Research, clinical practice, and the human experience: putting the pieces together

The work of the clinician and that of the researcher are presented as representing 2 cultures that cannot exist without each other. A third culture is described to reflect the common human experience of death and grief that invariably informs the work of both clinicians and researchers. At different times in our lives we can be both the subjects and the objects of the work in which we are involved. The author's experience as co-principal investigator with the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Child Bereavement Study and the application of qualitative research is used to exemplify these ideas and demonstrate how the cultures can be integrated.