Learner-centered interactive methods for improving communication skills

In the Outcomes Project, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) mandated that all medical specialties ensure that its residents develop competency in different areas, including “interpersonal and communication skills.” The Psychiatry Residency Review Committee of the ACGME fixed additional requirements for psychiatrists, who also need to demonstrate competency in CBT and four other different kinds of psychotherapy (ACGME 2000). This implies that communication and CBT are considered core skills in the curriculum of mental health providers (see Chapter 1).