Listening and Validating

This is an advanced skill for adulthood, and most people are still working on it, regardless of their age

It involves listening to someone who is opening up to you about a problem or about their feelings. People have a tendency to want to help solve the problem. This skill simply requires that you listen and show empathy.

Listening at this level requires the skill of VALIDATION. This has two parts:

• identifying a specific emotion that the person is feeling

• Showing that you understand how they feel