Table 2.

Thematic analysis steps taken in the study.

Thematic analysis steps	Steps undertaken for the data analysis
Familiarisation with the data	All researchers involved in the analysis phase read and re-read all three transcripts including those that were transcribed by previous student partners.
Generating initial codes	All student partners read the Braun and Clarke paper outlining the thematic analysis process to understand the coding steps. Each researcher involved in this stage independently developed codes in Nvivo. Codes per researcher ranged from 11-35. Researchers discussed code labels and refined terminology to facilitate ongoing analytic conversations across the dataset.
Generating themes	The coded data was reviewed and analysed as to how different codes may be combined into themes. Student partners and the lead researcher discussed and debated the significance of combined codes and their meaning. This process resulted in the generation of four thematic areas with several subthemes identified between researchers; Importance of MHFA - Physician mental health - Understanding patients - Moving beyond the textbooks - Stigma within healthcare settings A multicultural approach to MHFA - Using MHFA in a different culture - Utilising statistics for other countries - Supporting someone’s mental health from a different culture Building psychological safety to learn about mental health - Interactivity - Multimodal teaching and learning - Learning from each other - Open dialogue Motivation to be a MHFAider - Personal experiences
Reviewing potential themes	Transcripts were re-read by student partners and lead researcher with the candidate thematic areas in mind to ensure it matched the data in the transcripts.
Defining and naming themes	This resulted in the thematic areas being refined into three thematic areas with several sub-themes within each. Themes were carefully developed between the researcher and student partners. During theme development, codes relating to instructor-student rapport, opportunities for peer discussion, and interactive group activities appeared conceptually linked. Drawing on prior educational research experience, the lead researcher suggested psychological safety as a potential interpretive framework. The team subsequently revisited the data and determined that this concept meaningfully captured the shared pattern across these codes. The definition and naming of themes were discussed collaboratively with the research team in line with the original research questions and underlying meanings within the data.