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Transitioning is an inevitable part of being in secure settings, yet little research exists focussing on the experiences of individuals and what interventions might help them to achieve optimal transitions. This seems surprising as the very people who find themselves in secure settings often have attachment difficulties, maladaptive coping strategies and complex mental health needs, which are the factors considered most likely to disadvantage individuals when transitioning. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

This study used a repeated design to explore the effectiveness of a person-centred intervention with 18 transitioning individuals in a medium-secure hospital. Three self-report questionnaires were used to capture data relating to anxiety, coping strategies and how individuals feel about the transition pre- and post-intervention. Whole data sets were achieved in 16 cases.

Following the transition intervention, individuals felt more at ease with the transition ahead of them, their use of adaptive coping strategies had significantly increased and their trait anxiety had significantly lowered.

This study revealed that using a person-centred intervention with transitioning individuals was helpful. However, the study was not able to capture the impact of this intervention over time.

This study highlights the importance of attending to how individuals experience the transition, alongside offering interventions designed to help them adjust and cope to achieve optimal transitions.

Very little is known about what interventions might help individuals achieve a successful transition. Therefore, the findings offer new and significant contributions to this under-researched area.