“What is nouthetic counseling?”……Quite simply, "nouthetic" counseling is biblical counseling-it gets its name from the Greek work noutheteo which is usually translated "admonish"

Romans 15:14…I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them..

It means "to confront as a friend" and was the normal method of counseling before modernists invented secular psychology in the early 1900s.

A study of older dictionaries shows that it took until 1973 for the word "counseling" to change from "giving advice" to "psychology" with its modern testing, processes, and therapies.

That change gradually came about as the secular psychology influence changed our idea of counseling from that given by a pastor to that given by a secular psychologist.……During the mid-20th century, many Christians thought they could integrate secular theory into their counseling programs, mixing the Bible with psychology. That practice (called "Christian" counseling) was based on the false assumption that man can discover God's truth apart from the Bible. In the late 1960s, a number of godly pastors saw the need to reject such damaging influences, and one man (Dr. Jay Adams) led the way in bringing biblical counseling back into pastoral ministry. While psychology is based on evolution and secular philosophy, biblical counseling is based strictly on biblical principles. For counseling to be biblical, it must be Bible-based, Christ-centered, and local church-oriented. Nouthetic counseling accepts the premise that the Bible is God's Word

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

and that it is totally sufficient for meeting all our needs.…2 Peter 1:3-4

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires.…

Nouthetic counseling is a refreshing return to a strictly biblical method of problem-solving. Instead of focusing on the problem and expecting years of therapy, nouthetic counseling focuses on the biblical solution and expects the counselee to change-by the power of the Holy Spirit-conforming to the biblical model presented

Romans 8:28-29

And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn[] among many brothers and sisters.

Nouthetic counseling is effective for believers and begins with the evangelism of those who are not believers because biblical counselors understand that only believers can understand the deep truths of God

1 Corinthians 2:14

But people who aren't spiritual[a] can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.

Since all believers have the Holy Spirit and God's Word to change them

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Don't you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality,10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people-none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.11 Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Galatians 5:16

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves.

Biblical (nouthetic) counseling depends on the Holy Spirit to change the believer, using God's Word as it was intended-to teach, rebuke, correct and train in righteousness

2 Timothy 3:16

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.…There are few colleges and seminaries that teach nouthetic counseling today, but the list is growing, as more and more Christians are seeing the weakness and error in trying to integrate secular thought with the Bible.

Colossians 2:8

Don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers[a] of this world, rather than from Christ.

That is the reason for the dividing line between biblical (nouthetic) counseling, Christian counseling, and secular psychology.……Recommended Resource: Competent to Counsel by Jay Adams.