Table 1.

Participants' select free-text comments on co-constructive patient simulation sessions

Theme	Participant	Session	Comment
Overall	P 1	6	A truly incredible learning experience and one of the most meaningful and wholehearted during my academic career. I believe this model has the potential to form one vital part of re-humanizing medical education.
	P 2	4	The debriefing session was safe and engaging, and the conversation was free and meaningful.
	P 3	3	I left thinking that this was such a fantastic experience, how could we NOT have this in our training?
Peers	P 4	1	It was so great to see how our colleagues deal with tough situations. That's not something we really ever get the chance to do.
	P 5	4	The best moment for me was when one of the interviewers forgot what time of day it was, because this was very human. It reminded me that we doctors are human, even if patients may experience us as special and incapable of making mistakes. Hopefully, in those moments, I can still join with the patient rather than beat myself up for not being perfect.
Actors	P 6	1	An actor can be only as good as the writing she is working off of. This actor was superb, and I suspect this had just as much to do with the actor as with the underlying hard work that went into the script. Thank you all!
	SP 1	3	This was an extremely illuminating experience for me as an actor. I found both interviewers to be deeply compassionate and thoughtful in their approaches. I wanted to be intentional about how I was able to best serve the character and backstory we co-wrote, while also allowing myself to be completely open and responsive to their energies and their words.
	SP 2	6	Thanks again for selecting me to portray one of the roles in this event. In total it was the most interesting experience I've had to date as an SP.
Reflection	SW 1	5	I have learned so much. From the actors, from my fellow learners, from being on both (all by now!) sides of the exercises, from the candor and depth and sincerity of everyone's contributions.
	P7	5	This simulation welcomed vulnerability on both sides, but also challenged me to be patient. These interactions bring me back to why I chose psychiatry. To be with the patient, meet them where they are, and as taught in Circle of Security, to serve as a possible base and haven for the patient. It reinforced the importance of body language and how the unspoken can be even louder than words.
Critique	P8	3	It would interesting, if timing and programming allowed, to see one person do the full 40 minutes. Either way, a wonderful experience.
	P9	6	I loved the pairing of this lecture with the content lecture that followed. I wonder if recording a mini interview (<10 minutes) replicating the case but with a faculty expert addressing the subject could be incorporated into a reinforcing content lecture.
	P10	1	Even though this was presented as not being a "gotcha!" type scenario, it ended up feeling that way. The patient actor - granted with no psychiatric background, so we wouldn't expect him to know how our job works - came off as lecturing us briefly about how we didn't figure out his secret. Otherwise, a good learning experience. It was also great to see how our colleagues interview in tough situations. That's not something we really ever get the chance to do.

Abbreviations: P = peer; SP = standardized patient; SW = script writer.