Sexually abused girls' behavior during an initial counseling session

Three processes of psychotherapy scales, the Vanderbilt Process of Psychotherapy Scale-Revised (VPPS), the Perceptual Process of Psychotherapy Scale (PPPS), and a Rating Form, were utilized to assess sexually abused girls' behavior during an initial counseling session. The variable of interest was the interactional differences between those girls who were treated by male as opposed to female counselors. Videotape recordings provided the medium by which the sessions were assessed. Trained raters observed a continuous portion of videotaped assessment sessions. Results indicated that there was no significant effect for the sex of counselor on the observers' ratings for the VPPS, the PPPS, and the frequency of verbalization as exhibited by the child and counselor. These findings suggest that there is no significant difference in sexually abused girls' interaction with a male or female counselor during an initial counseling session.