Objective: To explore the application value of experiential teaching method in clinical teaching of psychiatry and summarize the teaching experiences. Methods: 80 senior students from our psychiatric department from June 2017 to February 2018 were randomly divided into control group and observation group

40 cases in each group. The control group adopted the traditional teaching mode

while the observation group adopted the experiential teaching mode. The results of theoretical test and practical skill test were compared between the two groups

and the feedback of the two groups on clinical teaching was investigated by questionnaire. Results: There was no significant difference in the scores of theoretical test between the two groups (79.20±11.58 VS 81.60±12.51)

but the scores of clinical practice skills in the observation group (85.80±6.37) were significantly higher than those in the control group (73.40±7.60)

the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Questionnaire results show that the observation group students think that the experiential teaching method was better than the control group in improving clinical practice ability

knowledge understanding

comprehensive analysis

problem solving ability and team cooperation ability

and the experiential teaching method was more helpful for students to grasp the teaching content

improve learning efficiency and cultivate autonomy

the proportion of students who liked experiential teaching method was significantly higher than those who liked traditional teaching method. The above differences between the two groups were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: Experiential teaching method is helpful to improve students interest in learning and teaching satisfaction

improve the ability of doctor-patient communication

so as to improve the training effect of psychiatric practical skills. It is worthy of popularizing and applying.