The goal of a feeling validation is to:

• A. Validate all emotions
• B. Convey to the client whether you think his or her emotional responses are appropriate
• C. Encourage disclosure regardless
• D. Avoid emotional responses

Answer: (B)

Feeling validation is about acknowledging and reflecting a client’s emotional experience in a way that shows the feelings are understandable and legitimate in the given situation. The goal is to convey to the client that their emotional responses are appropriate in context—essentially that their reactions make sense given what they’ve gone through. This helps build trust, reduces shame, and invites further sharing, rather than judging emotions as good or bad or telling the client how they should feel.