Nouthetic Counseling Embraces Three Ideas:

1. Confrontation - By confrontation we mean that one Christian personally gives counsel to another from the Scriptures. He does not confront him with his own ideas or the ideas of others.

2. Concern - By concern we mean that counseling is always done for the benefit of the counselee. His welfare is always in view in biblical counseling. Christians consider their counseling to be a part of the sanctification process whereby one Christian helps another get through some difficulty that is hindering him from moving forward in his spiritual growth.

3. Change - By change we mean that counseling is done because there is something in another Christian's life that fails to meet the biblical requirements and that, therefore, keeps him from honoring God. Biblical counselors are convinced that God is able to make the changes that are necessary as His Word is ministered in the power of the Spirit.

In the 1970's Nouthetic Counseling became known in America through the publication of Competent to Counsel and other books. Since then, it has grown to worldwide proportions.

While the name is new, the sort of counseling done by nouthetic counselors is not. The New Testament was written in Greek, from which the noun nouthesia (verb: noutheteo) comes. It is a term used largely by the apostle Paul which is sometimes translated "admonish, correct or instruct." 

(Paraphrased from article by Dr. Jay Adams)