The content analysis of the interviews produced two major paths of interaction that converged around a sense of disenchantment. The first was related to social workers' perceived avoidance in handling the violence or its consequences directly; this process was labeled disenchantment through avoidance. The second was related to what the women interpreted as social workers' attempts to change, reframe, or distort their definition of the situation; this process was labeled disenchantment through action. Findings suggested that social workers need to recognize possible clinical outcomes of being abused and to be socially and politically aware that the process of help seeking and involvement with social service agencies may be disempowering. Recommendations for social workers and 48 references (Author abstract modified)