Competent to Counsel

by Jay E. Adams

Book Overview

A classic in the field of Christian counseling, Competent to Counsel is one of the first works to fully articulate a vision of "nouthetic" counseling--a strictly biblical approach to behavioral... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0310511402
• Release Date: July 1986
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Length: 287 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.9" x 1.2" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Acceptable is Unacceptable.

I got the book as a Free Book. The Book on almost every other page was written on or highlighted. I am not asking for another book. To be Acceptable you should be able to read it w/o somebody else's notes and highlighting that make it a distraction in trying to read what the Author Jay E. Adams had written. I will order another copy of the book. Thanks.

Where it all began. Separates the wheat from the chaff.

This groundbreaking volume, now more than 30 years in print, remains the quintessential thesis on the fundamentals of nouthetic counseling. Jay Adams may justly be described as the single most influential author, teacher and speaker in this arena. This book is the first in a "trilogy" of key nouthetic counseling resources. The other two books, "The Christian Counselor's Manual" and "A Theology of Christian Counseling", are equally indispensable to the nouthetic counselor, but this one lays the foundation of this unique, Scripture-based approach to Christian counseling. Adams spends the early portion of the book distinguishing nouthetic counseling from other prevalent models in secular psychology and psychiatry, and challenges the unbiblical and rankly humanistic assumptions of each. He discusses Mowrer, who was particularly influential in laying out a model of counseling based on personal responsibility. However, Mowrer's approach was limited to man's relationship to other men, divorced from man's accountability to God, and thus was fundamentally flawed. Adams also properly critiques the Freudian model, with its refusal to acknowledge any responsibility of the counselee for his own actions, and the Rogerian approach, with its blatantly unbiblical assertion that man is basically good and able to solve his own problems. All of these fallacious methods are juxtaposed against the nouthetic model, which involves loving, directive confrontation of a sinning person with the Scriptures for the purpose of affecting long term, God-honoring change in that person's thinking and behavior. The goal is not just to solve the immediate "presentation problem", but to disciple the counselee so that he can be conformed over time to the image of Christ and become well equipped to tackle life's problems in the future. The balance of the book goes on to elaborate on the underpinnings of the nouthetic model, including fundamental assumptions about the authority of Scripture, the nature of man, rules of communication, and counseling methodology, to name a few of the major themes. As one who has trained as a nouthetic counselor, including under the direct teaching of Jay Adams, and as one who has also sat as a counselee, I can attest that the nouthetic model WORKS in a way that man's cheap, paltry substitutes never have and never can. Likewise, the misguided attempts of many so-called "Christian" counselors to blend secular and biblical models are doomed to inefficacy. "The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." Only the nouthetic counseling model can lay claim to this kind of effectiveness, because only the nouthetic model is based entirely on the authority

Competent Counselor

Competent to Counsel by Dr. Jay Adams is worthy of reading, but is equally worthy of implementation. This book is not a theory of counseling so much as it is a call for believers to begin the biblical counseling of one another.Dr. Adams shows a positive approach to what the Bible teaches on counseling. Most relationship problems arrive at our doorstep because sin entered the world ages ago. Many personal problems are a result of God's need to impose trials on His children to help them grow, or, to rebuke sin in His children's lives. This book addresses how to caringly work through such spiritual issues, one believer to another. In many instances, this is accomplished through simple encouragement-an art form and a responsibility often overlooked by the church today.While modern "psychotherapy" is often grounded in doctrines of amoral values of humanism, Dr. Adams is careful not to disparage all psychology, the study of the human mind and human behavior. Actual illness needs to be referred to the appropriate medical doctor. But issues of sinful behavior patterns by professing Christians need to be handled by the loving care of fellow believers working through a biblical model of problem identification, repentance (where needed), and change.Many have called this book groundbreaking. What has happened with Nouthetic Counseling since this book was first introduced is nothing short of revolutionary in the Christian church. The numbers of Christians who have been restored into a healthy relationship with God and the church as a result of this book are simply uncountable.Read this book. Put the principles into action.

this book is a must for the conscienteous bible leader.

This book uniquely removes the counselor from the counseling. It centers it's context on what the scriptures say, as opposed to what the counselor thinks.With the nouthetic approach, the counselor has the unique ability to remain apart from the solution, not a part of the solution. This dynamic is critical to effective counseling.I believe that in the counseling arena there is to much human intervention, opening the door to a high subjective point perstective. Although there is often good intention in the human perspective, we must know that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.Bible centered counseling is the state of the arc in counseling. When you get your anwser, it's god that is giving it not man.I would applaud mr. Adams for a work well done.

Clear precise writing! Benificial to every Christian

I have read almost every book written by Dr. Adams and each has made an impact on my life. Other authors equally well written, on this subject is Dr. Wayne Mack and Dr. John MacArthur.

Not Another JUNK Counseling book to make the author money!!!

Adams lends a whole new look at biblical counseling, in a world full of speculation on the subject, this is a gem. You will be able to gleen alot of useful things from this book to aide in equiping you to help bind up the broken. I wish my pastor had read this book a long time ago!