I’m a mental health professional, educator, and consultant focusing on de-escalation training. Consequently, I am involved in frequent discussion about how we can “cope” and “manage” through difficult situations, challenging interactions, and unexpected stressors. I use two terms carefully in my consultations and trainings with people: “validation” and “normalization.” These are two words that often come up during the course of my work with individuals and groups/teams. While they are terms that most people understand in general, my interpretation and vision of these terms may be slightly different from most people’s.