Jane Fortune

Personal Profile

I am a person-centred/integrative counsellor working full-time for a drug & alcohol treatment service on Merseyside, where I have worked for just over four years. Being a qualified counsellor for ten years I have experience of working with clients in a time limited and open-ended way. In 2008 I set up my own private practice which operates both at my consulting room and online. Internet counselling is conducted using asynchronous [email] and synchronous [live chat] or Skype telephone or video link.

In addition to my counselling service Clinical Supervision and Case Consultancy is available to both qualified practitioners and those in training.

I am a registered member of the Federation of Drug and Alcohol Professionals (FDAP) as well as a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). I have worked in medical centres in Cheshire and North Wales. Much of my work has been within drug and alcohol treatment services across three north-west boroughs (within hospitals and charities). I have worked equally with individuals who have sought help on their own and others who have been referred to me through local drug intervention programmes. I have found that a high percentage of the people with substance use and misuse problems present with issues relating to childhood trauma, issues around control, personal boundaries, shame and guilt.

I have completed specialist training in online counselling with Kate Anthony MSc, author of the BACP Guidelines for Online Counselling and Psychotherapy. I am a member of both the International Society for Mental Health Online (ISMHO) and the Association for Counselling and Therapy Online (ACTO). The counselling I provide, face-to-face & online, is covered by Professional Liability Insurance and is subject to UK Law. I trade under the name of Jane Fortune Counselling & Email Therapy Uk. I have a small caseload of private clients who I see face-to-face or/and online. To learn more about counselling over the internet please follow this link to my website http://email-therapy.me.uk

In addition to being a counsellor, I am also an accredited community mediator (UKMediation). Over the last six years, I have helped with conflict resolution in neighbourhoods across Cheshire and Wirral as a volunteer.

Work Approach

My approach in the counselling relationship is integrative. This means that I integrate theories and practice from two types of therapy. One is Person-Centred and the other is Cognitive Behavioural. Below is a brief description of these two therapeutic approaches.

Person-Centred Counselling was developed by the American psychologist Carl Rogers between the 1940’s and 50’s. Carl Rogers realized that self directed change would follow from a client’s experience of a certain type of relationship. This relationship is characterised by genuineness, non-judgmental acceptance, caring and empathy. This theory was, and still is supported by significant amounts of research. Person-Centred counsellors like myself believe that,

“All individuals have within themselves the ability to guide their own lives in a manner that is both personally satisfying and socially constructive. In a particular type of helping relationship, we free the individuals to find their inner wisdom and confidence, and they will make increasingly healthier and more constructive choice.” (The Carl Rogers Reader, edited by H Kirschenbaum and V Henderson 1990).

The basis of CBT is that what people think affects our emotional states, and our emotional states influences how we behave. During times of mental distress the way a person sees and judges themselves, and the things that happens to them, alters. Things tend to become extreme and unhelpful. This can worsen how the person feels and can cause them to act in ways that keep their distress going. CBT practitioners, who come from many training backgrounds, aim to work jointly with the person to help them begin to identify and then change their extreme thinking and unhelpful behaviour. By doing this, the result is a significant improvement in how the person feels and lives their day-to-day life.

I work to the highest ethical standards and respect individuals privacy and culture at all times. I am committed to providing a safe, confidential and therapeutic environment for my clients. All communications will remain confidential between the client and me. One exception to this is where I take some of the issues to supervision, to ensure that I am counselling in a way that is safe and beneficial to my clients [as required by the BACP professional code]. My clients are never identified in supervsion. "Your privacy is important to me".