About VTI

About Us

Our Mission

The Validation Training Institute is a not for profit organization that advances knowledge, values, education and research rooted in the Validation Method. Its ultimate objective is to nurture respect, dignity and well being in the lives of older adults experiencing age related cognitive decline and their caregivers.

Our History

Validation began as the personal practice of a brilliant individual, Naomi Feil. Feil, as a 4-year-old refugee from Nazi Germany, grew up in the Montefiore Home for the Aged in Cleveland Ohio, where her father was the administrator and her mother, the head of the Social Service Department. The older adults were her direct neighbors and friends. This gave Naomi unique empathy and insight into the world of disoriented elders which became the foundation stones for the Validation method. 

In 1982, with the help of a few supporters, she created the Validation Training Institute (VTI) as a vehicle for spreading information on the method, as well as training practitioners and trainers. 

Over the past 37 years, VTI has created and delivered constantly evolving training programs, published four books in 12 languages, created films and built an international network of partnerships. Validation, once a maverick concept, is comfortably in-synch with contemporary thinking as Feil’s concepts have inspired a generation of ‘person-centered’ eldercare. 

Facts & Figures

Over the course of 50 years 2000 Naomi Feil Workshops have been held worldwide.
At an average of 200 people per workshop, that’s 400,000 individuals
who have experienced Validation from its founder.

20
Master Teachers
503
Teachers
8369
Certified Validation Workers
26
Authorized Certified Validation Institutions
915
Certified Validation Group Practitioners
14
Countries Served
24
Online Support Group Meetings Each Year
8
How-To Videos on VTI YouTube Channel
11
Languages Served
41
Research Articles Posted Online
10
VTI Staff & Volunteers
11
VTI Trustees

Partners

VTI has developed a wide network of  partnerships to increase its capacity. These organizations have chosen to work with VTI because they realized that Validation is an effective way to provide high-quality care that lasts. Learn more about our partners: