TRiM is a trauma-focused peer support system designed to help people who have experienced a traumatic, or potentially traumatic, event
TRiM Practitioners are non-medical personnel who have undergone specific training allowing them to understand the effects that traumatic events can have upon people. They are not counsellors or therapists, but understand confidentially and are able to listen and offer practical advice and assistance
TRiM originated in the UK Armed Forces and the model is based on ‘watchful waiting’, that means keeping a watchful eye on individuals who have been exposed to a traumatic event, whether that person has been directly involved or involved from afar.
Saves money - good mental health practices in an organisation can help to reduce sickness absence and presenteesim
Shows a legal duty of care to employees
Helps to break the stigma of mental health – this not only supports your people but can lead to early interventions thus reducing sickness absence as above
Building a resilient workforce through TRiM outside the time of a crisis can help during a difficult time or when crisis hits
Don’t
bottle up your feelings.
avoid talking about what happened.
expect the memories to go away immediately, they may be with you for quite some time.
be too hard on yourself, give yourself a bit of ‘slack’ whilst you adjust to what has happened.
Do
express your emotions - to someone.
accept opportunities to share your experience with others - they may have something to offer.
Trauma Risk Assessment (TRiM)
(TRiM) If the incident involves:
death
disablement
disfigurement to colleagues or vulnerable persons
complex, long lasting or multiple traumas
near miss
individual experiences overwhelming stress (72 hours) following the event
when asked for you should access a Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) Practitioner.
They will assist you and possibly carry out a stress risk assessment. The aim of the risk assessment is to ascertain how much stress an individual has assimilated as a result of an incident.
0 hours - Site management strategies
Action:
Depending on the scale of the event, contact should be established at an early stage with the TRiM
Immediately post-incident. Welfare check by managers/supervisors.
0 - 24 hours - Planning phase
Action:
Managers should consider a TRiM intervention if the criteria for TRiM have been met. If the criteria for TRiM have been met:
1. Managers should contact the TRiM
2. Be prepared to make the following information available via a telephone conversation or planning meeting:
details of the event
details of shift pattern for the next week
name
home and/or mobile telephone numbers
72 hours + intervention phase
Action:
Conduct a TRim briefing for all those involved where required.
conduct risk assessments with individuals or groups as discussed during the planning phase.
Refer personnel considered to be at risk to the counseling and wellbeing team for advice/guidance/treatment.
Arrange a follow up meeting in one month and three months following the initial assessment.
28 days and 3 months follow-up
Action:
managers/supervisors continue to monitor, support and/or refer if necessary.
These will increase the chance that you will experience problems. They may appear to reduce distress immediately, but short-circuit more permanent beneficial change. Actions that may immediately seem effective that cause later problems can be addictive, like smoking or alcohol abuse. These habits can become difficult to change. Negative coping methods can include isolation, use of alcohol, “workaholism”, violent behaviour, angry intimidation of others, eating disorders and different types of selfdestructive behaviour.
Before learning more effective and healthy ways of coping, some people with symptoms try to cope with their distress and other reactions in ways that will lead to more problems. Consider the following types of negative coping action.
Use of alcohol or drugs
This may help wash away memories, increase social confidence or induce sleep. But it will cause more problems than it cures, by creating a dependence on alcohol, harming judgement and mental ability, causing problems in relationships with family and friends, and sometimes, placing a person at risk of suicide or accidents. In your own experience of life, think how many people that you know who use alcohol to deal with life stresses are really content? The answer will be a round figure, zero.
Social isolation
By reducing contact with the outside world you may avoid many situations that cause you to feel afraid, irritable or angry. However, isolation will also cause major problems. It will result in loss of social support, friendship and intimacy. It may breed further depression and fear. Less participation in positive activities leads to less opportunity for positive emotions and achievements.
Anger
Like isolation, anger gets rid of many upsetting situations by keeping people away. But it also keeps away positive connections and help and gradually drives away the important people in a person’s life. It may also lead to job problems, marital or relationship problems and loss of friendships.
Continuous avoidance
Avoidance of thinking about the unpleasant event or about the fact that you may need some additional help keeps away distress, but prevents progress in coping with trauma and its consequences. Avoidance can prevent people from seeking help with their problems.
Individuals who will have experienced unpleasant events need to take active steps to deal with their problems.
Often these steps involve making a series of thoughtful changes in lifestyle to reduce symptoms and improve the quality of life. Common lifestyle changes you may wish to consider include:
Increasing Contact
The best way of dealing with traumatic experiences is to seek understanding and camaraderie and support of other people who have been employed on operations or involved in the incident. By making contact with others who have been through similar things, it is often possible to reverse the process of more isolation and distress.
Re-investing in personal relationships with family and friends
Take action to have more contact with family and friends and working at improving those relationships, reconnect to others and get more good things happening in your lives again. You may feel that you are unable to recount your stressful experiences for fear that the listener is unable to cope. Remember that people generally have more strength and fortitude than we give them credit for.
The majority of friends and families would rather be included than excluded from your pain.
Stop drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
Many people have experienced unpleasant events and use alcohol or even drugs to help them cope with their symptoms. However, alcohol and other drugs are possibly having some seemingly positive effects in the shortterm, but always make things worse in the medium or longterm. Therefore, it is important for you to stop using alcohol to excess. These lifestyle changes are required if you are to benefit from treatment and stay on the path to recovery.
Start an exercise programme
Exercise, even in moderation has a number of possible benefits for those suffering from trauma symptoms; walking, jogging, swimming, weight lifting and other forms of exercise reduce physical tension. It also helps distract the individual from painful memories or worries and thus give them a break from difficult emotions. Perhaps most importantly, they can improve self-esteem and create feelings of personal control.