Using Roleplaying to Teach the Psychiatric Interview

Authors

  • TIMOTHY K. WOLFF Author
  • DEBORAH A. MILLER Author

Keywords:

Interview

Abstract

In this article, we describe a technique in which the instructor uses roleplaying with some psychodrama techniques to help third-year medical students learn the psychiatric interview. The instructor is the director and initially plays the part of a psychiatric patient, and the students perform several roles including those of the interviewers and, eventually, the patient. A survey, distributed to 46 medical students, was returned by 31 students. Through the use of a semantic differential and evaluation of other data from the survey, we concluded that the technique is a helpful and dynamic way for medical students to learn the psychiatric interview.

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Published

2025-03-14