A genogram is a family tree that shows more than names. Besides who is related to whom, it records marriages and divorces, deaths, illnesses and addictions, and the emotional bonds between people: who is close, who is in conflict, who has cut off contact. Seeing three generations at once makes patterns visible that are hard to notice in conversation.
Where genograms come from
Genograms grew out of family systems therapy in the 1970s, especially Murray Bowen's idea that families pass patterns of behavior and relationships from one generation to the next. Monica McGoldrick and Randy Gerson standardized the symbols in 1985 in Genograms in Family Assessment; the current edition, Genograms: Assessment and Treatment with Sueli Petry, is still the reference.
Who uses genograms
- Therapists and counselors, to understand a client's family and the patterns they bring into their own relationships.
- Social workers, as part of a family assessment, often together with an ecomap.
- Doctors, nurses and genetic counselors, to record a family health history: heart disease, cancer, diabetes or mental illness that runs in the family.
- Students in psychology, social work, nursing and family studies, who often draw their own family for a class assignment.
- Family historians, to add the stories behind the names.
What to include
A standard genogram covers at least three generations: your grandparents, your parents with their brothers and sisters, and you with your brothers and sisters, plus partners and children if you have them. For each person, note:
- name, year of birth and age, or year of death;
- marriages, separations and divorces, with the years;
- important health problems, including mental illness and alcohol or drug problems;
- notable facts: jobs, moves, migrations, military service, losses;
- how people get along: close, distant, in conflict or cut off.
How to make a genogram, step by step
- Start with the index person, the person the genogram is about, drawn with a double outline.
- Add the parents above, joined by a line that shows their relationship, then the brothers and sisters in birth order.
- Add the grandparents on both sides, and the parents' brothers and sisters.
- Add partners and children of the index person, and of anyone else who matters to the story.
- Mark deaths, illnesses and events with the standard symbols and short notes.
- Draw the emotional relationships: closeness, conflict, distance and cutoffs.
- Add a key and a date.
The genogram maker follows the same order: you start with the index person and add parents, siblings, partners and children with one click, and it draws the symbols and the key for you. The full list of symbols is in genogram symbols and lines, and finished examples are in genogram examples.
Questions to ask
- Who was in the family when you were growing up, and who lived in the house?
- When and how did each grandparent and parent die? What did they die of?
- Which illnesses, addictions or mental health problems run in the family?
- Who is close to whom? Who does not speak to whom, and since when?
- What were the big changes: moves, migrations, job losses, divorces, new marriages?
Genogram or family tree?
A family tree shows ancestry: names, dates and lines of descent, usually going back as far as records allow. A genogram covers fewer generations but adds health, events and relationships. If you only need names and dates, a family tree is simpler; if you want to understand how a family works, draw a genogram.
Privacy
A genogram can hold sensitive information about people who did not agree to share it. In class assignments, use first names or initials, and keep the file to yourself. The genogram maker on this site keeps everything in your own browser; nothing is uploaded.