The Kawa ‘River’ Model

‘Kawa’ is the Japanese word for river.  This model was created by an occupational therapist² to help people map or draw out their lives in a visual way.  It is helpful in identifying things in life that support you or create obstacles for you now, as well as in the past and future.  

The people we interact with (the social environment) and the buildings and other structures around us (the physical environment) influence our well-being in positive and negative ways.  Using the river model can help to better understand your life circumstances².

What is in the river?

The river itself represents the course of life.  It has a beginning and an end.  A river with strong, unblocked flow represents a state of well-being.  Objects in the river can get in the way of this flow or they can help it².

These are the other parts of the river model2:   Rocks= life circumstances (health conditions, injury, illness) River walls and bottom= social and physical environment (family, friends, co-workers, pets) Driftwood= assets and liabilities (personality, values, skills, living situation) Water= energy or life flow (being able to do or be what is important to us)

Remember, each person’s river is unique.  Your energy or life flow depends  on how deep your river is and the number and size of the rocks and driftwood in it.  Each individual’s river also changes over time as life circumstances change².

For example, a person with few social supports, such as friends and family,  may have a river that is not so deep.  They may have big rocks, such as an injury or a stressful job, and many pieces of driftwood, such as feeling shy or having to share a home with roommates.  They may not be able to do things that are important to them because there is not enough space for the water to flow around the rocks and driftwood.

When the river walls and bottom are built up or the rocks and driftwood become smaller, the water is able to flow more strongly.  Water can also erode, or break down, the rocks over time.  This creates more flow².  

To watch a video about how the river model works, click below:

How does spirituality fit in with the river model?

Spirituality can be represented by driftwood in the river if it is seen a resource⁶.  It can be a small piece of driftwood or a large one.  This driftwood can collide with other objects in the river and move them out of the way.  This helps the flow of water in the river and improves well-being².  

References

2.     Iwama, M.K. (2006).  The Kawa model: culturally relevant occupational therapy.  Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier.

6.     Swarbrick, P., & Burkhardt, A. (2000).  Spiritual health: implications for the occupational therapy process.  Mental Health Special Interest Section Quarterly, 23(2), 1-3.

<<BACK                                                                                                                                               NEXT>>