There can be many counterfactuals that are equally similar to the pattern I want to explain – which one do I choose?

A counterfactual does not take into account how difficult/costly a change might be to achieve a different outcome. E.g. to get the loan you could increase your savings or get a higher paid job – what should you do?

A counterfactual might be based on a feature that cannot be changed (which could reveal something interesting about the model though).

BT