Dr Nicolás Lorenzini

Clinical Psychologist | Psychoanalyst | Researcher | Attachment & Mentalization

About Dr Nicolás Lorenzini

Dr Nicolás Lorenzini is a clinical psychologist, psychoanalyst and researcher whose academic and clinical work focuses particularly on attachment, mentalization and their applications within contemporary psychological and psychotherapeutic practice.

He holds an MSc in Psychoanalysis and a PhD from University College London (UCL), and his research interests include attachment, mentalization, personality, psychological development and clinical practice.

Nicolás has published and presented internationally on attachment theory, mentalization, reflective functioning, epistemic trust, personality, trauma and psychological interventions.

He has been closely involved with the International Attachment Network for many years and currently serves as a Director and Trustee of IAN UK.

Areas of Expertise

Attachment theory
Mentalization and reflective functioning
Epistemic trust
Psychoanalysis and psychotherapy
Personality and personality disorders
Trauma and mentalization
Adolescent mental health
Parenting and family interventions
Clinical research and psychological interventions

Selected Research & Publications

Dr Nicolás Lorenzini has published internationally on attachment theory, mentalization, personality, trauma, psychological development and clinical interventions. His research includes collaborations with Professor Peter Fonagy and other international researchers working across attachment, mentalization and developmental psychopathology.

Attachment, Mentalization & Personality

Attachment and Personality Disorders: A Short Review
Lorenzini, N. & Fonagy, P. (2013). FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry, 11, 155–166.

Apego y Trastornos de la Personalidad
Lorenzini, N. & Fonagy, P. (2014). Mentalización, Revista de Psicoanálisis y Psicoterapia, 2.

Development, Attachment and Childhood Experiences
Fonagy, P., Bateman, A., Lorenzini, N. & Campbell, C. (2014). In J. M. Oldham, A. E. Skodol & D. S. Bender (Eds.), The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Personality Disorders, 2nd ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.

Why Are We Interested in Attachment?
Fonagy, P., Lorenzini, N., Campbell, C. & Luyten, P. (2014). In P. Holmes & S. Farnfield (Eds.), Attachment: Theory, Assessments and Interventions. London: Routledge.

Using the Attachment Network Q-sort for Profiling One’s Attachment Style
Kamperman, A. M., Kooiman, C. G., Lorenzini, N., Stein, H., Aleknaviciute, J., Allen, J. G. & Fonagy, P. (2020). PLoS ONE, 15(9), e0237576.

Development, Attachment, and Childhood Experiences
Fonagy, P., Bateman, A., Lorenzini, N. & Campbell, C. (2021). In A. E. Skodol & J. M. Oldham (Eds.), American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Personality Disorders, 3rd ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.

The Functional Domain of Self-Other Regulation
Lorenzini, N., Fonagy, P. & Luyten, P. (2021). In Depression and Personality Dysfunction: An Integrative Functional Domains Perspective. Santiago: Springer.

Validation of the Operationalised Psychodynamic Diagnosis – Short Questionnaire for the Measurement of Personality Structure
Lorenzini, N., de la Parra, G., Dagnino, P., Gomez-Barris, E., Crempien, C. & Ehrenthal, J. C. (2021). BMC Psychology, 9, 139.

Mentalization, Trauma & Clinical Practice

Exploring the Hidden Mind
Fonagy, P. & Lorenzini, N. (2014). Psychology Review, 19(3), 2–4.

A Randomised Controlled Trial of Mentalization-Based Treatment versus Structured Clinical Management for Patients with Comorbid Borderline Personality Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder
Bateman, A., O’Connell, J., Lorenzini, N., Gardner, T. & Fonagy, P. (2016). BMC Psychiatry, 16(1), 304.

Mentalizing and Its Role in Processing Political Trauma
Lorenzini, N., Campbell, C. & Fonagy, P. (2018). In B. Huppertz (Ed.), Traumatized People: Psychotherapy Seen Through the Lens of Diverse Specialist Treatments. Berlin: Rowman.

El rol de la mentalización en el procesamiento del trauma causado por la violencia y represión del estado: la confianza epistémica
Lorenzini, N. (2021). Aperturas Psicoanalíticas.

Mentalizing Theory and Its Clinical Applications
Lorenzini, N. (2024). In Y. Shapiro (Ed.), Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Global Perspective, pp. 251–270. Hauppauge, NY: Nova.

Parenting, Mental Health & Psychological Interventions

Long-Term Outcomes of Psychological Interventions on Children and Young People’s Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Pilling, S., Fonagy, P., Allison, E., Barnett, P., Campbell, C., Constantinou, M., et al. (2020). PLoS ONE, 15(11), e0236525.

