FAMILY GENOGRAM SOCIAL WORK SOFTWARE
FAMILY GENOGRAM SOCIAL WORK PROFESSIONAL

The construction of a genogram is an interpersonal event in which an individual, couple, or family collaborate with a consulting professional in the gathering, recording, and interpreting of data about family relationships. These deceptively simple explanations capture the essence of a complex clinical and consulting instrument that depicts nuances of description and relationship that may be lost in larger narratives or omitted in an overly intense focus upon self. With its lines, boxes, circles, and symbols, the genogram records important facts, life-changing events, and complex relationships of a family system. It can be described as a graphic representation of families that charts the interactional processes over three generations (McGoldrick, Gerson, and Shellenberger 1999). understanding human behavior and the social environment, 5th edition. more than a thousand words:graphics for clinical practice. 'diagrammatic assessment of familyrelationships.' families in society 76(2):111–122. See also: Family Assessment Family Diagrammatic Assessment: Genogram Family Systems Theory Bibliography

It will be the responsibility of the helping professional to listen closely to the family's stories, however they are revealed, and then be willing to piece together the information in a diagrammatic format for further use. For example, when gathering information from a Middle Eastern or Asian family, clients are not likely to be sitting in the helping professional's office answering pointed questions. However, practitioners must carefully consider the cultural context before using the ecomap and be In addition, the ecomap promotes the value of communal relationships, highly valued in non-Western cultures, and highlights the strength of a family's ability to connect with those around them.

The graphic may be shared with and interpreted for others in the family who may not speak the language of the therapist. The ecomap may be an effective cross-cultural tool, especially in situations when language differences may impede therapeutic process. However, virtually no literature exists on the usefulness of the ecomap with non-Western cultures. Helping professionals from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand have written about the value of utilizing family diagrammatic tools with families.

Two such resources are 'Ecotivity' by Wonderware and Mattaini's software companion to 'Visual Ecoscan for Clinical Practice.' In recent years, new computer software allows professional helpers to develop computer-generated diagrammatic assessments such as ecomaps and genograms. Although originating in social work, the use of this tool spans disciplinary boundaries literature on nursing, psychology, law, and other disciplines salutes the usefulness of family diagrammatic tools. Other social workers who have joined Hartman in refining the ecomap include Joan Laird and Mark Mattaini. Since its creation, the ecomap has been used in a variety of practice settings. The concept quickly became popular with family therapists in the United States and the United Kingdom. The social worker Ann Hartman first introduced the ecomap in 1978 in her article 'Diagrammatic Assessment of Family Relations.' Hartman's work evolves from the school of family theories known as family systems theory, which grew out of the general systems theory applied to sciences such as physics, biology, and anthropology. This empowers families to know where to begin making changes. Using the ecomap, the therapist and family can identify the external relationships that are nourishing, as well as those that are wounded. Arrows indicated direction of energy flow and conflicted or broken relationships may be represented by interrupted lines. For example, a solid line may indicate a strong and healthy relationship, while a diffused line represents a weaker tie. Standard symbols are used to express energy that flows from a person or family to other important people and institutions.

The ecomap diagram consists of circles, lines, and arrows (see Figure 1). Identifying these connections clarifies and organizes data on a family's environment highlights energy that flows into and out of the family and raises issues such as network size and stability, reciprocity of relationships, and access to or deprivation of available resources. As the name signifies, therapist and client together map out connections between the family and its ecological environment. The ecomap, also called a sociogram, is a visual assessment tool depicting the relationships between a family and its social network.

FAMILY GENOGRAM SOCIAL WORK PROFESSIONAL

FAMILY GENOGRAM SOCIAL WORK SOFTWARE

Family genogram social work