About

REAL Career Guidance is a Career Guidance & Counselling & Psychotherapy service with an educational, training and consultancy side to its business. 

Sallyann Alexander is the founder of the business and has a longstanding business background in people management and international recruitment for a multinational, having also worked on a self-employed basis. In addition, she is experienced in working with adults and teenagers in a guidance capacity privately, in further and higher education settings, as well as in the community and voluntary sector.  Sallyann also works with Back To Work Connect as a Career Coach as part of the Skills 4 Success Programme. Working part-time with South Dublin County Partnership currently Sallyann has experience in both Guidance and Access roles which she manages around her growing private practice and consultancy work.

As a Counsellor & Psychotherapist Sallyann works as an assimilative therapist meaning she draws from a range of theories and techniques. She incorporates Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Choice Theory and uses outcome and process feedback measures to monitor therapeutic success. Her counselling approach is grounded in a person-centred humanistic philosophy, enriched by the integration of theoretical perspectives and practical interventions. This allows for flexibility and responsivity in terms of meeting clients where they are at to address their needs.  

As a Guidance Counsellor Sallyann supports people across the lifespan -  career starters, returners and changers. In addition she works with those re-entering employment and with accessing education and training (upskilling/reskilling).  In addition she offers post primary/post Leaving Certificate students support which is supplementary to the school OR FET guidance systems.  Sallyann is also a professionally trained Counsellor Psychotherapist having previously worked with adults through Genesis Therapy Services in Dublin 15 and currently with Maynooth Counselling & Psychotherapy and with adolescents through The Listen Up Project.

Furthermore, Sallyann also helps individuals to adequately prepare for a Return to Education and Learning (REAL) and for academic success. Her ideology and approach is rooted in the principles of community development in terms of responding in a way which both empowers individuals and encourages them to take responsibility.  This happens in a supportive environment which upholds dignity and respect.

Sallyann's expertise and interest is in adult education and both wellness and addiction recovery.  She has worked as a Group Facilitator for AWARE and as an Information Officer for the Citizens Information Service.  In addition, she is a qualified addiction educator and  trained as an Aiséiri  After Care Group Facilitator.  Formerly she was also a Board member of  Louth Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB), providing a voice for the voiceless, having been elected as the AONTAS female nominee of choice for the ETB elections in 2014.

• Professional Certificate in Child & Adolescent Therapy (pending) - Listen Up/PCI College
• Professional Certificate in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) (Level 9) -IICP
• Postgraduate Diploma in Adult Guidance and Counselling (Level 9) - Maynooth University
• British Psychological Society (BPS) Certificate of Competence: Test User, Occupational Ability (psychometric testing) 
• British Psychological Society (BPS) Certificate of Competence: Test User, Personality (psychometric testing) (pending) 
• Certificate in Adult Guidance Theory and Practice (Level 8) - Maynooth University
• Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Community Studies (Social Sciences) (Level 8) - Maynooth University
• Bachelor of Science (Hons) Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy  (Level 8) - Institute of Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy (IICP)
• Diploma in Arts, Local and Community Studies (Level 8) - Maynooth University
• Diploma in Arts, Addiction Studies (Level 8) - Maynooth University
• Certificate in Addiction Studies (Level 7) - Maynooth University
• Reality Therapy/Choice Theory - Basic Intensive Training - William Glasser Institute (WGI)
• Diploma in Eating Disorders - ATI Psychology Academy
• Certificate in Group Facilitation (Psychotherapeutic) (Level 6) - ICHAS College

Memberships:

- Full Member of The Institute of Guidance Counsellors  (No. 3884)

- Certified by Psychological Society of Ireland for Psychometric Test Use

- Member of William Glasser Institute (WGI)

- Registered Teacher with Teaching Council of Ireland (TC No 238977)

- Pre-Accredited Member of IACP (No. M14915)

Sallyann is fully insured with OBF to practice both career guidance and counselling psychotherapy  and has undergone training to provide a range of careers and therapeutic services within her competencies in an online context via Zoom/MSTeams 

In addition to formal qualifications Sallyann has certificates and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) qualifications in a range of areas such as: Information Provision, Advice and Advocacy; Adult Literacy Tutor Training; Group Facilitation, SafeTALK and ASIST Suicide Intervention; Crisis Intervention, Mindfulness Practice, Counselling Skills, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Brief Intervention and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).

REAL Career Guidance seeks to provide impartial careers, education and training information, through one-to-one and group guidance sessions, in order to support people to make informed choices about education, training and career options  with their particular life circumstances in mind. The bespoke confidential service is individually tailored and available to:

- adults aged 18 years and over

- those aged 16 and over who have left the school system early

- post primary/PLC students and their parents

- and anyone interested in both Community Education programmes and/or those on the National Framework of Qualifications.  

As a Guidance Counsellor  and Psychotherapist Sallyann attends professional supervision, abides by a code of professional ethics and adheres to national and European guidance best practice.