https://doi.org/10.4081/ecj.2026.14344
Interpersonal skills training for the emergency department – exploring a mentalizing approach
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Published: 20 January 2026
Patients with significant relational difficulties may present to the Emergency Department (ED) in crisis. If negative attitudes and responses arise from ED staff, this adversely impacts patients’ outcomes. There is currently no established approach to training ED staff in interpersonal skills. Mentalizing Skills (MZ Skills) is a short training course in interpersonal skills that has shown promise within mental health settings, but has not yet been explored in the ED. We therefore conducted an evaluation of MZ Skills within an ED to explore if this approach may be useful and acceptable. Outcomes were assessed using established self-report outcome scales. A hundred and seven (107) clinicians were trained in MZ Skills. From pre- to post- training, staff knowledge about mentalizing theory and practice improved (n=97; effect size 1.07); attitudes improved to a smaller degree. We suggest, pending further evaluation, that MZ skills could offer an acceptable approach for training ED staff in interpersonal dynamics.
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CRediT authorship contribution
All authors critically revised the article, gave final approval for publication, and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work. Jon Patrick led the project, conceived and designed the study, and delivered the intervention; Bernadette Gallagher collated data, carried out the statistical analysis and interpretation of data, and wrote a report on the findings; Damien Hicks carried out the statistical analysis and interpretation of data; Kate Pestell contributed to the conception and design of the work and delivered the intervention; Claire MacLean contributed to the conception and design of the work and delivered the intervention; Emma-Beth Wilson contributed to the conception and design of the work; Edward James contributed to the conception and design of the work; Benjamin Clarke: contributed to the analysis and interpretation of data; Adam Polnay contributed to the analysis and interpretation of data, and wrote the first draft of the manuscript.Supporting Agencies
Funding for the project was received from the Edinburgh & Lothians Health Foundation. Bernadette Gallagher received payment from the NHS Lothian Bank for data curation, analysis, and grant final report writing.How to Cite
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