The four primary components of the abuse clarification process are: (1) clarification of abusive behaviors; (2) offender assumption of responsibility for abuse; (3) offender expression of awareness of the impact of abuse on the child victim and family; and (4) initiation of a plan to ensure future safety. The process of abuse clarification is detailed, and suggestions for the appropriate use of abuse clarification procedures are made. The authors conclude the abuse clarification process reflects a philosophy of treatment that emphasizes the offender's ability to adjust faculty causal attributions by bringing the nature of the abuse into the open, the need for the offender to take full responsibility for abusive behavior and to recognize and respond to victim feelings, and the development of a personal risk reduction and family safety plan. Case examples of abuse clarification are included. 48 references