2: Attending Behaviors & SOLER

Course outline

• Focus on speci c “atheoretical” micro-skills of therapists.

• Lectures will include:
• Brief lecture
• Live demonstration
• Practicing skills in small groups in class activities
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 My Expectations

• RESPECT each other

• Practice CONFIDENTIALITY
• PARTICIPATE in class discussions
• ENJOY the semester!
 Confidentiality

• Practicing works best when working with real life issues.

• Issues discussed will be chosen carefully.
• This process, like actual therapy requires everyone to feel safe.
• This means agreeing to not discuss what is shared to others in or outside of
this class.

• Limits to con dentiality!

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 You should keep issues between 4-6

• “1” issue: missing the bus this morning (wait 10 minutes for the next one)
• “10” issue: a traumatic experience that is really painful to talk about
• No 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 issues!
• No sexual abuse issues!
• No issues you already know you can’t discuss without breaking down
• Private or personal topics should be avoided! (This is a class, not a therapy
room, consider the limits of con dentiality)
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Take a minute (or two) and write
your example issues.
Attending Skills
• Attending refers to therapists orienting
themselves physically toward clients

• In therapy, nonverbal behavior can

convey to the client that the therapist
is interested and listening (or the
opposite)
The SOLER Model
• S – face the other person SQUARELY
• O – adopt an OPEN posture
• L – LEAN toward the other person
• E – keep good EYE contact
• R – try to be RELAXED in this position
Paralinguistics
• Refers to the way one uses their voice in the communication process
• the aspects of spoken communication that do not involve words.
• may add emphasis or shades of meaning to what people say.
• Paralinguistic cues include tone of voice, volume, pitch, speech rate, uency,
sighing, etc.

• The therapist can use paralinguistics to in uence/enhance the therapy

process

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In-class Activity
• Groups of 3 (Client / Therapist / Observer)
• Have a conversation about topic of your choice (e.g., how you’re feeling about the
upcoming year; what you like or dislike about your current communication style)
incorporating SOLER and using appropriate paralinguistic skills

• Observer note:
• Therapist’s use of non-verbals and paralinguistics
• Impact of nonverbal behavior and paralinguistics on the client
• What went well
• Suggestions
Debrief
• What was it like?
• What was di cult?
• What came naturally?
• What did you notice about your own non-verbals?
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 Homework

• Take note of the impact of nonverbal

and paralinguistic behaviors
of yourself and others around you
Questions?
See you next week!