The delayed memory debate has generated many questions about therapeutic practices that are likely to be beneficial and detrimental to clients. This article proposes components of optimal practice for working with adult clients who may have been abused as children. The recommendations are organized around the following themes: (a) competence, (b) assessment and treatment planning, (c) psychotherapy process and technique, (d) memory issues, (e) and ethics. The authors emphasize the importance of a collaborative therapeutic relationship and urge clinicians to proceed cautiously when encountering treatment issues for which scientific knowledge and consensus are still evolving. In the wake of the delayed memory debate, the therapeutic procedures of clinicians have been exposed to increased scrutiny, and some authors have concluded that therapists are often unprepared to respond effectively to clients' concerns or are responsible for leading clients to believe that they have been abused when there is no basis for such a conclusion (e.g., Lindsay & Read, 1994; Loftus, 1993; Poole, Lindsay, Memon, & Bull, 1995). Several recent articles have addressed therapeutic CAROLYN ZERBE ENNS received her PhD from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1987. She is a member of the psychology faculty at Cornell College and a part-time psychologist at the University of Iowa Counseling Service. She recently chaired the Task Force on Memories of Childhood Sexual Abuse that was sponsored by the Division 17 (Counseling Psychology) Section on Women. JEAN CAMPBELL received her PhD in counseling psychology from Florida State University in 1971. She is in independent practice in San Diego, CA, and specializes in the treatment of trauma and abuse victims, including domestic violence survivors and adult survivors of sexual abuse. She initiated work on the recommendations presented in this article. CHRISTINE A. COUKTOIS is a psychologist in independent practice in Washington, DC, and is co-founder and clinical director of the CENTER: Posttraumatic Disorders Program, the Psychiatric Institute of Washington, DC. She specializes in the treatment of posttraumatic conditions and disorders, sexual abuse and assault, and, recently, delayed memory issues and practice guidelines. MICHAEL C. GOTTLIEB, PhD, practices independently in Dallas, TX. He is an American Board of Professional Psychologists Diplomat (Family) and an American Psychological Association (APA) Fellow. His research focuses on applied ethics. KAREN P. LESE received her PhD from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1992. She is coordinator of practicum training at the Texas Tech University Counseling Center. Her research interests include psychological trauma and gender issues. practices from the standpoint of risk management and the legal concerns that practitioners may face (e.g., Frank, 1996; Knapp & VandeCreek, 1996). This article adds to the emerging literature on psychotherapy practice with clients who may have experienced abuse by proposing practices that we believe will s...