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Department of Psychological Medicine staff profiles

Dr Sarah Fortune

PositionHonorary Senior Lecturer
DepartmentDepartment of Psychological Medicine (Dunedin)
Qualifications
  • PhD (Psychology), University of Auckland
  • MSc (Epidemiology), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • M Psych Science (Clinical Specialisation), University College Dublin
  • Postgrad. Dip. Business Studies (Human Resources), Massey University
  • BA (Psychology), University of Auckland
Research summarySuicide prevention
Memberships
  • Deputy Chair, Suicide Mortality Review Committee
  • Member, Local Child and Youth Mortality Committee
  • Member, International Association for Suicide Prevention
  • Registered Psychologist, Clinical Scope, New Zealand Registration Board
ClinicalSarah has twenty years clinical experience working with children, adolescents, and their whanau in both inpatient and outpatient settings

Research

Sarah Fortune is an academic clinical psychologist with an enduring clinical and research interest in suicide prevention.

Sarah's research experience spans three main areas:

  1. Psychological therapies and clinical interventions for suicide prevention
  2. Service user experiences of self-harm services, and clinical staff attitudes towards people who harm themselves
  3. Public health approaches to suicide prevention including the epidemiology of suicidal behaviours across the lifespan

Publications

Fortune, S. A., & Hawton, K. (2018). Culture and mental disorders: Suicidal behaviour. In D. Bhugra & K. Bhui (Eds.), Textbook of cultural psychiatry. (2nd ed.) (pp. 256-274). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781316810057

Cottrell, D. J., Wright-Hughes, A., Collinson, M., Boston, P., Elsler, I., Fortune, S., … Farrin, A. J. (2018). Effectiveness of systemic family therapy versus treatment as usual for young people after self-harm: A pragmatic, phase 3, multicentre, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Psychiatry, 5, 203-216. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30058-0

Fortune, S., Cottrell, D., & Fife, S. (2016). Family factors associated with adolescent self-harm: A narrative review. Journal of Family Therapy, 38(2), 226-256. doi: 10.1111/1467-6427.12119

Wright-Hughes, A., Graham, E., Farrin, A., Collinson, M., Boston, P., Eisler, I., Fortune, S., … Cottrell, D. (2015). Self-Harm Intervention: Family Therapy (SHIFT), a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial of family therapy versus treatment as usual for young people seen after a second or subsequent episode of self-harm. Trials, 16(1), 501. doi: 10.1186/s13063-015-1007-4

Denny, S., de Silva, M., Fleming, T., Clark, T., Merry, S., Ameratunga, S., … Fortune, S. A. (2014). The prevalence of chronic health conditions impacting on daily functioning and the association with emotional well-being among a national sample of high school students. Journal of Adolescent Health, 54(4), 410-415. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.09.010

Fortune, S. A., & Hawton, K. (2018). Culture and mental disorders: Suicidal behaviour. In D. Bhugra & K. Bhui (Eds.), Textbook of cultural psychiatry. (2nd ed.) (pp. 256-274). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781316810057

Chapter in Book - Other

Cottrell, D. J., Wright-Hughes, A., Collinson, M., Boston, P., Elsler, I., Fortune, S., … Farrin, A. J. (2018). Effectiveness of systemic family therapy versus treatment as usual for young people after self-harm: A pragmatic, phase 3, multicentre, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Psychiatry, 5, 203-216. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30058-0

Journal - Research Article

Fortune, S., Cottrell, D., & Fife, S. (2016). Family factors associated with adolescent self-harm: A narrative review. Journal of Family Therapy, 38(2), 226-256. doi: 10.1111/1467-6427.12119

Journal - Research Article

Wright-Hughes, A., Graham, E., Farrin, A., Collinson, M., Boston, P., Eisler, I., Fortune, S., … Cottrell, D. (2015). Self-Harm Intervention: Family Therapy (SHIFT), a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial of family therapy versus treatment as usual for young people seen after a second or subsequent episode of self-harm. Trials, 16(1), 501. doi: 10.1186/s13063-015-1007-4

Journal - Research Other

Denny, S., de Silva, M., Fleming, T., Clark, T., Merry, S., Ameratunga, S., … Fortune, S. A. (2014). The prevalence of chronic health conditions impacting on daily functioning and the association with emotional well-being among a national sample of high school students. Journal of Adolescent Health, 54(4), 410-415. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.09.010

Journal - Research Article

Noel, H., Denny, S., Farrant, B., Rossen, F., Teevale, T., Clark, T., … Fortune, S. (2013). Clustering of adolescent health concerns: A latent class analysis of school students in New Zealand. Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health, 49(11), 935-941. doi: 10.1111/jpc.12397

Journal - Research Article

Saunders, K. E. A., Hawton, K., Fortune, S., & Farrell, S. (2012). Attitudes and knowledge of clinical staff regarding people who self-harm: A systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorders, 139(3), 205-216. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2011.08.024

Journal - Research Article

Taylor, T. L., Hawton, K., Fortune, S., & Kapur, N. (2009). Attitudes towards clinical services among people who self-harm: Systematic review. British Journal of Psychiatry, 194, 104-110. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.107.046425

Journal - Research Other

Hawton, K., & Fortune, S. (2009). Suicidal Behavior and Deliberate Self-Harm. In M. Rutter, D. V. M. Bishop, D. S. Pine, S. Scott, J. Stevenson, E. Taylor & A. Thapar (Eds.), Rutter's child and adolescent psychiatry. (5th ed.) (pp. 648-669). Malden, MA: Blackwell. doi: 10.1002/9781444300895.ch40

Chapter in Book - Other

Fortune, S., Sinclair, J., & Hawton, K. (2008). Adolescents' views on preventing self-harm. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, 43, 96-104. doi: 10.1007/s00127-007-0273-1

Journal - Research Article

Fortune, S., Sinclair, J., & Hawton, K. (2008). Help-seeking before and after episodes of self-harm: A descriptive study in school pupils in England. BMC Public Health, 8, 369. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-8-369

Journal - Research Article

Baker, D., & Fortune, S. (2008). Understanding self-harm and suicide websites: A qualitative interview study of young adult website users. Crisis, 29(3), 118-122. doi: 10.1027/0227-5910.29.3.118

Journal - Research Article

Fortune, S., Stewart, A., Yadav, V., & Hawton, K. (2007). Suicide in adolescents: Using life charts to understand the suicidal process. Journal of Affective Disorders, 100, 199-210. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2006.10.022

Journal - Research Article

Fortune, S. A. (2006). An examination of cutting and other methods of DSH among children and adolescents presenting to an outpatient psychiatric clinic in New Zealand. Clinical Child Psychology & Psychiatry, 11(3), 407-416. doi: 10.1177/1359104506064984

Journal - Research Article

Fortune, S., & Clarkson, H. (2006). The role of child and adolescent mental health services in suicide prevention in New Zealand. Australasian Psychiatry, 14(4), 369-373. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1665.2006.02306.x

Journal - Research Article

Fortune, S., Seymour, F., & Lambie, I. (2005). Suicide behaviour in a clinical sample of children and adolescents in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 34(3), 164-170.

Journal - Research Article

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