why are genograms important in social work

The following picture covers most of the commonly used genogram symbols.įor a Medical genogram, you might need symbols that are appropriate to the diseases. To show a person's lifespan, a number is written in the middle with four diagonal lines pointing towards it. A square represents a male while a circle represents a female. There are multiple symbols to represent gender, age, lifespan, and if they are alive or not. In a general genogram, there is nothing complex but a simple mapping out of everyone in the family. Let’s go through some of these symbols and see what they mean: It covers all the important information relating to multiple types of diseases and even lifespan.Īs there are multiple genograms, each of these genograms uses its specific symbols to highlight the important information. The symbols for medical genograms are equally extensive.

It is mainly because they are quite helpful in identifying diseases in the family the carriers of certain genes, especially sex-linked diseases. Medical Genograms are by far the most widely used genograms. These genograms can be quite helpful while going for couple's therapy or even family trees. They also cover divorce, separated and cohabitation. The relationship genogram can represent marriage, a casual relationship, a committed relationship, or a temporary relationship. The type of relationship is shown by varying the style of the line. While Emotional Genograms relate more towards individuals and their feelings towards each other, a Relationship Genogram determines how individuals are related to each other. The genogram goes as far as identifying an abusive relationship, including mental, physical, and even sexual abuse. Some of the emotional relationships determined in this genogram include: conflicted, distant, very close, friendship. It is quite helpful in therapies determining how everyone feels towards each other and their relationship. Family genograms are quite helpful for researchers to track back to a person’s parentage or ethnicity, especially if someone wants to know about their ancestors.Īn emotional genogram is a tool used by psychologists and therapists to understand the flow of emotions between different individuals of the family. A family genogram at least shows three generations of the family, so it is quite useful for keeping a check on your family members, especially if your family has a complex structure. It is quite basic, too, with its simple gender symbols connecting the family members. Here are a few types of genograms that are used frequently:Ī family genogram is the most popular of the bunch. Many types of genograms can be used depending on what you are looking for or researching. More than that, it is an effective tool for understanding emotional relationships between individuals, especially those seeking personal or group therapy. While looking at multiple patients and their backgrounds, it is easier for them to understand their condition and treat them accordingly.Īs the world has gradually realized the importance of mental well-being, genograms have become very useful in understanding the progression of mental illness in the family. Medical students, especially doctors and nurses, can easily study patient history and diagnosis through genograms. Genograms are quite helpful in the education department. Looking at hereditary diseases like down syndrome, autism, heart diseases, and a genogram is quite popular to help the patient at their earliest stages. Let’s look at a few places where genograms are popular:Ī genogram is quite a useful tool, especially for doctors, while examining the patient history and history of disease in the family. Genograms serve mostly in clinical work, but they are also pretty popular in research and social work. There is no one standard type of genogram used in all fields rather, there are multiple of them used specifically for their purpose.

Why are genograms important in social work