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 participate in occupations, all aspects must be taken into consideration - from the adaptability someone has, to the various obstacles that block his or her natural flow of life. I found the KAWA Model to be a very relatable and unique Model.