ABSTRACT
An overarching metaphor is one that is woven right throughout the course of intervention and is returned to many times. It helps to organise the new learning about the problem or issue, and it helps to structure the intervention and skill development. To use a metaphor, this process is like a coat stand that provides the overall structure and outline. The individual component parts are the coats and hats that are hung off the stand. Because the coat stand is the central piece that connects all these parts together, it works to make the new learning more coherent and impactful, and therefore more likely it will generalise across situations. Multiple presentations, in different contexts and formats, will increase the chances that new learning occurs and is sustained. It is important to select a metaphor suitable to act to overarch a course of intervention.
