Genogram

History of the Genogram 

        The genogram was first introduced by Dr. Murray Bowen in 1978 as a replacement for the term "family diagram."  Bowen used the genogram  in the late 1960's and by the 1970's its use by Bowen Systems Therapists increased.  Monica McGoldrick and her colleagues at the Multicultural Family Institute of New Jersey officially created the genogram as a diagnostic tool and as a method to help families recognize patterns in their lives-- past and present.  McGoldrick and Randy Gerson published their first book, "Genograms in Family Assessment," in 1985 which made the use of genograms especially popular.  The North American Primary Care Research Group worked in collaboration with leading family therapists to make symbols and a standardized format.  Not only do genograms show who is related to who, but it goes on to include family relationships, emotional relationships, social relationships, medical history, and various other information to help therapists and counselors get to know a family in depth.

Common Genograms 

        - Family Genogram
        - Cultural Genogram
        - Socio-economic Genogram
        - Ethical Genogram
        - Career/Work Genogram
        - Educational/Academic Genogram
        - Professional Genogram
        - Spiritual Genogram
        - Sexual Genogram

     

Reliability and Validity Factors 

       According to Rogers and Holloway (1990), there is a high degree of test-retest reliability with assessments completed two times, 3 months apart.  The fact that the format and symbols are standardized does increase its validity because of the consistency in making a genogram generally the same each time its being used.  Overall, though, it's really quite difficult to determine the reliability and validity of the genogram because of the nature of this assessment tool.

Where to Obtain and Cost 

       Creating a genogram is extremely easy because the few materials you need are a paper and pencil and a list of genogram symbols.  There are online tools that will create an organized genogram for you, including programs such as the Genogram Analytics 6.0, Genogram-Maker Millennium Version 3.0, Geno-Pro 1.70, Relativity, and SmartDraw.  Geno-Pro 1.70 is available for download at this website <http://genopro.software.informer.com/1.7/>, and is free.

Administration and Interpretation 

        A genogram can be created by anyone-- self-administered, with a family, or by a counselor or therapist.  In my opinion, it would be beneficial to have a counselor mediate and facilitate the making of a genogram so that it can be interpreted throughout the process and the client(s) can explore things in depth as they come up or as they draw it out on paper (or online).  Having a counselor facilitating the process will allow the counselor to recognize patterns and help the client(s) also understand what might be going on in the family system.  

Article 

         There has been much research that supports how genograms have been beneficial in career counseling with adults, but there is not much data on how it works with children.  This article shows that comprehensive developmental guidance programs in public schools do allow school counselors to use genograms with students of all levels, and it gives students the opportunity to learn how to self-assess and examine family career themes that affect career decision-making.  Having this assessment available to children is important because understanding the child's background--parent's career history and such-- and how it has influenced them gives the student an opportunity to increase their life career development.  Career family trees and genograms are a part of the school counseling program standards and competencies and can be used to impact children positively in their career development.  

Gibson, D. M. (2005). The use of genograms in career counseling with elementary, middle, and high school students. The Career Development Quarterly, 53(4), 353-362. Retrieved from https://login.ezproxy.etsu.edu:3443/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/219545165?accountid=10771

Image 

Sample Genogram

References 

Hays, D. G. (2013). Assessment in counseling: A guide to the use of psychological assessment procedures (5th ed.). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.

Kennedy, V. (2010). Genograms. MAI Review, 3. Retrieved from http://www.review.mai.ac.nz/index.php/MR/article/viewFile/370/528

McGoldrick, M., Gerson, R., & Petry, S. S. (2008). Genograms in family assessment (3rd ed.). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.