The connection between psychology and public health has become narrowed in recent years, aiming at the consolidation of the profession in its commitments to the Brazilian reality. This article discusses the role of the integration of clinical psychology to Family Health Care Centers (NASFs), equipments of the Brazilian Unified Health System. Focused discussions result from supervised training courses developed by students from a public university in a small town in the interior of the Midwest. The activities take place on 5 NASFs and account for 16 weeks of theoretical and supervised intervention per semester, which have been ongoing since 2011. In the reality portrayed, teaching and learning in clinical psychology interfaced with public health have occurred between different demands: the users', understood as individuals and social environment representatives, and those of training in Psychology, compressed into imperatives linked to public policies on higher education and public health. There are considerations about the emotional cost that arises for the trainees who seek professional identity in this context. Articulating distinct needs remains a challenge to be faced and constantly reflected by professionals and clinical psychology students.
Psychologist education; Psychosocial intervention; Mental health; Public health