Catching Transitive Thought through Q Methodology: implications for counselling education

Transitive thoughts are the feeling tones, rhythms and idiosyncrasies that are communicated in speech. They are important sources of information for counsellors and their clients. Q methodology is presented and discussed as applicable to counselling education in its ability to give meaning to transitive thought. Relevance to counsellor education is based on the assumption that it is important to assist counsellors in intentionally developing self‐knowledge as an essential part of their practice. Through explicitly structuring and analysing transitive thought, Q methodology makes it possible to discover its underlying patterns. Those patterns can be subsequently interpreted and given meaning through dialogue, thus leading to a more holistic understanding of thought. Q methodology is suggested as a useful systematic approach for counsellors to learn about themselves and to include the feeling part of thought in their practice.