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.
School avoidance can have a big impact on young people’s well-being and futures, but change is possible. Sometimes, schools can adapt parts of their programs to address the issues that are making a young person anxious. Some young people require professional support to address anxiety disorders that may underlie school refusal.
Teenagers and adolescents with eating disorders usually over-evaluate their shape and weight. Instead of placing their self-value in different aspects of their identity and personality, all or almost all of their self-worth relates to their body. Behaviours like body checking may reinforce a young person’s distorted beliefs about their own bodies, increase body dissatisfaction, and cause them to place even more self-value in their shape and weight.
There are several different evidence-based treatment approaches for eating disorders. Some approaches focus on changing eating habits within a family setting, while others emphasise the way that thinking patterns and behaviours interact to maintain eating disorders. Eating disorder treatment can also involve different levels of care. These include inpatient treatment (also known as residential treatment) and outpatient treatment.
While research on the effectiveness of medication for young people with eating disorders is still in its early stages, big progress has been made. Today, several studies have investigated different types of medication for young people with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, or unspecified eating disorders.
When disordered eating behaviours meet certain criteria, someone may receive a diagnosis of an eating disorder. Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions involving disordered eating behaviours that significantly harm a young person’s mental and physical well-being.
Interpersonal relationships and eating disorders are closely linked. Friendship difficulties may be a risk factor for developing eating disorders, while strong interpersonal bonds and support systems often play a big role in recovery. Eating disorders can also have a significant impact on young people’s social lives, their friendships, and sense of belonging.
Understanding how to choose effective eating disorder treatment for young people can make a big difference in their recovery journey. In this blog, we outline some important characteristics of successful, reliable treatment programs that can guide your decision.
Recognising the signs of eating disorders and reaching out for support is the first step in the recovery process. While recovery from an eating disorder is always possible, research shows that early interventions are associated with better outcomes. This means spotting early signs of disordered eating behaviours can be especially important.
While there is no single cause for binge eating disorder, there are several different risk factors that make the development of BED in teens more likely. This blog explores these risk factors and outlines some of the developmental pathways to binge eating disorder. It also outlines the emotional-behavioural cycles that can cause the disorder to persist in young people.
Tiktok is one of the most popular social media platforms among teenagers. In the US, 63% of 13-17 year olds use the site. Tiktok and other forms of social media can have a big impact on the way that young people understand themselves and the world around them.
Witnessing violence can be a traumatic experience for a young person, whether they see the event in person or online. Exposure to violence can lead to symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, fear, panic, and other psychological distress. They may feel helpless, hopeless, and out of control.
Having BPD doesn’t mean there is something wrong with a young person’s personality. BPD traits can usually be understood as a normal response to difficult life events, which, at some point, helped a young person cope with and survive their experiences. However, these mechanisms make it hard to function in everyday life.
Collaborative treatment is one of the core elements of adolescent mental health care and an important protector of young people’s rights. However, it’s not always clear – for both parents, young people, and clinicians – what collaborative treatment means in practice.
