Validation Training Institute (VTI)

There is a daughter caring for her mother at home. Her mother is in cognitive decline. The conversations between them, the ones that used to be easy, have become the hardest part of her week.

She corrects her mother and feels worse afterward. She goes along with everything and feels dishonest. She wants to help, and she does not know how.

She is not alone. There are activity professionals walking into memory care rooms without the training they need. Nursing assistants doing the work with their hearts but not the tools.

Volunteers showing up because someone has to.

Today we are launching our Spring Fundraiser. Between now and May 31, we aim to sponsor up to 50 caregivers through Beginning Validation, our foundational training in the Validation attitude: how to center yourself before a hard conversation, how to listen for the emotion behind the words, and how to honor what someone is feeling.

$25 sponsors one caregiver.

If you have ever watched someone in your facility, your family, or your community do this work without the tools they need, this is the moment to change that for somebody.

Sponsor a caregiver: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/where-connection-begins-vti-spring-fundraiser--2026

"What do I say when my mom says something that isn't true?"

That's the question families ask us most. And the instinct — to correct — is the instinct that costs you the conversation.

If your mom says she needs to pick the kids up from school, and the kids are in their 50s, correcting her will land as frustration, withdrawal, or agitation. Every time.

Here's the shift Validation teaches:

"It sounds like you're thinking about the kids. You've always been such a good mom."

You're not lying. You're not correcting. You're connecting.

That's the foundation of the Validation Method — and it's a skill anyone can start practicing today.

Fifty years of practice, 9,000 certified practitioners, and families all over the world will tell you the same thing: responding to the emotion changes the relationship.

Ready to go deeper? The Beginning Validation Tutorial is self-paced and available year-round:

https://vfvalidation.org/course/beginning-validation/

Beginning Validation Course - Validation Training Institute This course is great for in-service training. Content includes videos, text with narration, interactive quizzes and completion certificate.

"It transformed how I respond to challenging situations."

"Even in an assisted living setting, this course was incredibly impactful. It deepened my understanding of residents' emotions, strengthened my use of Validation, and transformed how I respond to challenging situations. Nancy and Brenda are exceptional, supportive educators." — Recent graduate, Validation for Activity Professionals

This is what participants walk away with:

- Confidence in the moment — they know how to respond when a resident is distressed, wandering, or repeating
- Practical tools for group programming — engagement that actually engages
- A lens for reading emotion underneath behavior — so they stop firefighting and start connecting
- A Validation Gateway Certificate — proof of skill they can take anywhere in their career

The next cohort starts May 26th. 11 weeks, fully online, 6 live webinars with certified Validation Teachers.

Register: https://vfvalidation.org/product/validation-for-activity-professionals-may-26/

Validation for Activity Professionals (Starting May 26th) | VTI Courses Practical Validation Training is nteractive training is designed for both professional and non-professional caregivers