IMPACT OF PROFESSIONAL-TRAINING ON CASE CONCEPTUALIZATION OF CLIENTS WITH A DISABILITY

Videotape analogues portrayed an intake interview with a client presen ting issues related to sexual abuse. Two 30-min analogues were identic al except for 19 s that portrayed the client as (a) apparently nondisa bled or (b) using a wheelchair. Participants (36 therapists and 11 gra duate students) viewed one of the conditions and completed a case conc eptualization task. Therapists gave different priorities to treatment themes depending on whether the client had a disability and whether th ey, the therapists, had received any training in disability issues. Un trained therapists were more likely to focus on extraneous issues and less likely to focus on appropriate themes for a sexual abuse survivor with a disability.