March On Stress >> TRiM FAQs

Here are some of the most common questions we are asked about TRiM training. We hope our TRiM FAQs help to answer your questions and dispel some myths and if have any further questions – please contact us!

TRiM FAQs

1. Is TRiM the same, no matter who trains it?

No. TRiM is not licensed or trademarked, which means, in theory, anyone can claim to train it. However, unless the trainers are competent in the way the deliver the teaching objectives, have frontline trauma experience, as well as access to a good understanding of the academic basis of TRiM and its practical use, then it is likely that the quality of delivery will be poor.

2. Why does a TRiM Practitioner course have to be two days long – I heard you could do it in a day?

In a day, you could certainly do a ‘Trauma Awareness’ workshop, perhaps with some TRiM awareness or provide an overview of some interventions which might help people identified as in distress. (We run a workshop like this – evidence-based, of course – called AAIM: Awareness and Action in Mind). HOWEVER, to properly teach the whole of the TRiM process covering individual and group risk assessments and importantly to give delegates sufficient chance to practice the TRiM skills and to gain some confidence in using those skills within their workplace, one day is certainly not enough. The two-day model works – we’ve tried and tested it for 15 years with consistently fabulous feedback.

3. Why do prices of TRiM vary so much?

One reason is that (as per Q1) the quality and content of TRiM courses vary from provider to provider. Also resilience among providers vary – some are ‘one-man bands’, others see opportunity but will not be around for long. At March on Stress our academic and operational experience is second to none, as is our customer service – we have not only undergone the external scrutiny necessary to offer BTEC qualifications with our courses but have been training TRiM courses to a highly diverse range of organisations, around the globe, and we consistently update our course content in line with the latest research.

4. Some TRiM providers would say I was qualified to train TRiM after just a few days training myself – is this the case?

Of course it depends on the individual but our belief, based upon our considerable experience, is that TRiM Trainers have to adhere to certain standards, be experienced in terms of having dealt with trauma and have undergone a thorough training process in order to ensure quality and integrity of the TRiM training they provide.

We do offer a Train the Trainer programme for organisations that are looking to train their own personnel as TRiM Practitioner Trainers. It is a thorough and extensive process to ensure the high standard required to deliver our training. Please contact us for details if you are interested to know more.

5. What difference does the BTEC make?

The BTEC means our training has been scrutinised by an external organisation and found to meet certain standards. It is a great opportunity to gain a nationally-recognised qualification from your training. It involves completing an assignment after your training, requiring you to utilise your new TRiM skills and knowledge and therefore bolstering the learning from the course. Having the TRiM BTEC is also a great addition to a CPD file.

6. What are the TRiM standards?

The TRiM standards set out what is expected of those who are TRiM-trained, from Practitioner, and Manager level through to Instructor. They are adhered to by March on Stress and the Armed Forces TRiM teams. They are self-imposed, because we believe in offering TRiM training of the highest quality. You can view them here.

7. Can TRiM be tailored to specific audiences?

Absolutely – while the TRiM risk assessment process is specific, we deliver TRiM to a range of organisations and we can and have included and adapted content, for example case studies and practical examples, to ensure it fits the audience.

8. Why do we need TRiM Managers?

TRiM Managers (who must first have completed a Practitioners course) are much fewer in number than Practitioners. They co-ordinate an organisation/department’s TRiM response, supervise Practitioners, refresh their training and are also provided with a trauma/TRiM awareness presentation so that they can brief other members of their organisation about trauma and the TRiM process and how it is to be used in their organisation.

9. What happens after a training course?

We will keep in touch with delegates via our newsletters, including sending reminders about staying in date as TRiM Practitioners/Managers. We also send relevant materials to delegates, for example the CPD logbook is sent to all course delegates and we issue TRIM Managers with a powerpoint to assist them to deliver refresher sessions to their Practitioners. We are always available for questions and queries you may have and we keep in touch with the course organiser/TRiM lead to offer follow up consultation and support - including a free review with our Operations Team via Skype to discuss how things are going once TRIM is up and running within the organisation.

10. We have support and occupational health procedures in place, how will TRiM work with what we have?

TRiM does not aim to reinvent any wheels but rather dovetails into an organisation’s existing support structures – simply and effectively detecting those that need support as soon as possible. It is perhaps no surprise that many of the academic TRiM publications have been published in occupational health journals. We have links to a number of these on the TRiM research page on our website.

11. What is the difference between TRiM and debriefing/CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management)?

We are often asked about alternative approaches to dealing with trauma and how to treat people after an incident, with debriefing often cited. If you have ever wondered why we advocate TRiM instead of debriefing, here is PTSD and trauma expert Professor Neil Greenberg’s analysis of key differences between the two approaches:

TRiM is backed by a wealth of evidence (See this link for more: http://www.marchonstress.com/page/p/trim_articles_and_research) whereas I am not aware of any high quality studies of debriefing methods such as Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) or Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) as a comprehensive strategy to deal with trauma in terms of demonstrating that it does no harm and makes a positive difference.
TRiM is wholly compliant with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approach to ‘active monitoring' (formerly 'watchful waiting’) after a traumatic incident – NICE advises not to do psychological debriefing (please click here for more details).
Debriefing has been shown to potentially cause more harm (Sijbrandij et al. 2006 available via: http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/189/2/150) than simply doing nothing.
A recently released review paper makes recommendations not to undertake debriefing. The paper states: “The reviewers concluded that debriefing interventions should not be delivered on a routine basis and that if a traumatic incident occurs in the workplace, employees should be offered psychological first aid, emotional and instrumental support and ongoing monitoring.” (see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26620157 for the full article).

12. What makes TRiM by March on Stress the best?

TRiM by March on Stress course materials have been – and continue to be – developed over a number of years by one of the country’s most eminent psychiatrists and experts in operational stress (including PTSD): Professor Neil Greenberg. Neil ended his military career as the Professor of Defence Mental Health and was at the forefront of the development of TRiM at conception. He continues to have access to the most up to the minute evidence and research and indeed is the current President of the UK Psychological Trauma Society and was a past Secretary for the European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. He continues to carry out a range of academic work related to trauma and his vast experience is used to shape TRiM by March on Stress.

Added to this, the March on Stress operational team is led by the country’s leading TRiM trainers – Gavin Rogers and Roy Scott MBE. Together, they have more than 60 years military service, and have delivered hundreds of TRiM courses.

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TRiM FAQs