JHopeful, I noted a few helpful resources above [edit--oops, another thread!]
The 3-minute video by Brenee Brown on Empathy is great for understanding validation.
The validation thread here has good examples--but, of course, don't just repeat those and sound robotic. Some people sound robotic when they first try active listening and validation!
You can share your attempts here and request feedback. Ron's thread today has some examples of that, and a forum search of "Validation" will come up with many more examples.
Lifehacker has an article, "How to Practice Active Listening".
