C-L psychiatry was born in the USA in the 1920s and began to become integrated into the core of psychiatric resident training by the late 1960s. In 2004, formal subspecialty status within psychiatry was granted to it, under the designation of ‘psychosomatic medicine’. The discipline evolved not only in the USA, but also in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and in several European countries, which have developed C-L-relevant guidelines for training.

In Europe, since the creation of the European C-L Workgroup (ECLW) in 1987, the first Europe-wide C-L network, the discipline as a whole has evolved considerably. Nevertheless, there are still large discrepancies in the training standards across European countries. During postgraduate training, rotation to a C–L service is mandatory or recommended only in a small number of countries. A similar situation is present with respect to national guidelines for training in this psychiatric subspecialty. C-L psychiatry has been officially recognized as a subspecialty only in two European countries. Current C-L training requirements ranging from residency training to subspecialty additional education are presented. The effect that international training guidelines and recommendations (WPA, UEMS, EACLPP) have had on European developments is considered.

We conclude by suggesting possible measures that can be taken to support C-L psychiatry by means of training standards and of implementation of supplementary certification.