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.
OCD is a serious mental health disorder that can have a big impact on a teenager’s daily life. However, it is treatable, and with the right support, young people can reach full recovery.
When a young person develops an eating problem, seeking professional support is the first step. It’s very difficult for someone to recover from an eating problem on their own, and treatment and support are crucial for both the young person and their family.
We might experience moral injury when our own actions (or inactions) break our moral code or when we feel betrayed by the actions of another person. It causes a deep sense of broken trust in ourselves, our communities or our institutions to act in just ways. We may feel intense emotions of guilt, shame, and regret.
In recent years, research has uncovered the importance of the mind-body connection and its intrinsic inseparability. We understand how trauma is stored in the body and how many of our hormones are synthesised in the gut. We understand that the food we eat impacts the way our brains and bodies function and critically influences how we feel.
Through open conversations with a young person, you can set some boundaries together about how they should use chatbots and AI. For example, you might agree to avoid using chatbots for emotional support or having extended conversations with a chatbot. You might agree on certain guidelines for time limits for using AI chatbots and the internet more broadly.
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.
When a young person develops very low self-worth, they can feel like they don’t deserve to have a clean and tidy room. If they feel hopeless about life, or like nothing has meaning, they might feel like there’s no point in keeping their space organised. Fatigue, another common symptom of depression, can leave young people struggling to find the energy to complete even simple self-care tasks.
Before teenagers begin to reprocess traumatic events, they have to be able to access these memories, thoughts, and emotions safely. The preparation phase of EMDR supports teenagers in developing distress tolerance skills that help them cope with the pain connected with traumatic memories. It also helps them to access suppressed emotions and feelings in their bodies.
Every family experiences moments when somebody feels disappointed, misunderstood, criticised or let down – these are all part of the orchestra of family life. For
Every family has its own dynamics, its own patterns and, at times, its own moments of feeling stuck. While the details may differ, one experience
In June, the UK government announced plans to ban social media use for under-16s. This decision followed a consultation process with parents, children and experts
