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.
Families are not to blame for the development of eating disorders. However, eating disorders are serious mental health conditions that can strain the relationships within any family. It’s common for families affected by eating disorders to face challenges relating to one another and caring for a young person with an eating disorder.
Some people think that anorexia nervosa is just about food, body shape, or weight. But the reality is much more complicated. Anorexia is caused and
Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) are one type of mental health support available for young people. They offer a higher level of care than weekly or daily appointments but don’t involve residential stays in a treatment space. They support young people to reconnect with themselves and achieve transformative change while continuing to stay with their families in the evenings and weekends.
Many families in Mexico are choosing The Wave Clinic for residential mental health support for a young person. The Wave’s residential programs combine exceptional clinical
Families are like systems of close relationships that develop, change, and affect one another. This means that the behaviours of one family member affect all
Therapeutic boarding schools offer young people the opportunity to continue their education while receiving a greater level of mental health support. They provide a safe and structured environment that combines professional psychological support with collective living, learning, and personal growth.
If you know a young person living with BPD, it’s important to find effective and specialist treatment. While this can take some time, it can make a huge difference in the life of a young person and their family. Living with BPD is really hard, but with the right support, young people can recover.
Research from Mexico exploring the link between eating disorders and socioeconomic status shows mixed results. While some studies have found no significant link, other research suggests that eating disorders are more common among young people from households with higher economic status. One study found that:
When a young person is self-harming, it’s normal for parents to be unsure what to do. But the most important thing to remember is that self-harm always requires support from a mental health professional. Regardless of the way a young person is self-harming, their communication, or your own emotions, you should seek professional help.
Self-harming behaviours are common among adolescents, and particularly teenage girls. Self-harm is usually a way to try and manage intense and distressing feelings that can feel too much for a young person to handle. Self-harm should always be taken seriously and never minimised as a ‘phase’ or ‘attention-seeking’.
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.
