A Norman Counselling and Mentoring Services

16/03/2026

What a year it has been for papers so far! This one looks at the problems faced by people with brain injury who have executive impairment which impacts on their level of insight into their own disability. It is available to read here: https://journal.ilpnetwork.org/articles/10.31389/jltc.349
This is yet another opportunity to give a shout out to an amazing former student who undertook this work. Thanks David Bennett for all your hard work on this project.

The Problem of Insight: An Interpretive Phenomenological Approach to Understanding Awareness Following Acquired Brain InjuryResearchAuthorsDavid BennettAlyson NormanMark HollowayAbstractContext: Acquired brain injury (ABI) can result in executive impairments that can detrimentally impact an individu...

23/02/2026

Yet another paper to shout about. This time a systematic review on 'Understanding the Support and Information Needs of Family Members After Acquired Brain Injury' It is available to read here: https://journals.sagepub.com/.../10.1177/10664807261415878
As well as being another paper it is also such an honour to have another student paper go through. Congratulations to my former MSc student Craig Andrews for all his hard work on this project.

11/02/2026

For anyone who has been living under a stone, it is Valentine's day on saturday. If you are in a relationship and unsure if it is worth celebrating the occasion, read my latest blog:

As a relationship counsellor, I often hear couples say, “We don’t really do Valentine’s Day. It’s too commercial.” And while it’s true that…

10/02/2026

I am proud to announce the publication of our Heads Together interview study which outlines the experiences of social workers who have worked with individuals with brain injuries and their families. This paper forms the basis of our online training platform, outlining the training resources social workers require. If you haven't already signed up to our free training tool, please register on the BISWG website: https://biswg.co.uk/headstogether/

16/12/2025

Happy christmas everyone. It has been a long hard year, but we are nearly there. For those of us who can, let's take the time to enjoy the festive season surrounded by the ones we love and remembering those who cant be with us to celebrate.

02/12/2025

My latest short blog post. This time on the need for invisible scaffolding around people with brain injuries:

In neurorehabilitation, practitioners often talk about “scaffolding”. This is a process of creating a supportive framework around a person…

20/11/2025

So please to report that my chapter 'Disability and Vulnerability' was published in 'understanding and preventing cuckooing' by Laura Bainbridge, Rosemary Broad & Amy Loughery and published by Routledge
https://www.routledge.com/Understanding-and-Preventing-Cuckooing-Victimisation-County-Lines-and-Beyond/Bainbridge-Broad-Loughery/p/book/9781032766447

06/11/2025

Growing up with a narcissistic mother often means learning that love has strings attached. That your worth depends on what you give, not who you are. But healing is about unlearning that lie. You are allowed to have needs. You are allowed to take up space. You were never too much, you were just unseen: https://medium.com//the-mirror-that-never-reflected-you-growing-up-with-a-narcissistic-mother-fedf80c6fb4c

Aly Norman

30/10/2025

If you are a family member of someone with a brain injury or a professional working in brain injury, we would love you to take part in a focus group to discuss how to improve practice in the UK.

23/10/2025

Neglect doesn’t always look like abuse. Sometimes it’s the silence, the absence, the love that never came. Children who grow up unseen often learn to meet their own needs too soon.
As adults, they may struggle to believe they’re worthy of care, even when it’s offered. Healing begins when they finally realise that is was never their job to earn love. 💛

When we think of childhood harm, we often picture visible forms of abuse such as raised voices, bruises, or clear signs of distress. But…

15/10/2025

Today the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published their guidance on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders including acquired brain injury (NG252). The headlines point to the need for a single point of contact or case manager in brain injury care and greater education for the health and social care workforce. I am excited to announce that two of my papers were used in the evidence gathering process. To find out more, read my blog:

A major advance has just been published by NICE (15 October 2025). Their guidelines on Rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders…

13/10/2025

So pleased to announce our paper on safeguarding after brain injury was published by Journal of adult protection last week: “His brain injury was missed, it led to his death”: brain injury case managers’ experience of safeguarding