Preliminary Real-World Evaluation of an Intervention for Parents of Adolescents: The Open Door Approach to Parenting Teenagers (APT)
Desatnik, A., Jarvis, C., Hickin, N., Taylor, L., Trevatt, D., Tohme, P. & Lorenzini, N. (2020). Journal of Child and Family Studies.

Experiencia del personal sanitario durante la primera ola de Covid-19 en España: un estudio cualitativo con grupos focales
Orgaz, P., Rodriguez Vega, B., Bayón, C., Palao, A., Lorenzini, N. & González Torres, M. A. (2022). Revista de la Asociación Española de Especialistas en Medicina del Trabajo, 31(2), 155–166.

What Helps the Helpers? Resilience and Risk Factors for General and Profession-Specific Mental Health Problems in Psychotherapists During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Zerban, M., Puhlmann, L. M. C., Lassri, D., Fonagy, P., Montague, P. R., Kiselnikova, N., Lorenzini, N., Desatnik, A., Kalisch, R. & Nolte, T. (2023). Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1272199.

Universal Parenting Interventions for Parents of Adolescents: A Systematic Review
Desatnik, A., Kluvitse, S., Francis, L., Crawford, B., Lorenzini, N. & Fonagy, P. J Child Fam Stud 35, 870–890 (2026)

Resilience and Mentalizing as Distinct Moderators of Psychological Protection: A Study on Mental Health Workers During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Zavlis, O., Lassri, D., Desatnik, A., Lorenzini, N., Kiselnikova, N., Fonagy, P., et al. (2025). Journal of Affective Disorders, 390, 119776.

Peter Fonagy: Profile & Interview

Semblanza de Peter Fonagy
Lorenzini, N. (2013). Temas de Psicoanálisis, 5.

Entrevista a Peter Fonagy. Un psicoanalista del Siglo XXI
Lorenzini, N. (2013). Temas de Psicoanálisis, 5.

Research Under Review

The following research has been submitted for publication and is listed separately from Nicolás’s published work.

Concurrent and Predictive Validity of the Current View Tool in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
Lorenzini, N. & Desatnik, A. Submitted to Journal of Personality Assessment.Selected Research & Publications

Conferences and Keynotes

2013 – University College London
Adolescents and virtual realities: The attachment perspective.
2015 – MIDAP, Santiago, Chile
Latest advances in theory and practice of mentalization.
2016 – Universidad de Deusto, Bilbao
Practical seminar on mentalizing with Peter Fonagy and Nicolás Lorenzini.
2018 – International Attachment Network, London
Epistemic Trust.
2019 – Manchester Institute of Psychotherapy
The Faces of Insecure Attachment, as part of IAN Training in Attachment.
2019 – Centro Atenea, Madrid
Attachment, Mentalization, Reflective Function and Epistemic Trust, as part of IAN Training in Attachment.
2020 – IAN India & Pakistan
Mentalization-Based Treatment and Borderline Personality Disorder.
2021 – Centro Atenea, Madrid
Attachment and Mentalization, as part of IAN Training in Attachment.
2022 – ADP-CETS Annual National Conference, Zaragoza
Keynote: Adolescent Attachment and Mentalizing.

Selected Poster Presentations

Dr Nicolás Lorenzini has presented research at professional and academic conferences on mentalization-based treatment and mental health care. Selected poster presentations include:

A Programme of Studies to Establish the Feasibility of a Randomised Controlled Trial for Mentalization-Based Treatment for Antisocial Personality Disorder
Bateman, A., Yakeley, J., McGauley, G., O’Connell, J., Gardner, T., Lorenzini, N. & Fonagy, P.
3rd International Conference on Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT), Université de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland, February 2016.

Mental Health Care in Emergency Departments (MHED): Qualitative Data Analysis
Moore, A., Lorenzini, N., Stafford, M., et al., & Fonagy, P.
London’s Mental Health Crisis Care Summit, NHS, February 2016.

Mental Health Care in Emergency Departments (MHED): Qualitative Data Analysis
Moore, A., Lorenzini, N., Davies, R., et al., & Fonagy, P.
Royal College of Psychiatrists, May 2016.Poster Presentations

Professional Roles & Associations

Director and Trustee, International Attachment Network UK (IAN UK)
April 2024 – present

Vice-President, International Association for the Development and Study of Mentalization (AIEDEM)
October 2013 – present

Former Member of the Executive Committee and Chair of the Training Committee, International Attachment Network UK (IAN UK)
June 2016 – April 2024