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.
Borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder are often confused – even by clinicians. However, although some of their symptoms are similar, the two disorders are very different. They have different symptoms, causes, and courses of illness – and require different treatments.
Disordered eating and eating disorders are both frequently used terms. You’ve probably heard them mentioned in articles, by doctors, or by schools. Disordered eating and eating disorders are already common among young people – and research suggests that both are increasing.
When a young person experiences a mental health crisis, they may have to take a substantial amount of time out of school. This can happen because their mental health symptoms make it too difficult to navigate their school environment or because their school cannot provide the support they need to stay safe while they are there. They may also take a break from school to focus on their recovery with intensive outpatient or residential treatment.
When parents separate or divorce, it shakes the family system. Families often begin a grieving process, experiencing changing emotions like shock, sadness, or anger. Separation itself – and the events leading up to it – can sometimes be traumatic for family members, including both parents and children.
Unsurprisingly, adolescent friendships are linked to mental health. Young people with at least one friendship have higher self-worth and less depression. Those with high-quality friendships or more friends are less likely to experience emotional distress or social difficulties. Even a small number of high-quality friendships can also act as a buffer against wider social difficulties like a lack of acceptance from peers.
Put simply, misogyny is hate against women and girls. It can be found across different parts of society: among adults and young people, at home,
When a parent engages in compulsive sexual behaviours, it creates harm throughout the family. Families can be understood as systems, where the behaviour of one
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.
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.
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.
Teenage girls may experience these conflicts face-to-face, but they can also happen online. Gender norms that discourage girls from open conflict can push teenagers towards online animosity. These conflicts may often remain confined to social media and never be properly addressed or resolved.
Young people in the UAE may also be confronted with mental health stigma among friends, family members, and even health institutions. This stigma can discourage young people from seeking help and limit the provision of effective mental health support.
This guide explores the way that parental affairs impact the family system and young people’s mental health. It outlines the different forms of support available for young people after an affair to protect their well-being and help prevent harm.
