About James

“In humility value others above yourself”

St Paul

Who is James Foley?

My name is James Foley. I am an accredited member of The Irish Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists. I have also over 20 years experience as a Psychiatric Nurse. I worked in the drug addiction area for over 11 years.  I also did suicide related work for 3 and a half years with Pieta.. After training in marketing and advertising I went into psychiatric nurse training when I was 25. In total I spent over 20 years as a psych nurse.

In 2010 I started my counselling therapy training. While combining family responsibility with counselling training I become an accredited counsellor in 2019, and set up Prevail in April 2020, and started worked with Pieta from June 2021 to December 2024.

I firmly believe in ongoing training. I have completed a CBT level 9 course and am currently doing a masters in counselling.

I am married and have two sons.

  • Addiction, primarily substance abuse

  • Suicide prevention

  • Bereavement, particularly in the area of suicide

  • Mild psychosis and paranoia

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

Areas that I have experience, training with:

  • Phobia

  • Self harming behaviour

  • Relationship issues

  • Low self esteem

  • Serious physical illness

  • Anger

Aproaches to counselling that I use

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

CBT focuses on personal change by working on the thoughts that have brought about the problems the client is experiencing. The belief is that our thoughts predetermine our emotions and behaviours. Practicing alternate thoughts by suportive behaviours is a key part of CBT work.

A lot of the material I use is CBT based.

Person Centered Therapy

PCT is the primary means of delivery in counselling work. PCT simply means that the client is the focus of the session. Through active listening the therapist reflects with the client on the content and meaning of what they discuss in the session. This enables the client to resolve their issues using their own resources.

PCT is the primary way I relate to clients in session work.

Choice Theory

CT emphasiises that we are the product of the choices that we make. In counselling CT encourages developing personal acountability for our unhelpful choices, we are encouraged to start making positive choices. Positive choices result in postive realationships and the achieving of our basic needs.

I use choice theory when a client requires a direct style of intervention.

Solution Focused Therapy

SFT works on the primary problems presented by the client. Coping startegies are identified, applied through practice outside of the session and reviewed in session afterwords. Hiistorical reasons for the problems maybe discussed but not worked through in depth.

SFT is best suited to short term counselling. Also in situations where it is likely that the client does not have a historical trauma in her life and the problems presented are relatively new.