Mastering Active Listening in Counselling: Gerard Egan’s SOLER Model

Active listening is fundamental in counselling and psychotherapy. It allows practitioners to build strong therapeutic relationships and encourage client trust. Gerard Egan, a renowned psychologist, developed a structured approach to active listening known as the SOLER model. This method enhances the quality of therapist-client interactions and aligns with Carl Rogers’ core conditions of empathy, congruence, and unconditional positive regard.

By understanding and applying SOLER, therapists can improve their presence, attentiveness, and engagement, ensuring clients feel genuinely heard and understood. This article explores the SOLER model, its practical applications in therapy, and how it integrates into modern counselling practices.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this article, you will:

• Understand the components of the SOLER model and their significance in active listening.
• Learn how to apply SOLER in counselling sessions to build stronger therapeutic relationships.
• Explore how SOLER fits within different counselling approaches, including person-centred therapy, CBT, and motivational interviewing.
• When applying the SOLER model, it is crucial to recognise the pivotal role of body language, attentiveness, and nonverbal cues in effective communication. These elements are supplementary and integral to the model, helping the therapist establish rapport and deepen the therapeutic alliance.

The Wider Context of Egan’s Work

Gerard Egan’s SOLER model is just one aspect of his approach to helping people. In The Skilled Helper, Egan introduced a three-stage model that structures the counselling process around three key questions:

1. What’s going on? (Exploring the client’s current situation)
2. What do I want instead? (Identifying a preferred scenario)
3. How might I get to what I want? (Developing an action plan)

The SOLER framework is primarily used in the first stage, where it focuses on helping clients tell their stories, uncover blind spots, and prioritise issues. By ensuring attentiveness, openness, and engagement, SOLER enhances the therapist’s ability to listen actively and build a strong foundation for the rest of the counselling process.

Gerard Egan’s SOLER Model: The Five Key Elements of Active Listening

Egan’s SOLER model provides a practical and structured approach to non-verbal communication in counselling. It ensures that therapists convey attentiveness and openness, making clients feel safe and valued.

SOLER stands for:

1. Sit squarely – Position yourself in a way that shows engagement and attentiveness. Sitting directly across from the client, rather than at an angle, indicates full presence and readiness to listen.
2. Open posture – Avoid crossing arms or legs, which may signal defensiveness or disinterest. An open posture suggests warmth and receptivity.
3. Lean forward – A slight forward lean demonstrates interest in the client’s story and encourages open communication.
4. Eye contact: Maintain appropriate eye contact without staring. Eye contact conveys attentiveness but should be adjusted based on cultural considerations and client comfort.
5. Relax – A relaxed posture helps create a calm and comfortable environment, allowing clients to feel at ease sharing their experiences.

These elements play a vital role in non-verbal communication, helping the therapist establish rapport and deepen the therapeutic alliance.

Integrating SOLER into Your Counselling Practice

While SOLER focuses on non-verbal communication, it is part of a broader set of attending skills essential for effective counselling. Other key skills include:

• Reflecting and paraphrasing – Rewording the client’s statements to highlight meaning and encourage deeper understanding.
• Silence – Allowing space for clients to process their thoughts.
• Questioning – Ask open-ended questions to explore thoughts and feelings further.

By combining SOLER with these skills, therapists create an environment where clients feel heard and guided, striking a balance between active listening and structured interaction.

Building Trust Through Non-Verbal Cues

First impressions matter in therapy. Egan emphasised that how therapists present themselves significantly impacts client trust and engagement. By consciously adopting SOLER, therapists project confidence, professionalism, and empathy, which are essential for a positive therapeutic outcome.

SOLER and Person-Centred Therapy

While Egan’s approach is sometimes considered directive, the SOLER model aligns well with Carl Rogers’ person-centred therapy. Non-verbal engagement through SOLER reinforces the therapist’s attentiveness, unconditional positive regard, and empathy, all key conditions in a person-centred approach.

Comparing SOLER with Carl Rogers’ Approach

Carl Rogers, the founder of person-centred therapy, focused more on the core conditions of empathy, congruence, and unconditional positive regard rather than structured counselling techniques. Rogers used very few explicit counselling skills, relying instead on deep presence and emotional attunement.

By contrast, Egan’s model introduces a more structured, skills-based approach, making it suitable for directive counselling techniques such as CBT and motivational interviewing. While SOLER aligns well with Rogers’ emphasis on attentiveness and presence, it adds a level of intentionality and strategy that some may argue is more structured than traditional person-centred methods.

Using SOLER in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Motivational Interviewing

Egan’s structured model fits naturally into directive approaches such as CBT and motivational interviewing. These therapies often involve goal-setting, structured questioning, and problem-solving, where active listening through SOLER ensures clarity and client collaboration.

Cross-Cultural Considerations in Active Listening

While eye contact is a sign of engagement in Western cultures, it may be considered intrusive or disrespectful in some Asian and Indigenous cultures. Being mindful of cultural variations ensures that SOLER is adapted appropriately to each client’s background and comfort level.

Be mindful that eye contact may also be uncomfortable for some neurodivergent clients.

Teaching Active Listening to Counselling Students and Trainees

SOLER is widely used in counselling training to help students develop professional presence and active listening skills. Role-playing exercises incorporating SOLER help trainees internalise these behaviours, improving their ability to engage with clients effectively.

Is SOLER Too Directive?

Some counselling professionals debate whether SOLER is too structured for non-directive approaches. Since it is based on clear physical cues and deliberate non-verbal techniques, some argue it moves away from the purely client-led approach championed by Carl Rogers.

However, Egan’s model has been widely adopted across various therapeutic disciplines, including healthcare, social work, and coaching, because it provides a practical and observable framework for engagement. While person-centred purists may prefer a more organic listening style, SOLER ensures consistency and professionalism, making it especially valuable in structured or time-limited counselling settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Remarks

Gerard Egan’s SOLER model remains a cornerstone of active listening in counselling and psychotherapy. By adopting its principles, therapists can enhance their presence, strengthen therapeutic relationships, and facilitate deeper client engagement.

Incorporating SOLER into everyday practice encourages mindfulness in non-verbal communication, ensuring that clients feel heard, respected, and supported throughout their therapeutic journey.

Key Takeaways:

• SOLER provides a structured approach to non-verbal engagement in therapy.
• Active listening through SOLER helps build trust, rapport, and empathy.
• The model seamlessly integrates with person-centred therapy, CBT, and motivational interviewing, enhancing the effectiveness of these approaches.
• Understanding and respecting cultural differences in interpreting eye contact and body language cues is essential when applying the SOLER model, ensuring a respectful and effective therapeutic process.

By mastering SOLER, you refine your counselling skills and create an environment where clients feel genuinely valued and understood.

References and Further Reading

Egan, G. (1986). The Skilled Helper (3rd Ed.). Centage, Boston.

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