Posts

Showing posts from March, 2017

KAWAbunga!

My favorite model we talked about was the KAWA Model by Dr. Michael Iwama. I grew up on the water in East Tennessee and now live on Mud Island, so I see the Mississippi River rushing by every day. I love being around water, so comparing different aspects of the river with different aspects of life was very intriguing to me. I like how the model talks about the water as the flow of life and how people adapt to society. I also really liked the metaphor for the rocks as obstacles in someone's life that affect the flow. My family used to have a cabin in the Smoky Mountains, and when we were young our parents built a swim area with rocks to make a safe place for us play without getting swept downstream. Those rocks had a large impact on the flow of the water, just like obstacles can affect the flow of someone's life. I also thought it was neat that therapy occurs in the spaces of all the obstructions. I really liked that idea because I believe it is very true. When helping someone p...

How does the OTPF influence OT practice?

The OTPF has a tremendous influence on OT practice. The "Top-Down Approach" that it emphasizes sets occupational therapy apart from other practitioners. Instead of meeting the person and immediately asking what is wrong, the OTPF is all about looking who the person is, what his or her occupations are, what is important to them, and then learning about what is challenging for them and what they want to be able to do. Occupational therapists not only speak in person-first language, but also practice person first.