Fiona Yassin

Fiona Yassin, MSEd

International Program Director at The Wave

Expertise Psychology, Child Psychology, Personality, Research, Trauma, Eating Disorders

Highlights

Registered Psychotherapist and Accredited Clinical Supervisor in both the U.K. and UNCG.
Member of the International Chapter of IAEDP, with training in CBTe (Oxford Group), FREED (King’s College, London), TF-CBT, RO-DBT, and GPM.
Member of The Australia and New Zealand Eating Disorders Association.

Experience

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.

More from Fiona Yassin

mother and daughter bonding in a cafe, concept of family relationships

How Does Unresolved Trauma in the Family Underpin Mental Health Conditions Including AN and BPD?

27 March 2025 No Comments

When families experience trauma, it changes the way family members relate to one another and affects the family system as a whole. Sometimes, families are able to resolve their trauma, especially if they already have a strong and supportive family system. In other cases, unresolved trauma causes long-term harm to relationships and interactions between family members. This disrupts young people’s emotional and social learning and can cause them to develop unhelpful or harmful thought patterns and behaviours as they attempt to cope with what they experience and observe.

father and son spending time together, concept of family support for teenage mental health

Family Conflict: Protecting Children from Harm

24 March 2025 No Comments

Avoiding hostility and aggression – and finding healthy ways to resolve conflicts – are the best ways to protect children from harm. But there are also steps you can take to prevent behavioural, psychological, and social issues from developing among young people if hostile family conflicts do occur.

Female psychologist consulting with depressed teenage girl at office, adolescent mental health

Why Isn’t Adult Psychiatry or General Psychiatry the Best Choice for Kids?

20 March 2025 No Comments

Specialist mental health programs for young people are sensitive to their developmental and social needs. They adapt treatment programs and modalities to each young person’s developmental stage, whether that’s childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood.

Toy on table in counsellor's office, concept of childhood trauma and mental health

The Impact of Parental Affairs on Children and Adolescents

17 March 2025 No Comments

Parental affairs are usually considered to be a serious breaking of the commitments of a relationship. They can give rise to a collection of emotions for both partners, including sadness, disappointment, betrayal, guilt, and shame. Parental affairs are linked to tension, conflict, and the breakdown of relationships.

mother and daughter teenager sitting together on couch at home, concept of teenage mental health

Mental Health in Jakarta: Why Is Looking After Child and Adolescent Mental Health So Important?

13 March 2025 No Comments

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.

smiling father and son, concept of parental support through teenage mental health struggles

Recovering from Borderline Personality Disorder and Anorexia in Oman: How Can Parents Seek Support?

10 March 2025 No Comments

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.

teenage girl standing by the school corridor, alone and isolation concept

How Does Borderline Personality Disorder Affect Young People’s Relationships?

7 March 2025 No Comments

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.

brown haired girl in yellow shirt leaning head on hands looking up among green leaves

Anorexia Nervosa and Borderline Personality Disorder in Kuwait: When and Where Should Parents Reach Out for Help?

5 March 2025 No Comments

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.

Young diverse friends walking on the street

Prepubescent Anorexia – Why Diagnosis in Under 14s is Rising

1 March 2025 No Comments

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.

young male teenager sitting outdoors, faraway look symbolizing loneliness, depression, angst

Loneliness and Eating Disorders: Exploring the Connection

27 February 2025 No Comments

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.

Sad teenage boy sitting alone at high school hallway

Eating Disorders in Boys and Men

9 May 2025

For a long time, eating disorders were thought to mainly affect women. Even in scientific research, fewer than 1% of published papers that relate to

Three female friends chatting and enjoying eating pizza at home.

Taking Nighttime Binge Eating Seriously

30 April 2025

Repeated nighttime binge eating – or eating a lot of food at night – is a type of disordered eating behaviour that can harm a young person’s physical and mental health. It’s also a symptom of different eating disorders, including binge-eating disorder and night eating syndrome.

female counselor writing in clipboard on therapy session of family with daughter in office

The Benefits of Choosing the Right Therapist to Work with Your Family

28 April 2025

Finding the right family therapist is essential. There isn’t a single type of family therapy that’s right for every family, and the personality and experiences of a therapist are also important. But finding the right family therapy and therapist can help families restructure and heal, creating resilient family systems that benefit every member.