Professor Peter Fonagy

Professor Peter Fonagy

The CEO of the Anna Freud Centre is Professor Peter Fonagy. He is a renowned figure in the field of psychology and psychoanalysis, with extensive academic and clinical experience. Fonagy also serves as the Head of the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences at University College London. His work primarily focuses on early attachment relationships, social cognition, and borderline personality disorder. His contributions to mental health include the development of Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT), a significant therapeutic approach for personality disorders.

Anna Freud Centre

Anna Freud is a world-leading mental health charity for children and families. Our vision is a world where all children and young people are able to achieve their full potential. A world in which they and their families get support that is designed with their input, available at the right time, and meets their needs, so that they can develop their emotional and mental health.

The Anna Freud Centre, located in London, is a renowned organization dedicated to the well-being and mental health of children, adolescents, and families. Established in 1952 by Anna Freud, daughter of Sigmund Freud, the centre has been a pioneer in the field of child psychoanalysis and psychology. Initially focused on psychoanalytic approaches, the centre has evolved over the decades to incorporate a wide range of therapeutic and research methodologies aimed at understanding and improving mental health outcomes for young people.

The centre operates as both a research institution and a provider of direct clinical services. Its work is grounded in a commitment to evidence-based practices and the integration of research findings into practical applications. The Anna Freud Centre offers various services, including clinical assessments, therapeutic interventions, and educational programs for professionals in the field of child and adolescent mental health. Additionally, it plays a significant role in policy development and advocacy, striving to influence mental health practices and policies at local, national, and international levels.

A key aspect of the centre’s mission is its focus on training and education. It provides numerous courses and workshops for mental health professionals, aiming to disseminate the latest research and best practices in child and adolescent mental health care. The Anna Freud Centre also collaborates with academic institutions, healthcare providers, and community organizations to enhance the quality and accessibility of mental health services for children and families worldwide. Through its comprehensive approach combining research, clinical practice, and education, the Anna Freud Centre continues to be a leading force in the field of mental health.

What we do

We work in collaboration with children and young people, their families and communities and mental health professionals to transform children and families’ mental health.

Our strategy

How our closing the gap strategy will support children and young people to achieve their potential.

Our Patron

Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales is a Patron of Anna Freud.

Our mission

Our mission is to close the gap in wellbeing and mental health by advancing, translating, delivering and sharing the best science and practice with everyone who impacts the lives of children and families. We will achieve this in three ways:

1. Closing gaps in science. We will work to understand and tackle the root causes of mental illness, confronting how and why mental health problems emerge in children and young people– and understanding their nature and impact. We will approach gaps in the science as a collaborative project, listening to lived experience and widening public participation in research to help achieve scientific breakthroughs.
2. Closing gaps in implementation. We will design, test and expand new approaches, interventions and models. We will improve the effectiveness of how help is experienced by children, families and communities. We will help to transform the systems around them – designing the architecture, making the connections and improving how all those involved work together to maximise their impact, so that access to help does not depend on social, ethnic or economic background or geographic location.
3. Closing gaps in access to knowledge. We will distil, translate and disseminate knowledge about what works. We will build tools, provide training and host peer support networks for parents, carers, professionals and policy makers – growing the confidence, skills and understanding of everyone who has an impact on the lives of children and families.

Our values

• Compassion. We strive to empathise with the experiences and feelings of others, reflecting constantly and with humility to honour the trust we are given.
• Inclusivity. Children, young people, and their families are at the heart of everything we do. We listen and learn from them, and from those who support them in education, social care and health, and across statutory, voluntary and community services.
• Collaboration. We maximise our impact by working in partnership with others, learning from them and sharing our knowledge, expertise and experience.
• Creativity. We are imaginative in how we build new understanding, strengthen relationships and develop our skills as the foundation of excellent practice.
• Equity. We strive for fairness and adjust our approach to help towards addressing the inequalities that exist in society today, recognising that not everyone starts in the same place. Read more about our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Courage. We experiment and pioneer, accepting that we will sometimes get things wrong, and that is part of how we learn.
• Integrity. We act with honesty and integrity, guided by evidence, while keeping in mind what science cannot tell us.

These values will underpin everything we do, our external and internal relationships, our programmes and organisational structure.