Heath Lambert gives this analogy: Explaining the difference between nouthetic counseling and biblical counseling is a bit like asking whether a coin is heads or tails. A coin is both heads and tails. In talking about the heads side or the tails side of the coin, we are merely emphasizing different surfaces of one thing.
On October 8, 2012, Heath Lambert former executive director of ACBC (Association of Certified Biblical Counselors) formerly NANC (National Association of Nouthetic Counselors) now professor of counseling at SBTC contrasted and compared Nouthetic and Biblical Counseling at The Gospel Coalition.
The critics (click to open) of these two biblical models say the only difference is the spelling. But, Lambert will show there are major similarities and differences.
Such is the case with today’s conservative, Bible-based counseling movement. The language of “nouthetic” or “biblical” serves to emphasize different streams inside one, larger movement. First, I will explain why nouthetic and biblical counseling are two sides of the same coin, and then I will explain the differences that each side emphasizes.
One Coin (The comparison of the two models)
Lambert gives some important history that emphasizes both the similarities and distinctions of the two models. Jay Adams was the founder of both models that have resulted.
1. The first book: Competent to Counsel: Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling (1970). The word nouthetic in the title comes from a Greek word meaning to confront or admonish (νουθετέω noutheteo “warning” in Colossians 1:28). When Adams applied this language to counseling he argued that it included three elements:
confrontation happening in a face-to-face manner;
confrontation done out of loving concern for the counselee; and
confrontation done with the purpose of bringing about change that God desires.
2. The training institution: CCEF (Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation)
3. website at the Institute for Nouthetic Studies
4. Their certification agency: Association of Certified Biblical Counselors
5. In a 1976 book, What About Nouthetic Counseling, Adams said he actually preferred the title “biblical counseling.” He has continued to use the “nouthetic” label to keep his project separate from approaches to counseling that are unfaithful to the Scriptures but increasingly apply the “biblical counseling” label to their work.
6. Successor of Adams: The next big leader in Adams’s counseling movement was David Powlison. Even Powlison, however, has not been hung up on a “biblical” counseling label but has at times referred to the movement as biblical-nouthetic counseling
7. Ed Welch, another key leader, has in the past referred to the movement as biblical-nouthetic counseling
Two Sides (Contrasts in the two models)
Lambert states that are two distinctions between “biblical” and “nouthetic” counseling: The first distinction is historical, and the second is dispositional.
1. The historical distinction
Nouthetic counselors identify with the founding generation of biblical-nouthetic counseling and leaders in the movement like Jay Adams, Ed Bulkley, and Wayne Mack. Biblical counselors identify with second-generation leaders like David Powlison, Ed Welch, and Paul Tripp. But these historical distinctions do not always amount to institutional distinctions.
1) A few smaller organizations like the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF) and the Institute for Nouthetic Studies (INS) are purely one or the other.
2) But large organizations like The Association of Biblical Counselors (ABC), The International Association of Biblical Counselors (IABC) NANC (National Association of Nouthetic Counselors) now (ACBC Association of Certified Biblical Counselors) have diverse memberships that identify with each generation.
2. The dispositional differences
Lambert highlights four dispositional distinctions
First, there are dispositional differences with regard to doing and believing.
1) Nouthetic counselors pay particular attention to behavioral change.
2) Biblical counselors focus on the patterns of belief or unbelief that motivate behavior. True change is not merely behavioral but generates from deep within the heart.
Second, there are dispositional differences with regard to sinning and suffering.
1) Nouthetic counselors have a reputation for skillfully engaging patterns of sinfulness. While not ignoring suffering, they believe that effective counseling leads struggling persons to encounter the living God through repentant faith.
2) Biblical counselors tend to emphasize skillful engagement with struggling persons concerning the areas of suffering. They seek to augment a perceived lack in attention to suffering from other biblical-nouthetic counselors.
Third, there are dispositional differences with regard to the counseling relationship.
1) Biblical counselors believe in the importance of befriending those they counsel and adopt an informal approach that focuses on mutuality. They believe an approach that focuses on kindness and compassion is most conducive to the change being pursued in the counseling relationship.
2) Nouthetic counselors focus on an approach that is more formal and focused on engaging issues. They believe that the most kind, compassionate, and effective approach to care is to engage problems as quickly as possible, allowing the counselee to experience progress as rapidly as possible.
Fourth, there are dispositional differences with regard to contending against unbiblical approaches to counseling.
As previously mentioned, both biblical and nouthetic counselors believe the Bible is God’s source of wisdom that should inform and direct all counseling. But each side of the counseling coin emphasizes different interests in contending for that truth.
1) Biblical counselors are concerned about an unfortunate reputation for rancor in the counseling debates of the past. Though biblical counselors believe in sufficiency, they tend to devote less time to contending for it out of a desire to be irenic.
2) Nouthetic counselors tend to believe that sufficiency is always at risk from competing counseling philosophies and so are more interested in contending for it against unbiblical counseling approaches.
It Takes Two Sides to Make One Coin
Lambert concluded with this helpful advice: Concerning coins, I suppose some people prefer heads, and some prefer tails. People like to pick sides. That is fine so long as we avoid an “I follow Apollos” mentality. It is important to remember that just like a coin needs both sides, so counseling needs its “nouthetic” and “biblical” streams. I am convinced that each side represents a sort of conscience to the other. They each emphasize truth on different ends of the spectrum. The Bible teaches believing and doing; sin and suffering; loving interaction and truthful instruction; the need to contend and the need to care for those with whom we disagree.
Many of us have learned a great deal from both sides. The biblical-nouthetic counseling movement is stronger for its corresponding emphases. Like a coin, diversity complements rather than conflicts with the fundamental unity.
I discuss the differences between Biblical and Non-biblical counseling in this article.
Heath Lambert is an assistant professor of biblical counseling at Boyce College and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.