Research and clinical practice: constructing theoretical links / Pesquisa e prática clínica: construindo articula es teóricas

In this text, which was presented at the Inaugural Lecture from the Graduate Program of Developmental Psychology at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) on March 03, 2008, are discussed the links constructed by this author in the academic work as well as in the clinical practice. The history of a 36-year journey as both a professor-researcher and also as a clinical psychologist is reported here, with emphasis on the inseparable way of conceiving such functions. In this account it is explained and discussed the possibilities of articulating different theoretical-technical approaches in the clinic. The proposal for family and couple psychological assistance is a tripartite key of reading which takes into consideration the intra-psychological, the interactional and the social aspects of the aforementioned ones.