Glossary
Open Resources for Nursing (Open RN)
Motivational interviewing (MI): A communication skill used to elicit and emphasize a client’s personal motivation for modifying behavior to promote health.
Nurse-patient relationship: A relationship that establishes trust and rapport with a specific purpose of facilitating therapeutic communication and engaging the patient in decision-making regarding their plan of care.
SOLER: A mnemonic for effective nonverbal communication that stands for the following[1]:
- S: Sit and squarely face the patient
 - O: Open posture
 - L: Lean towards the patient to indicate interest in listening
 - E: Eye contact
 - R: Relax
 
Telehealth: The use of digital technologies to deliver medical care, health education, and public health services by remotely connecting multiple users in separate locations.
Teletherapy: Mental health counseling over the phone or online with videoconferencing tools.
Therapeutic communication: A type of professional communication defined as the purposeful, interpersonal, information-transmitting process that leads to patient understanding and participation.[2]
- Stickley, T. (2011). From SOLER to SURETY for effective non-verbal communication. Nurse Education in Practice, 11(6), 395–398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2011.03.021 ↵
 - Abdolrahimi, M., Ghiyasvandian, S., Zakerimoghadam, M., & Ebadi, A. (2017). Therapeutic communication in nursing students: A Walker & Avant concept analysis. Electronic Physician, 9(8), 4968–4977. https://doi.org/10.19082/4968 ↵