Understanding the Importance of SOLER Rules in Pastoral Care

Running head: PASTORAL CARE
PASTORAL CARE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

Running head: PASTORAL CARE
Response to question No. 2
Gerard Egan states that pastoral caregivers need to be aware that their nonverbal behavior and
the many messages they communicate through it can influence for better or worse-it can invite
counselees to trust you, open up, and explore the significant dimensions of their problems, or it
can promote their distrust and lead to reluctance to reveal themselves to you. With this
understanding, a) explain the SOLER rules and how they are important to the counseling
situation psychologically and b) what they may convey to the counselee theologically.
The SOLER rules are the part of the nonverbal communications that have been stated by
Gerard Egan and has mentioned the importance of these rules in pastoral care for the counselee.
In order to understand the SOLER Rules we need to understand the traits or physical attitude or
expression that are instrumental in creating an impression that can pave the way for a better
session with the counselee.
SOLER is in fact the abbreviation of the five non verbal activities which include;
Squarely facing, of the patient refers to a steady approach while facing a counselee for the first
time and reflects the interest of the pastor in the counselee and helps the counselee in gaining the
initial confidence to open up1.
O represents adopting an open posture which reflects the openness or acceptance of the
counselor or the by expressing and open gesture2. This reflects the pastor’s submission to the
counselee allowing him to fully trust the pastor3.
1 Listening Skills. Slide no. 3
2 Listening Skills. Slide no. 3
3 Listening Skills. Slide no. 4

Running head: PASTORAL CARE
L Represents the act of leaning. Leaning forward is represented by the openness on behalf of the
counselor4. Different forms of leaning can attach necessary weightage and reflect the amount of
interest that people that had been built in one such occasion.
E refers to the maintenance of eye contact with the counselee and reflects a straight way to
connect to the counselee.
R refers to the relaxed attitude and relaxed body language that should be reflected while taking a
session with the counselee. Relaxed body language gives a feeling of safety and relaxation in the
minds of the counselee thus making them more relaxed and allows opening up of depressed in a
relaxed way.
These gestures would reflect the power of the physical body as a source of communication. And
theologically, the expression of the body language has great resemblance to the spiritual self and
reflects the importance of these gestures in influencing the mindset of the counselee.
4 Listening Skills. Slide no. 3

Running head: PASTORAL CARE
Response to Question no. 3
Howard Clinebell, drawing upon the work of psychologist Elias H. Porter, identifies the different
types of counseling responses (E, I, S, P, U, A, EM, C) that can be useful in different pastoral
counseling situations. Demonstrate your knowledge of these listening responses by giving an
example for each reflective listening response- E, I, S, P, U, A, EM, C—in correspondence to the
following counseling scenario:
Margaret and Bill Grant are both members of your congregation. In their late sixties, the Grants had been suffering
gallantly, but with increasing difficulty, from a drastic altered life since Bill suffered a devastating stroke several
years ago. Virtually speechless, nearly unable to see, and unable to get around without physical support, Bill, once
physically active and creative, had been restricted to spending time in bed and in his hammock on the porch, needed
assistance with the most elementary bodily functions, and suffered profound depression. Margaret meanwhile has
seen her life, once highlighted by a job she enjoyed, tending her garden, vigorous daily walks and weekly tennis,
together with frequent trips and outings with her husband, reduced to twenty-four hour nursing care, punctuated by
occasional, frantically difficult trips to hospitals and medical clinics and the frustration of trying to keep up with
health insurance forms and doctor bills. Margaret comes to you, her pastor, to share her feelings about caring for
her husband.
As mentioned by Porter, the different approaches that facilitate more constructive
counseling relates to the eight different reflective listening responses and based on these a
evaluation of the given scenario can be made in the following manner. The responses are
abbreviated in the form of E, I, S, P, U, A, EM, C and refer several cognitive aspects of a
counselor5. The responses are discussed as follows:
E represents Evaluative Response6 whereby the counselor makes a judgment that relates to the
counselee’s feeling or behaviour with respect to relative goodness, appropriateness, effectiveness
5 Listening Skills PPT Slide no. 21
6 Listening Skills PPT Slide no.22