Research and practice have identified feelings or conflicts that seem to interfere with the effective delivery of care by professionals who work with abused and neglected children, anxieties about being physically harmed by angry parents, anger denial and inhibition, the need for client emotional gratification, lack of professional support, feelings of incompetence, difficulties separating personal from professional responsibility, ambivalent feelings toward clients, and the need to be in control. Pressures associated with working with abusive and neglectful families often cause professionals to defend themselves against the emotional effects of aggression, grief, and anxiety. Ways in which professionals protect themselves are discussed, including over-identification, the use of simplified treatment approaches to reduce the complexity of the situation, and problem displacement. The interaction between survival strategies of professionals and those of children is examined. The need to develop a theoretical frame of reference that reflects the complexity of maltreatment and the interfactional developmental and systemic quality of it is emphasized. 13 references