Professor Peter FonagyAcademic

Professor of Contemporary Psychoanalysis and Developmental Science; Head of the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences

University College London (UCL)

University College London (UCL) is based in Holborn and St Pancras (London)

Cited in UK press coverage of health & social care

2 citations

Across 2 topics, first on 27 Aug 2026.

Biography

Professor Peter Fonagy CBE is a clinical psychologist and Professor of Contemporary Psychoanalysis and Developmental Science at University College London, where he heads the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences. He serves as the Government's National Clinical Advisor on Children and Young People's Mental Health, and from December 2025 has chaired the Health Secretary's independent clinical review into mental health, ADHD and autism services, with findings expected in summer 2026. Until September 2024 he was Chief Executive of the Anna Freud Centre, London, and now holds Honorary President status there. His research centres on early attachment relationships, mentalization, and the development of evidence-based psychological therapies for borderline personality disorder, self-harm and aggression. He has published over 500 scientific papers and is a Fellow of the British Academy, the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Academy of Social Sciences.

References

1.Review launched into mental health, ADHD and autism services – GOV.UK — Confirms Fonagy as Chair of the independent review, his role as National Clinical Advisor on Children and Young People's Mental Health, and the review's scope and timeline.
2.UCL academic to lead review into mental health, autism and ADHD services – UCL News — Confirms Fonagy's UCL affiliation and dual role as clinical psychologist and National Clinical Advisor.
3.Professor Peter Fonagy CBE – NIHR ARC North Thames — Confirms current role as Head of UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, National Clinical Advisor, visiting professorships, NIHR Senior Investigator appointments, NICE chairmanships, and fellowship honours.
4.Academy Fellows recognised in King's 2024 Birthday Honours – Academy of Social Sciences — Confirms CBE awarded in King's 2024 Birthday Honours for services to mental health care for children and young people.

Expertise

Cited on

Stated areas of expertise

Children and young people's mental health
ADHD and autism services policy
Attachment theory and mentalization
Evidence-based psychological therapies
Mental health workforce and service design
Early intervention and prevention

Notable achievements

Appointed Chair of the Government's independent clinical review into mental health, ADHD and autism services, launched by Health Secretary Wes Streeting in December 2025. Source ↗
Awarded CBE in the King's 2024 Birthday Honours for services to mental health care for children and young people. Source ↗
In 2015, became the first UK recipient of the British Academy Wiley Prize for Outstanding Achievements in Psychology by an international scholar. Source ↗
Co-developed mentalization-based treatment (MBT) for borderline personality disorder, now incorporated into NICE guidelines (CG78). Source ↗
Appointed twice as a Senior Investigator by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Source ↗
Chaired two NICE Guideline Development Groups and chaired the Outcomes Measurement Reference Group at the Department of Health.

What they’ve said

“We will examine the evidence with care – from research, from people with lived experience and from clinicians working at the frontline of mental health, autism and ADHD services – to understand, in a grounded way, what is driving rising demand.”
clinical psychologist at University College London specialising in child mental health · Mental health · 27 Aug 2026 · Wes Streeting orders review of mental health diagnoses as benefit claims soar ↗
“Last December, we asked clinical psychologist Professor Peter Fonagy to lead an independent review, examining the prevalence of - and support for - ADHD, autism, and mental health conditions.”
Clinical psychologist leading independent review · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Autism and ADHD care complaints more than triple in five years in England ↗

Source references

Wes Streeting orders review of mental health diagnoses as benefit claims soartheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
Autism and ADHD care complaints more than triple in five years in Englandtheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Contact & links

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.

Professors, researchers and think-tank analysts quoted on the strength of their research rather than a clinical role. Citations are counted by an automated scan of UK press coverage and may be incomplete. Roles, biographies and contact details are researched and human-reviewed before they appear here; anything not yet reviewed is simply absent rather than shown unverified. See the methodology for how this page is built, or email contact@bridgeheadcommunications.com to correct anything on it.