April 2026 Clinical Supervision Topic: Validation

This year we are Returning to Connection and trying to stay at the heart of what it means to just be human in a space with another human.

I often love this work, and it even sometimes feels like an honor. And sometimes it’s just work. And that’s ok too.

We’re continuing our very meaningful work of practicing the skills of rupture and repair.

This month’s skill is validation. (See skill criteria and practice examples here). You know who is the queen of validation? Marsha Linehan. I’m going to read (listen to) her memoir this month as part of the work, and would love to hear if you’ve already read it.

So let’s look at validation through a Dialectical Behavioral Therapy lens, as well as (an olden-but-golden) Person-Centered Therapy.

When we’re talking about validation, we’re talking about accepting the person’s emotions, not necessarily the realistic nature of what did or did not happen. We may not even validate the way they’re making sense of their situation. But we are validating emotion and the impact of what happened, just not always content or perspective.

What we’re saying is: I really believe that you’re feeling what you’re feeling, that you’re experiencing things the way you’re experiencing them.

We’re also saying, of course you feel that way. That’s a very human internal/emotional experience to have.

And also, we’re saying, it makes so much sense that you feel this way based on history, context, or the very nature of human experience.

One of the beautiful things about validation is how it deeply communicates acceptance and understanding of the person sitting in front of us. It requires humility on the clinician’s part, as the subtext is really, I could be you…I could have this very same internal or external experience…I believe you, and I would want to be believed too, if I were in this situation.

Let’s get together and practice!

Oh, and some fun videos below that kind of get to it.

See you all soon!