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Mr. Philip James

Assistant Professor (School of Nursing & Midwifery)
      
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Mr. Philip James

Assistant Professor (School of Nursing & Midwifery)

 jamesp1@tcd.ie

 


Philip James trained as a psychiatric nurse in Dublin 1999 and was appointed as the first Clinical Nurse Specialist in Adolescent Substance Misuse in 2006. From 2006 to 2016 he worked in the HSE's Youth Drug & Alcohol (YoDA) service full time. He completed a MSc. in Nursing in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 2005 and a MSc. in Addiction Recovery in Trinity College in 2019. He commenced a PhD examining access to substance use treatment for adolescents in Trinity in 2021. He has also received training in a variety of interventions including Motivational Interviewing, Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (ACRA) and Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy (REBT). In 2016 he established the HSE's treatment service for teenagers with substance use problems in Louth / Meath, the Substance Use Service for Teens (SUST). In November 2023 he took up a post as an Assistant Professor in Mental Health Nursing in Trinity College Dublin. In addition to his clinical work, he has been involved in several research projects and publications. He has published various research articles and four book chapters. He was lead author of The Handbook of Adolescent Substance Use which was published by Radcliffe in 2013 and nominated for an award at the British Medical Association book awards in 2014. He is a reviewer for numerous international journals and was on the International Advisory Committee of the Journal Mental Health & Substance Use.
  Addiction   Addiction and substance abuse   Mental Health   Mental health nursing   Substance Abuse
Project Title
 Minding the baby! Minding the Parent!
From
To
Summary
Tender submitted to the North Inner City Drug Task Force to examine the experience of parenting by those who also use substances. The study aims to explore the experiences and needs of parents who use substances. The proposed study will employ a variety of methods to "gather data on the need for and availability of long-term support for parents in addiction" and to examine the potential "trauma generated from losing their children" as requested in the tender document. This work will be broken into five work packages (WP): 1. A literature review, using a systematic approach, on the needs of and responses to parents who use substances. 2. Face to face surveys with parents who use substances which will gather rich quantitative and qualitative data. 3. Qualitative interviews with key services in the North Inner city to explore the need for and availability of supports for parents in various services. 4. Quantitative review of NTDRS initial assessment and treatment data " covering the period of the current National Drug Strategy (2017-most recent data available). 5. Propose a model to best address the needs of parents who use substances.
Funding Agency
North Inner City Local Drug & Alcohol Task Force
Project Type
Research
Person Months
8
Project Title
 Determining the Utility of Sports in Preventing Youth Engaging in Drug or Alcohol Use in the North Inner City
From
01/10/2025
To
31/05/2026
Summary
1.3 Research aim and objectives: The aims of this research proposal are: 1. To evaluate if engagement in sports programmes reduces involvement in crime and drug misuse. 2. Research report to support the gathering of Data to inform local and National Drug Strategy. 3. Evaluation of Sports Engagement Programme in NEIC Task Force. 4. Publication of Research report and Dissemination of Findings.
Funding Agency
North Inner City Dublin Drug & Alcohol Task Force
Project Type
Research
Person Months
8

