Fiona Yassin is the International Program Director at The Wave, holding multiple credentials including being a registered Psychotherapist and Accredited Clinical Supervisor in both the U.K. and UNCG (Registration number #361609 National and International Council of Psychotherapists). She is EMDR trained (EMDRIA) and practices as a Trauma therapist (Registration number #10000054651).
Fiona’s expertise includes being a member of the International Chapter of IAEDP, with training in CBTe (Oxford Group), FREED (King’s College, London), TF-CBT, RO-DBT, and GPM. Her specializations cover the treatment of Eating Disorders and Borderline Personality Disorder, as well as families in High Conflict Divorces and Psychiatry across the female lifespan.
Additionally, Fiona holds the distinction of being a Fellow of APPCH, a senior accredited Addiction Professional, and a member of The Association of Child Protection Professionals. She is also trained in MBT (Child and Family and Adult) and Reflective Parenting with The Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families, and is a Member of The Australia and New Zealand Eating Disorders Association.
Fiona holds an MSc in Neuroscience and Mental Health awarded by King’s College London, where she received The Dean’s Award. She is currently completing an MSc in Psychiatry at Cardiff University Medical School and is a PhD Candidate in Mental Health Research at Lancaster University. Outside of her professional pursuits, she enjoys spending time with her three cats, going for long walks on the beach, and appreciating the beautiful animals in her garden.
Many young people in Jakarta experience challenges with their mental health. However, most of those with mental health disorders aren’t receiving treatment. There are many barriers to mental health care, including service availability and busy schedules. But one of the most important is a tendency to not seek help in the first place.
Oman is a high-income country in the Gulf region – and most of its population is young. But, while mental health problems are common among adolescents and young adults, specialist services are lacking. There are very few institutions that offer mental healthcare to young people and many internal and external barriers to seeking help.
Relationships are a core dimension of BPD traits and experiences. Young people with BPD often experience a fear of abandonment that leads to intense, close partnerships and sudden breakups. They may switch between seeing a friend or romantic partner as ‘all good’ and ‘all bad’, creating volatility and instability.
Mental health disorders like anorexia nervosa and borderline personality disorder are common among young people in Kuwait. For parents, seeing a young person face challenges in their mental health can cause stress, anxiety, sadness, and frustration. It’s not easy to know how to act or when to reach out for support.
Identifying and treating anorexia as soon as possible is crucial to effective treatment and recovery. Without timely treatment, children can experience serious and long-term harm to their mental and physical health. This means that it’s really important to look out for the signs of anorexia in pre-teens as well as adolescents and seek professional support if there are any concerns.
Social isolation and loneliness may cause young people to become more inward-focused and preoccupied with their body shape and weight. Meaningful social relationships are important in creating a sense of perspective and self-worth. Relationships help young people understand the many ways they are valuable and emphasise their hobbies and passions. Without these relationships, it’s easier for disordered eating attitudes and behaviours to dominate a young person’s life.
MANTRa stands for the Maudsley model of anorexia nervosa treatment for adolescents and young adults. It’s adapted from MANTRA, a recommended first-line treatment for adults that was specifically developed for anorexia.
It’s now well-established that interpersonal relationships play a key role in maintaining – and recovering from – anorexia nervosa. Families usually constitute a young person’s
In the United Arab Emirates, disordered eating behaviours are now relatively common among young people. Sociocultural changes, including exposure to Western beauty ideals, have caused
It’s now well established that when a teenager’s family is involved in their mental health treatment, it leads to better outcomes for both young people
Emotionally-based school refusal is often associated with anxiety. But there are many emotions and internal experiences that can lead to school refusal. These include separation anxiety, social anxiety, sadness and distress.
Emotional dysregulation develops when a young person’s emotional learning processes are disrupted. This might be because they lack stable environments and relationships that facilitate socio-emotional learning, or because their caregivers aren’t able to role model effective emotional regulation.
One common trait among ADHD young people is rejection sensitivity. Rejection sensitivity is a form of emotional dysregulation: difficulties in modulating and calming emotional reactions to internal or external events.
