and opportunities of embedding coaching and mentoring more deeply into the work culture. It is argued that coaching and mentoring as supportive interventions have not been prioritised in the National Health Service in the same way that they have been in the private business sector, where performance and financial success are measurably increased by these techniques.

Mentoring is becoming increasingly recognised as a tool for supporting the junior workforce and for helping trainees to achieve their full potential. In this article we explore the benefits and barriers to mentoring in psychiatry from a trainee's perspective, and highlight differences between the role of a mentor and clinical and educational supervisor.

Training in neuroscience is vital to the future of psychiatry as a medical specialty. Trainees and trainers alike demonstrate a desire to keep up to date with developments in the associated scientific fields. Neuroscience increasingly underpins clinical assessments, treatment options and patients’ expectations. Psychiatry training in the UK can embrace neuroscience at many levels, from discussing patient presentations with supervisors, to teaching programmes supported by the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ activities. Although challenges remain, neuroscience literacy enhances the specialty and will improve patient care.