Methods of conveying help or information to the patient have also been altered. Earlier, we described the transition from "advising"parents on the prevention of emotional or behavioural problems, to an emphasis on the need to "educate" them. In the last two decades,the emphasis has shifted once more from "education" to "counselling. This implies that the nurse must first gain an understanding of the specific individual needs and feelings of her patient, and then adapt her teaching to the individual.