Fiona Yassin is an internationally recognised mental health expert specialising in children, adolescents, and family systems. She is the Founder and CEO of The Wave International Group, a leading global provider of specialist mental health and eating disorder treatment for young people, with a focus on complex, high-risk presentations and whole-family care.
Fiona’s clinical and research work centres on expressed emotion within the family system, particularly in the context of anorexia nervosa and adolescent mental health. Her work is contributing to a growing shift toward trauma-informed, family-integrated models of care, challenging traditional weight-focused paradigms and advancing more relational, systemic approaches to recovery.
Trained in neuroscience and mental health at King’s College London, with a post grad diploma in Psychiatry from Cardiff University, Fiona is currently undertaking doctoral research in Mental Health at Lancaster University. Her academic work explores the intersection of family dynamics, emotional expression, and treatment outcomes in young people.
Alongside her clinical leadership, Fiona is an established media voice and writer. She has contributed to publications including The Times, Sunday Times, Glamour, Tatler, Hello Magazine, HuffPost, and Marie Claire Italia, and was recently featured in Psychology Now with her headline article “When You Have to Walk Away.” She is also a regular expert contributor on topics relating to family relationships, adolescent wellbeing, and emotional resilience.
Based in Dubai, Fiona leads the strategic and clinical direction of The Wave’s international services, working with families across the UK, US, Middle East, and Asia. She is known for combining rigorous clinical frameworks with a deeply human, relational approach—bringing clarity, structure, and compassion to some of the most challenging areas of mental health care.
She is also, unapologetically, someone who believes that important conversations are best held over exceptionally good coffee.