Genograms or monograms are also a key part of the process of assessment in social work and other professions, such as nursing. Genograms and ecomaps are like chronologies (the arrangement of events or dates in order of how they occur). In social work practice, they were made popular by the work of Maria McGoldrick and Randy Gerson (1985). Genograms were first used in the 1960s as a means of ‘tracking a presenting problem thorough the generations’ (Bowen, 1978). You may also find this article on Ecomaps useful. You can think of it as a really detailed family tree. It goes beyond a simple traditional family tree and shows the dynamics of a family over multiple generations. It can also be an organised chart of a person’s family background and medical history. It is a useful tool for social work professionals to help gather information about a person’s family. What is genogram in social work?Ī genogram uses a set of symbols to help social workers understand family dynamics. It offers a pictorial display of a person’s family relationships and medical history. A genogram is a picture worth a thousand words!
