Training in communication skills is a vital part of medical education worldwide and essential for psychiatrists, with poor communication often cited as a key contributing factor in healthcare complaints. Simulation training is a rapidly developing educational modality, and educationalists need to be aware of its possible uses and pitfalls in teaching communications skills in psychiatry. By exploring the advantages and disadvantages of the use of simulation training as a method of teaching communication skills in psychiatry, this article demonstrates a clear consensus in the literature that, while there are a number of difficulties to be overcome in simulation training, these are outweighed by the clear educational gains..... To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.