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Purpose -The current paper aims to provide an overview of the Stepping Stones Group Therapy Programme. Stepping Stones is an innovative 42-week programme that comprehensively addresses the emotion regulation needs of offenders with an intellectual disability.Design/methodology/approach -The paper discusses the process of implementing a group treatment programme in a secure forensic intellectual disability service. Findings -Since the inception of the programme, there has been a reduction in both the frequency of aggression and the need for physical and chemical de-escalation. In addition, clients have demonstrated a greater understanding of their emotional responses and an improved ability to use functional means of managing distress and solving life problems.Originality/value -This paper shows that, although implementing group therapy programmes for clients with intellectual disabilities and co-morbid emotion regulation difficulties can be daunting, treatment with this group of clients can be successful and rewarding.

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