Yasmin
27 September 2025
Hey there … I’m Yasmin the creator of Polyvagal Teen®, I’m also a qualified counsellor in the U.K, being a therapist I wanted to help and support as many people as possible – that is why I became a counsellor. I soon realised that although one to counselling was helpful for people and families I could support many more people by creating engaging and relatable therapy resources. I understand one to one therapy can be difficult to access for a number of reasons.
Psychoeducation is the sharing of in-depth information about mental health disorders and relational patterns. It is an avenue of therapy to teach the nature, system, and dialectical processes of a specific diagnosis or issue in order to provide deeper understanding and knowledge about it and what one is dealing with, and why. It’s education about your diagnosis, condition or issue.
In the case of our Polyvagal Teen® resources and tools it’s like taking a few classes in getting to know your nervous system and how it impacts your relationships with yourself, family and friends. Engaging in psychoeducation tools and programs as a learner, you can find out what’s in store, how you can help yourself, and how to create conditions for your family or young people so you can all thrive. Think of it as a tool for possible prevention, personal development and even relapse prevention.
As well as learning factual information in a relatable and engaging manner – our tools, resources and programs are designed to support you in developing helpful skills so you are able to regulate your nervous system and support your young people do the same. It’s important adults get involved also – change often needs to happen all round.
Problem Solving Training
Learning techniques and skills for solving problems on your own means you can also teach these skills to your teens, tweens or adolescents – we call it collabroative shared learning. These are invaluable skills your teen can take into their adult life – leaving them more resilient and emotionally aware Our Polyvagal Teen® resources – through a Polyvagal informed lens will help you and your teen learn:
The Polyvagal Teen® Collection
So far we have launched
The Polyvagal Teen® Cards Deck
The Polyvagal Teen® Track
The Polyvagal Teen® Tracker
These can be bought individually or as part of our Polyvagal Teen® Toolkit
We also have launched a range of accessories – mouse mats, posters, mugs and t-shirts with our Polyvagal Teen message. Gentle reminders around the house can be a non-intrusive way of becoming more intone with your nervous state.
Driven to improve the emotional wellbeing of young people, adults, and parents, Yasmin Shaheen-Zaffar is the founder and creator of Polyvagal Teen®. She also developed The R.U.D Process® – a practical, step-by-step approach that helps teens and adults recognise and manage stress and anxiety by becoming Polyvagal Aware.
In addition, Yasmin leads several social-impact initiatives that promote steady, consent-based communication and co-regulation:
Glad We Talked® programmes
Neurosloth® Academy
Talky Talk Cards
Scribbledeedo®
World Stop Shouting Day – a campaign to reduce conflict and aggression in everyday interactions
Alongside this work, Yasmin runs a small private counselling practice in North Yorkshire and online, specialising in emotional regulation and working with neurodivergent, multi-faith, and mixed-heritage clients.
