Genogram Symbols

[ysabetwordsmith]

A genogram, like an egomap, uses geometric symbols to mark relationships between people.  A handful of symbols cover the most common relationships.  But there are a LOT more, and for some people, skipping those is incomplete to the point of misleading or abusive.

This is a basic set with a few useful additions. 

This one is more multicultural.

Here is an extensive QUILTBAG set.

There's a lot of overlap but they don't use all the exact same symbols.  That's okay.  What matters is finding a way to diagram the relationships that are useful in a given context.  That can vary because these things are used in psychotherapy, genetic counseling, genealogy, sociology, linguistics, and so on.

Comments

[technoshaman]

♫ Try to paint a picture, you can do it with your eyes closed... ♪

I should do this before I go back to therapy. There are WAY too many moving parts here, and the blood kin on my side have jack-all to do with the whole rest of it, and the co-parents, while affecting the kids, have jack-all to do with the rest of the 'ohana both formally declared (and in the wedding pictures) and not (but just as important)...

Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

You'll want to look at the emotional markers for specifying many different types of relationships, then. This can be very helpful in some types of therapy, such as family dynamics or psychotherapy.

[erulisse]

Thanks for sharing the QUILTBAG set! I wish I'd found it when I was doing my own genogram last semester. There was a *lot* of make-do and make-it-up-as-you go in that one. My own committed queer-platonic relationship with my agender partner was especially difficult to chart.

You're welcome!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm happy that I could help. I figure lots of people need these.