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Stepping Stones – a group therapy programme for the treatment of emotion regulation difficulties in offenders with an intellectual disability
- Authors:
- OXNAM Paul, GARDNER Emma
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Learning Disabilities and Offending Behaviour, 2(4), 2011, pp.146-151.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This article presents an overview of the Stepping Stones Group Therapy Programme, based in Auckland, New Zealand. The programme is a 42-week programme that addresses the emotion regulation needs of offenders with an intellectual disability. The article discusses the process of implementing the group treatment programme in a secure forensic intellectual disability service. Since the start of the programme, there has been a reduction in both the frequency of aggression and the need for physical and chemical de-escalation. Clients have also demonstrated a greater understanding of their emotional responses and an improved ability to use functional means of managing distress and solving life problems. The article demonstrates that while implementing group therapy programmes for clients with intellectual disabilities and co-morbid emotion regulation difficulties can be challenging, treatment with this group can be successful.