1. VALIDATION
(acceptance strategy)

2. VALIDATION-what is it?
 Patient’s responses make sense and are
understandable in the context in which
they occur-within the client’s current life
situation
 Search for, recognise, reflect the validity
in her response to events

3. How to validate
1. Observe
2. Accept
3. Place judgments to one side
 Find the nugget of gold in the bucket of
sand

4. Why?
To balance change strategies
(know when to switch)
To prevent invalidation
To teach client to validate herself

5. What to validate?
thoughts feelings
behaviour
physiology

6. Emotional validation
Provide opportunities to express E
Teach observing and labelling emotions
‘Read’ emotions-at beginning-multiple-
choice questions
Communicate validity of emotions
Warranted vs unwarranted emotions
Avoid trying to make client feel better

7. Behavioural validation
Teach behaviour
observation and labelling

8. Physiological validation
Observe and describe
physiological responses
At first, feed back observations,
later ask client to observe &
describe
Validate physiological responses

9. Cognitive validation
Teach observe and describe
thoughts
Facts vs interpretations/beliefs
Find kernel of truth
Wise mind
Respect different values of client
and therapist

10. Cheerleading
Validate client’s inherent ability
 Assume the best
 Provide encouragement
 Focus on capabilities: belief in patient,
in team
 Modulate external criticism
 Provide praise and reassurance
 Stay near

11. 6 levels of validation
 1 Stay awake, look and listen, judgments aside
 2 Say back to the person what they have said to
you (reflect), check accuracy
 3 Saying what the person might have
felt/thought/wanted to do (articulate)
 4 It’s normal/understandable (normalise)
(Past context)
 5 It’s normal/understandable (normalise) (Present
context)
 6 Honest response (radical genuineness)