TRiM Support for employees in Adult Social Care & NHS
What is TRiM?
- Trauma Resilience Management (TRiM) is a model used in the early identification of the symptoms of stress.
- It can be used in an individual/one-to-one setting or within team peer support groups.
- TRiM is not a treatment for stress. However, processing and talking about the event has a therapeutic advantage and research findings clearly suggest that post traumatic illnesses, whilst they cannot be prevented, they can be successfully managed if identified at an early stage. In 2005, The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), published management guidelines which strongly advocated early intervention for those who become unwell after potentially traumatic incidents
- The TRiM tool is used to determine, by what degree, if any, a colleague has been affected by a potentially traumatic incident, and to ascertain whether they would benefit from further support.
- If further intervention is required, a colleague will then be signposted or referred to the most appropriate source of help.
Who can the TRiM model support?
- Employees who are reaching the point where their ‘stress bucket’ is literally at the point of overflow. Stress can be caused by vicarious trauma, a near miss, a change in circumstances, and feelings of guilt i.e. should have been there when something happened.
- Employees who may have been exposed or subject to a potentially traumatic experience (PTE) – this is down to a person’s own perceptions – a difficult childbirth, a work-related accident, or witnessing an incident for example.
- TRiM supports everyone who wants to improve themselves and their resilience. It is non-judgemental and it follows NICE guidelines in its application.
- Any Employees who are going through a stressful time to contact the TRiM Hub to see if they can access support or be signposted appropriately.
What do Peer Support Group sessions look like?
Step One: an initial briefing assessment session will take place within a peer support group (within your team) with 2 TRiM Practitioners and up to 10 participants creating a peer support group for this briefing session.
Selection is paramount with the TRiM model: people with common interests and values are key, and no-one will be blamed within the group.
Step Two: after the briefing assessment session, Stress Trauma Reaction is measured and this will factor in what support is or is not recommended.
In the case of Shropshire MHS (formally Shropshire Mind), this could be use of their psychologist – which Shropshire employees would have priority access to, or referral into Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation (MPFT).
Step Three: a meeting is then arranged at the one month point, but it is optional , however it gives people the chance to see how they have improved and talk through any further concerns they have or be signposted to the appropriate support.
What are the benefits of implementing the TRiM model to support teams?
- Social care and the NHS deliver fantastic care to our local communities. It is critical that we support you to continue to do this, especially when we consider that Covid-19 has had a real impact upon you as professionals and will continue to do so as staff collectively respond to the pandemic, staff shortages and growing needs of the public.
- Fallout from Covid-19 will remain long after the pandemic eases. TRiM will give tried and tested tools to support trauma at the earliest point and provide the essential support needed to maintain employees’ wellbeing and resilience.
- Helps to prevent Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
- A more resilient workforce with preventative measures put in place via peer support, to identify and support colleagues who may have experienced
- TRiM helps in promoting a positive and open organisational culture around mental health – with a ‘no blame no shame’ ethos – normalising trauma.
- This model is not just confined to Covid-19 but can be used for all trauma
Call 0143 247 149 or email [email protected]