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 people – including professionals – assume that BPD is mainly experienced by girls and women. This means that many boys and male adolescents with BPD may go unnoticed, unable to access the treatment they require and deserve.
Eating disorders can affect anyone, regardless of their gender, age, background, or medical history. But young people with type one diabetes (T1D) are even more likely than other children or adolescents to develop the disorder.
In Sri Lanka, mental health problems are common among young people. Children and adolescents may have emotional or behavioural problems that affect their quality of life and the way they relate to others.
rom our centre in Indonesia, we offer specialist, dedicated youth mental health support for children and adolescents, in residential and outpatient settings. As neighbours of Jakarta, we’re able to offer outpatient follow-up psychiatry to families at our centre, as well as to make the trip to Jakarta ourselves to provide treatment close to home.
Our minds and our guts are closely connected. The gut’s microbiome, a community of microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, and fungi that live in the digestive system, synthesises many of the neurotransmitters (hormones) that regulate our mood, stress, and sleep. A healthy microbiome is linked to better mental health, a stronger immune system, and better digestion.
Sleep is an essential part of both mental and physical wellness. It’s also important for a young person’s development, supporting physical and psychological growth. Among children and adolescents, a lack of sleep is associated with impaired daytime functioning, fatigue, depression, anxiety, decreased academic performance, and an increased risk of developing substance use disorders.
Young people with OCD experience obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are unwanted and intrusive thoughts, feelings, and impulses that lead to distress and anxiety. Compulsions are actions that young people carry out to try and cope with or stop their obsessions.
When young people experience sexual harassment, it can affect how they perceive themselves, their appearance, and their bodies. It may cause them to place more of their self-value on their appearance or their body shape and weight. They may become increasingly dissatisfied with their bodies or ashamed of the way they look.
Experiences of trauma are common among children, and possibly even more so among adolescents. Young people may experience different forms of abuse, violence, and accidents, or survive wars and disasters.
Adolescence is a time of change. Some of these changes are outside a young person’s control, but others require making decisions. That might be what to do after leaving secondary school, which subjects to study, or decisions about relationships with others.
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.
