Findings indicate that counseling was most helpful when it enabled the women to experience a sense of personal power, autonomy, and assumption of control over their adult lives. The women considered it helpful when the counselor supported them in exercising power and control within the counseling session. They considered it harmful when the counselor exerted control over the client. It was helpful when the counselor showed respect for the client's boundaries and was flexible in proposing an agenda. It was considered harmful when the counselor was perceived as pushing his/her agenda onto the client, such as being pressured to participate in certain exercises, remembering past experiences, and disclosing the abuse to others. The women considered it helpful to be asked to make choices regarding such issues as the direction of therapy, what to discuss, and whether to stop or continue an exercise. It was considered helpful when the counselor was open to hearing the client's criticism and was willing to examine his/her own attitudes and skill. Further, it was helpful if the counselor did not expect the client to forgive the perpetrator in order to experience healing. Implications are drawn for counselor training programs and research. The critical incident technique (Flanagan, 1954 and Woolsey, 1986) was used for data collection and analysis. This is a qualitative research method used to describe significant incidents that individuals have experienced and that relate to the purpose of the study. It involves asking participants to describe behaviors that contribute to a specified outcome. The focus is on incidents (actions and events) that are critical, i.e., which affect the outcome. 40 references