Alison Mann, LCSW

Alison Mann, LCSW Alopecian + Therapist + Coach 👩🏻‍🦲Helping people view their uniqueness as their superpower!

04/24/2026

Alopecia is a wild journey! Like any other life-altering event, it challenges you in ways that you never thought would be challenged (because who expects something like this to happen). I am always honest that the road to acceptance & decreasing the intensity of the emotional pain is not the smoothest or quickest process. It does require a lot of intentionality & going outside your comfort zone. Which is scary, but eventually, a new comfort zone grows. A new way of speaking to yourself grows. New belief system grows. As long as you keep showing up for yourself, it gets better ❤️ (and I learned a little too late that finding community makes it easier too.. so you can learn from my mistake!)

04/23/2026

Being Bald in the Wild: Ariel circus🎪🤸‍♀️

Being in new spaces with new people is always something that scares me. I had anxiety going into my first class with all the typical unknowns…

Will they make assumptions about me?
Will anyone say something weird to me?
Will I fit in?

However, I made a commitment to myself that I wanted to do this & that was more important to me than my anxiety. The first time is BY FAR the hardest. I remind myself of that often. I knew if I could show up the first day, every time after would be easier.

This time around, absolutely nothing happened relating to Alopecia. No one said anything. No one acted weird. No one even asked me about it.

Are they potentially having their own thoughts about it? Yeah maybe.. but that’s none of my business.

Alopecia pt. 2 🥲 All of the fake “cures” and false reasoning that non-doctors love to claim about Alopecia Areata is out...
04/22/2026

Alopecia pt. 2 🥲 All of the fake “cures” and false reasoning that non-doctors love to claim about Alopecia Areata is out of control sometimes!

It has actually created an interesting intersection of my professional worlds as someone who works with eating disorders too… should I dive more into this? (because I have many concerns about how all the ‘diet’ and supplement talk around Alopecia is impacting people)

Alopecia 🥲 Comment others I should add?⬇️
04/15/2026

Alopecia 🥲 Comment others I should add?⬇️

Being Bald in the Wild: NYC (the good, the bad, and the ugly)⬇️I started the “being bald in the wild” series to show tha...
04/14/2026

Being Bald in the Wild: NYC (the good, the bad, and the ugly)⬇️

I started the “being bald in the wild” series to show that you can show up bald, despite may what happen. My goal is to transparently share what happens as I simply exist bald. Truthfully, most of the time, nothing crazy happens beyond a few stares. However, sometimes other things do happen… and that was the case this past weekend. So, I am going to share it honestly! I share not to scare anyone from going out bald if this is a goal you have for yourself, but only sharing the positives is simply not authentic or true to reality.

As I was walking down a street, a child smacked my arm while saying “big head”. This was late in the day & honestly, my emotional capacity to brush it off was not there. Also, I have NEVER had a child interaction like that. It is rare that I have new experience after all these years with hair loss. Typically, my interactions with kids is that they are curious & not intentionally rude. I have never had a kid be so intentionally rude AND touch me.

I quickly turned around & said “where are your parents” and did not see any adults around. I was prepared to say something to them. Unfortunately, it’s a reminder that most parents do not teach their kids that it is inappropriate to comment on someone’s body (and in this instance, also inappropriate to hit someone). It didn’t matter to me that it was a kid, I was genuinely so upset & taken back.

And it is okay to be upset when these things happen!! Pretending I was okay with it would have not done me any good. Truthfully, I am still upset even just thinking back to it because it was an aggressive unexpected interaction.

So yeah, please teach your kids they shouldn’t comment on someone’s body or hit strangers :)

Most people ask me this question because they are wanting to know that themselves or their child will be okay. Confidenc...
04/10/2026

Most people ask me this question because they are wanting to know that themselves or their child will be okay. Confidence is a very nuanced thing… a lot of factors go into it.

In my newest substack post, I share the top 5 things I believed nurtured my confidence growing up with Alopecia. Comment “substack” and I will send you the link!

04/08/2026

and so what if he actually did have alopecia???

when will hair loss jokes get old for you guys🥱

I want to add that these skills can be implemented more easily AFTER you have let your grieve hair loss. These are not t...
04/04/2026

I want to add that these skills can be implemented more easily AFTER you have let your grieve hair loss. These are not things I was able to do overnight & they aren’t skills I expect any of my clients to do overnight❤️

This is just to share what coping continues to look like as someone who has been bald for over two decades. There are also plenty of other skills that I use (and teach), but I wanted to include to the ones that come up most often for me in daily moments 🫶🏻

04/02/2026

When in doubt 1. Validate the pain 2. Ask what would be most supportive 3. Keep the door open

Acceptance sounds so simple, but it can be really hard! No matter what stage of life you are in, it is something that re...
04/29/2023

Acceptance sounds so simple, but it can be really hard! No matter what stage of life you are in, it is something that requires continuous practice.

If you have been wanting to work on self acceptance, I am currently accepting new clients in NY! You can use the link in my bio to set up a free 15 min consultation💓

Have you had trouble finding your confidence since hair loss? Are you not sure how to start increasing your self esteem ...
04/29/2023

Have you had trouble finding your confidence since hair loss?

Are you not sure how to start increasing your self esteem in a world that shames hair loss?

Maybe you have felt intense social anxiety or struggled to live your life as fully as you want?

My signature evidenced based coaching program, Reclaim Alopecia Roadmap, is coming soon! It is for those struggling to find confidence, empowerment and self acceptance after hair loss❤️ As a therapist and someone with hair loss since age 4, I know exactly what the formula is to start feeling more in control of your journey!

I will take you step by step with actionable guides, evidence based mental health tools, exercises, individualized support & group support to get you where you want to be! No one deserves to feel held back by hair loss.

If you or someone else in your life is looking to reclaim their power since hair loss and no longer let it control their life, make sure you click the link and fill out the form to be notified of the launch!! https://www.aidbyali.com/coaching

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