Dr Adam Polnay is a consultant medical psychotherapist and a psychoanalytic psychotherapist. Adam works at The State Hospital (Carstairs), Scotland’s high secure forensic hospital, and is the clinical lead for the NHS Lothian Psychotherapy Department, based in Edinburgh. Both roles provide a psychodynamic clinical service, teaching and training in psychodynamic therapy and its applications, and psychodynamic reflective practice groups and consultation.

Adam graduated in pre-clinical medicine and biological anthropology from the University of Cambridge. He then worked at the Murdoch Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia, focusing on clinical genetics and community paediatrics. Following his medical training at the University of Edinburgh, Adam gained membership in the Royal College of Psychiatrists and trained in medical psychotherapy within the South-East Scotland deanery, with a particular interest in psychotherapy for forensic psychiatry settings.

Adam is an honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer with the University of Edinburgh and leads the psychodynamic training for psychiatric resident doctors in South-East Scotland. He is the main author of new textbook, The Cambridge Guide to Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (2023), published by Cambridge University Press.

Adam's blog piece, The tone that makes the music: Psychodynamics of Listening with Intent, is a short introduction to the Cambridge Guide to Psychodynamic Psychotherapy.

The layers we wear: why relational change is neither instant nor easy, published on the British Journal of General Practice website, offers an accessible guide to therapeutic change. 

My research focusses on the practical applications of psychodynamic theory and principles beyond 1:1 therapy. Healthcare in general and psychiatric settings in particular may involve complicated clinical encounters; during high-affect situations, a clinician’s reflective capacity can be challenged and there is the potential to inadvertently respond to patients in ways that may worsen the clinical situation. My research involves developing and evaluating psychodynamic approaches to working with clinicians, teams and services, with the aim of promoting clinicians’ reflective capacity and reducing the potential for unhelpful enactments.

• Psychodynamic Reflective Practice Groups
• Applied psychodynamic work with clinical staff and services
• Outcome measure development 
  • The Relational Aspects of CarE scale (TRACE) 
  • The Knowledge and Application of MBT Questionnaire 2 (KAMQ-2)

Member, International Advisory Panel, British Journal of Psychotherapy (2023-)

Awards

The Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland Research Prize (2014)

Monroe Prize for Geriatric Medicine University of Edinburgh (2005)

• GMC designated role of Psychotherapy Tutor, South-East Scotland Deanery. Lead for psychotherapeutic education and training for psychiatrists.
• Lead for Reflective Practice Group Facilitator Training, School of Forensic Mental Health