​*Fragmentia (n.)

State of frustration or despair stemming from too many commitments, too few of which involve engagement with one's strongest interests and desires. This state is characterised by having many projects on the go, too few of which are completed (or even important).  
The Writer Psych specialises in bringing clarity and focused engagement to the writer's life.
Alison Manning, the writer's psych

Alison's pioneering with fi has been working with fiction writers since 2013, specialising in writer specific psychological therapy, MindSkills training and coaching.

Alison holds a Master of Clinical Pyschology alongside qualifications in Broadcast Journalism, Coaching and Environmental Management.

​She is known for her capacity to 


Through A Mind Of One's Own I provide head-freeing conversations and workshops for writers.
Topics that often come up include:
  • concerns about self-confidence  
  • effects of isolation  
  • fear of failure and success
  • procrastination
  • being stuck
  • reviewer dread
  • self-damnation
  • emotional stress
  • negative feelings and anxiety
  • dealing with changed sense of self and relationships with others after publication
  • public speaking and media 'performance'
  • peer envy,
  • and also, the state I term Fragmentia.*

I help writers develop and maintain emotional well-being, find satisfaction in their work, foster professional excellence (if that's what they want) and find the courage to explore their unique creativity - without having their writing serve as a proxy for their worth as a human being. 

Often our conversations are about how and whether to keep writing when there's no guarantee that success will follow (or that, if it does, that happiness and satisfaction will follow). 

A Mind of One's Own complements my other practice, Mindspan Communications, a communication and conflict management consultancy.  I've studied communication, psychology, English literature, conflict management, coaching and environmental management. 

To my work with writers I bring close listening skills, a capacity to get to the heart of the matter, humour and evidence-based techniques for helping a stuck, stressed or frustrated writer shift into a resourceful and productive frame of mind.