Merging Two Worlds: A Tier Two Model to Promote Transition of Youth from Residential Settings to the Community

It is well documented that youth in residential treatment settings and juvenile justice facilities face a myriad of challenges when transitioning to school, work, or other community settings. Multitiered systems of support can be used to help prepare youth for this transition. A central tenet of a multitiered system is to provide evidenced-based interventions at three levels: universal, targeted, and personalized. This article describes an intervention, Merging Two Worlds, used at the targeted level with youth in a secure care facility. Merging Two Worlds is a curriculum specifically designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to address the challenges they may face in the transition process. Data from two different studies using Merging Two Worlds are presented, findings are discussed, and recommendations for practice are provided.