THE TOOLKIT
THE CARDS & METHOD
The visual metaphor card deck consists of 30 cards. Each card has a consistent artistic style and includes human figures as well as surrealistic imagery. The artistic style was carefully chosen with surrealistic elements as these can evoke greater imagination and emotional reactions, both of which can be beneficial during the solution process from step 1 through step 5. The cards facilitate a dynamic process where an individual’s needs, emotions, conflicts, and/or personal meanings can resonate with the theme of a given card. The cards can evoke an emotional response or a high level of interest, representing the client’s understanding of their internal world.
The cards serve the function of creating visual images that can represent any of the themes of the 5 steps. The client is asked to choose those cards (illustrations) that best represent their current Situation, desired Achievements, Barriers, Resources, and Actions (i.e., SABRA).
METAFORA has been developed as a psychological and communication tool to enhance the mental health counselling process. This is achieved by clarifying the client’s challenges as well as the solution process through visual metaphor illustration cards. The METAFORA tool utilizes the novel SABRA Method to provide a structured 5-step solution-oriented therapeutic activity. The METAFORA cards provide visual aids using images based on different psychological themes. The METAFORA tool aims to enhance mental representation, to evoke emotional responses, and to generate expanded consideration of problem-solving thinking while integrating visual metaphors into therapy and counselling. The use of METAFORA in professional practice can empower clients to commit themselves to new ways of elaborating issues in their life and their emotions.
EXPLORE GOALS WITH METAFORA
METAFORA is a tool that aims to build a visual path with the client between their challenges and their desired goals, while identifying their obstacles, their resources, and the concrete actions to be taken to create changes in their daily lives. The Method invites patients to choose the illustrations that best represent their Situation, Aspirations, Barriers, Resources and Actions (the 5 SABRA steps).
The illustrated cards allow the client to project the beliefs and emotions of their inner world. Individualized interpretations of the illustrations can represent and used at any of the 5 steps. The METAFORA tool combines the advantages of the Method and the Cards, allowing the patient to express themselves through visual metaphors and to move through a problem-solving process.
BENEFITS OF INTEGRATING METAFORA
The purpose of the METAFORA tool is to facilitate communication and the expression of thoughts and emotions in the context of therapeutic or counselling work.
The metaphorical illustrations facilitate the expression of the client’s emotions and cognitions. The cards allow access to the client’s internal world to bring out thoughts and emotions that are otherwise difficult to verbalize during sessions.
The SABRA method is a problem-solving process, where the client evolves from their problem to their goals. Through the 5 steps, the client will identify their barriers and personal resources, while transforming them into concrete actions for positive change. This allows the therapist to move forward in the therapy as well as to unblock certain situations that create a “stuck” scenario.
At the end of the 5 steps, the cards selected by the client will be arranged in front of them, creating a visual bridge between the current situation and the desired goal. This final arrangement allows the patient to visualize their own path, which promotes stronger commitment to the process of change.
Thus, with METAFORA, the client will tell their story through images, which allows the therapist to better identify the person’s difficulties and resources as well as to guide them towards sustainable change.