Page 14 - Part A

Counselling Skills

Q. What is S.O.L.E.R.?

A. S.O.L.E.R. is an acronym that stands for the following ways to ensure that
attention is focused on the client.

Sit squarely, preferably at a 5 o’clock position to avoid the possibility of staring.
Sitting squarely says to the client, ‘I’m here with you. I am available to you.’

Open posture should be maintained at all times. Crossing your arms or legs can
be interpreted by the client as a sign of defence, indicating that you are not totally
available to the client or what they are saying.

Lean slightly towards the client. This says that you are interested in what the client
is telling you. Do not lean too far forward as this can seem intimidating.

Eye contact should be maintained. This is another way of saying, ‘I’m with you.’
You should glance away occasionally to avoid staring which can be interpreted
as aggression.

Relax and be natural to help the client to relax and put them at ease. If you are
nervous or fidgeting it will distract the client.

Active listening helps in the initial stages of counselling by enabling the client to ‘tell
their story’. It is a skill that Egan stresses in Stage 1 of his Three Stage Model which
he calls, ‘Getting the story’.

Listening is the process of ‘hearing’ the other person. It has three aspects:

1. Linguistic – listening to the words, phrases and metaphors that the
client uses to convey meaning

2. Para-linguistic – listening to the timing of words, the accent, volume
and pitch

3. Non-verbal – ‘listening to’ or observing body language, posture and facial
expression. This can say a lot about the internal state of the client.

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