Validation as a clinical strategy

ABSTRACT Validation as a clinical strategy – communicating that a person’s responses to a situation make sense – may be a particularly valuable skill for social work practitioners working within and across many traditions. This article makes several contributions to the literature on validation. It argues for a narrow definition of validation, reviews laboratory and clinical research on validation, and proposes research directions that will help determine how and if it works. It also uses psychodynamic and behavioural theory to posit mechanisms underlying its helpfulness and to suggest what to validate. Because of its many potential uses, clinical validation deserves to be widely taught in social work curricula alongside other interviewing strategies.