KAWA- River Model

Glossary

River Flow

Metaphor for life’s journey; start of the river, upstream - birth and end of the river, downstream - end of life. The river flow represents our life and individual priorities; our life is shaped by our unique contexts that we are born into.

Water (Mizu)

Represents our flow of life, energy of life, essence of life. It is pure, cleansing, renewable. It comes into contact with contexts and obstacles that shape and determine the direction and rate of flow of life.

Upstream and Downstream

Upstream represents the past.

Downstream represents the future.

Health and well-being is represented by free flowing, unrestricted flow of the river.

River banks

-Environment and contexts
-Represents the contexts that surround the client and includes the social and environmental factors.

-External environment includes width and depth represents the range and opportunity of flow and the effect of social factors and relationships.

Ba

Social environment - NB for the judgement of reality.

Wide flowing river

Some people are born into a set of circumstances that flow easily like a wide-flowing river.

Space between rocks (Sukima)

The points through which the clients life energy (water) flows through, it represents occupation. Opportunities for enhancing ones flow.

Rocks (Iwa)

-obstacles and challenges

-keep person from contact with social context

Large rocks that are discrete circumstances that are considered impediments to one’s life flow. These circumstances are viewed as problematic and difficult to remove by the client.

Driftwood (Riyuboku)

Influencing factors. This is the clients personality traits and attributes such as personal values. They are considered as assets or liabilities either enhancing or hindering one’s life flow.

Sediment

It is found between the water flow and river banks. This creates a barrier between the environment and life’s energy (water flow).

Harmony

It represents the balance and integration between the person and their contexts.

Interconnectedness

Interconnectedness of all the elements in the model, self and environment are connected, not seen as separate.

Goal for OT

We want to assist the client in enhancing the spaces between the rocks and remove any obstructions in order to enhance the river flow and put client back into contact with environment.