Antonella Trotta is a Senior Lecturer in Psychotherapy at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London, and Programme Lead for the MSc in Clinical Psychotherapy. Dr Trotta trained as a Clinical Psychologist at the University of Palermo, Italy, and has worked across inpatient and outpatient mental health services in both Italy and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. She subsequently completed her psychoanalytic training at the Institute of Psychoanalysis and is a member of the British Psychoanalytical Society and the International Psychoanalytical Association.In 2015, she completed her PhD in Psychosis Studies at the IoPPN, where her research examined how genetic vulnerabilities interact with childhood adversities in individuals experiencing first‑episode psychosis. During her clinical research fellowships, Dr Trotta investigated developmental risk factors for young adult psychopathology using longitudinal twin cohort studies.From 2021 to 2025, she served as Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, Postgraduate Research Director and Athena Swan Lead in the School of Health and Social Care at the University of Essex.Dr Trotta’s research focuses on the psychobiological mechanisms through which early life experiences shape the onset and course of severe mental illness. She is also interested in how psychoanalytic theory and practice can inform the development of tailored psychological interventions for young adults.

Research Interests

• Childhood adversity and severe mental illness
• Young adulthood and developmental psychopathology
• Gene × Environment interactions in psychosis
• Psychoanalysis and psychotherapy research
• Psychological mechanisms shaping clinical outcomes

Research Groups

Collaborator Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study

Teaching

Module Lead Advanced Topics in Clinical Psychotherapy

Module lead for Research Dissertation MSc Clinical psychotherapy

Expertise and Public Engagement 

Member of the British Psychoanalytical Society

Member of the Communication Committee, European Psychoanalytic Federation

Honorary Senior Lecturer, University of Essex