Physicians and rape crisis counselors may play important roles in assisting a rape victim; their beliefs and perceptions about rape may influence their treatment of the victim. Physicians (N=10) and volunteer rape counselors (N=44) completed questionnaires focused on demographic characteristics, their experiences with rape victims, and personal attitudes and beliefs about rape. The two groups were compared on eight dependent variables: causality of rape, consequences of rape, women's responsibility for prevention, relation of sex to rape, deserved punishment of rapists, victim's precipitation of rape, normality of rapists, and power as a motivation for rape. There were no significant differences between the beliefs expressed by the physicians and those expressed by the volunteer counselors. Further analysis of the data revealed a pattern which suggests that as physicians and volunteers experience more personal contacts with rape victims, these professionals may: (1) view the psychological impact of rape as less severe; (2) be less likely to regard the victim as the precipitating cause; and (3) be less likely to perceive sex as a motivation for rape. (NRB)