Details Date From Date To
British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive psychotherapies 2013
International Nursing Society on Addictions 2022
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland 1999
Philip James, Michael Nash, Sonam Prakashini Banka-Cullen, Catherine Comiskey, Demographic and Route to Treatment Differences Between People Using Different Substances in the Republic of Ireland: A Comparative Analysis Using Data From an EU Wide Treatment Demand Protocol, Journal of Drug Issues, 2026, p1-15 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI  URL
Peter Kelly, Catherine Comiskey, Barry Mc Brien, Adam Winstock, Philip James, Nurse Prescribing of Opioid Agonist Treatment in Ireland: Evidence, Governance, and the Politics of Drug Policy Decision-Making, International Journal of Drug Policy, 149, 2026, Notes: [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105153], Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI  URL
Annunziata K, James P, Lavelle Cafferkey S, Zeni MB, Menon U., Comiskey C, Kelly P, When we are allowed to do good things, we do great things; An Exploration of Nurse and Midwife Prescribing in Substance Use Treatment, Journal of Addictions Nursing, 2026, Journal Article, ACCEPTED
Prof. Catherine Comiskey, Dr. Dave McDonagh, Dr. Prakashini Banka, Mr. Philip James, Ms. Sadie Lavelle Cafferkey & Ms. Jessica Eustace Cook, A systematic review and meta-analysis of substance use and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Trinity Health and Education International Research Conference 2025 (THEconf2025) 'Healthcare in times of crisis: adaptive responses and global innovations', Sch. Nursing & Midwifery, TCD, March, 2025, Conference Paper, PRESENTED
Philip James and Catherine Comiskey, Informing the cannabis policy debate: a cross-sectional study of current and former cannabis users in Ireland, Journal of Substance Use, 30, (6), 2025, p872 - 879, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI  URL
Matthew Kelly & Philip James, Examining barriers to implementation of trauma-informed care in psychiatric inpatient settings., Mental Health Practice, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Philip James, Roisin Reilly, Supporting clients to make positive changes in health behaviours using the transtheoretical model and motivational interviewing, Mental Health Practice, 28, (1), 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Thelma Kuria & Philip James, An Exploration of the Experiences of Therapists" when they involve parents in their Young Person"s therapy session., Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 25, (3), 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Philip James, Michael Nash, Catherine Comiskey, Barriers and enablers of under 18s accessing substance use treatment: a quantitative analysis of national data form an EU wide data protoco, Trinity Health and Education International Research Conference (THEconf2025):, Dublin, 4-6 March 2025, 2025, Oral Presentation, PRESENTED
James, PD, Nash, M, Comiskey, C,, Barriers and Enablers for Adolescents Accessing Substance-Use Treatment: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis., International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 2024, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
  

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Philip James, Adolescent substance use 2: harms and prevention, Guidance: Journal of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, 55, (2), 2025, p9 - 12, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Philip James, Adolescents and substance use 3: treatment., Guidance: The Journal of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, 55, (3), 2025, p7 - 10, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
David McDonagh, Sonam Prakashini Banka-Cullen, Philip James, Sadie Lavelle Cafferkey, Catherine Comiskey, The prevalence, risk and protective factors and service needs in relation to the co-morbidity of substance use and neurodiversity., Trinity College Dublin / Citywide, February, 2025, Report, PUBLISHED
Prof. Catherine Comiskey, Dr. Dave McDonagh, Dr. Prakashini Banka, Mr. Philip James, Ms. Sadie Lavelle Cafferkey & Ms. Jessica Eustace Cook, A systematic review and meta-analysis of substance use and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, March, 2025, Report, PUBLISHED
Philip James, Adolescent Substance Use 1: overview of substances used, Guidance: Journal of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, 54, (1), 2024, p12 - 15, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Chapter 12: Child, Adolescent & Young Adult in, Alcohol Use: Assessment, Withdrawal Management and Treatment: ethical practice in hospital and home. Springer International, Springer, 2023, pp179 - 192, [Philip James], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
The young person in, editor(s)David B. Cooper , Ethics in Mental Health-Substance Use, Oxon, Routledge, 2017, pp219 - 235, [Philip James], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
The Young Person and Suicide in, editor(s)David Cooper, Jo Cooper , Palliative Care within Mental Health: care and practice, Oxford, Radcliffe Publishing Ltd, 2014, pp135 - 148, [Philip James], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
James Philip, Kearns Catriona, Campbell Ann, Smyth Bobby P, Adolescents and Substance Use: The handbook for professionals working with young people., London, Redcliffe Publishing, 2013, 887 - 889pp, Book, PUBLISHED
Philip James, Book Review, Review of Dignity in healthcare, a practical approach for nurses and midwives, by Edited by Milika Ruth Matiti & Lesley Baillie , Mental Health & Substance Use, 6, (1), 2013, p179 - 192, Review, PUBLISHED

  


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My primary area of research interest is substance use, particularly in relation to adolescents. Overall my interests include Substance Use, Adolescence, Dual Diagnosis, Cannabis / Marijuana, Borderline Personality Disorder and mental health.