Genograms in social work how to#

After a few months, we revisit and there are a few less squiggly lines and a few less colours. Colour everywhere and squiggly lines as far as the eye can see. Their genograms often look like a child got hold of the textas. When I work with families, it is often when they are on the brink of an all-out war. They are a picture of what is happening now. It can also help them see their own struggles using a strengths-based way of working through the issues.

Many young people who are being abused struggle to speak about it, however showing them how to draw a genogram can lead them to draw the abusive relationship which opens the dialogue. Genograms also help our clients to put a framework together that explains their circumstances. Because of the pictorial nature of genograms, it easily shows issues and concerns that might not be spoken about usually in a non-threatening manner. It can also help us to see patterns within those relationships and generational patterns which are affecting our clients. Why would I use a genogram?Ī genogram is a really useful tool for helping us to understand the key people and relationships in a client’s life. Most social work practitioners in personal and family therapy use genograms alongside sociograms for personal records and/or to explain family dynamics to their clients. Genograms are now used by various groups of people in a variety of fields such as medicine, psychology, social work, genetic research, education, and youth work to name but a few. This new system visualized the client in the context of other relatives including parents, grandparents, spouses, siblings, children, nephews, and nieces. Genograms were first developed in clinical psychology and family therapy settings by Monica McGoldrick and Randy Gerson and popularized through the publication of a book titled Genograms: Assessment and Intervention in 1985.

It goes beyond a traditional family tree allowing the creators to visualize patterns and psychological factors that affect relationships. A genogram is a picture of a person’s family relationships and history.

Genograms in social work how to#