What is a Genogram and How Are They Helpful?
What is a genogram and how is helpful in therapy? A genogram is a visual display of a person’s family with regard to medical, psychological and family relationship history. It’s much more than just a family tree. By creating a visual people are able to see patterns that are hereditary or environmentally passed down from one generation to the next. Like a family tree the genogram is depicted with simple symbols representing gender, family relationship and finally their living arrangements. It shows the people in your family, blood relative or not, and how they relate to one another. In addition to knowing that your cousin Alan was married to Patty and they had a set of twins, you would also learn that they suffered two miscarriages. Genograms are great for therapists who want to get a well-rounded idea of a patient’s family and social life but it is also helpful in business when planning out a floor plan for office space. In medicine a genogram can be useful in evaluating a person’s health risks. In family therapy the genogram is used to study and understand the family dynamics and patterns and can be useful when intervening to reduce dysfunction. Each family unit is made up of complex interactions between family members. By removing or altering one interaction there is likely to be a noticeable shift or change in the remaining family members behavior, which can be more dysfunctional than before the change, was made. It is why the pictorial display of the genogram is so useful for therapist who can then see how one change might affect the rest of the family.
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