When most people hear the word slime they think of the gelatinous, sticky, gooey substance that has recently taken youth by storm; or maybe they feel a bit nostalgic and think about Nickelodeon in the 90s and 2000s, or maybe to a few the thought of gangs as an association … all of those are right, but none of them are what this presentation is about.
In the realm of working with people in crisis–which is likely all of us in victim service or victim advocacy work, we tend to agree that others don’t understand the work we do. This leads to the implication that our teams are our primary support system and with that support, they share similar experiences and often are the first persons we choose to debrief with. Furthermore, these story exchanges happen fluidly and without warning – this is sliming. When employees share traumas they have received from others with unsuspecting team members–sliming is occurring. And although there is no ill intent, the results can be detrimental, especially over time.