Genogram In Social Work Practice

A genogram is a tool that is used in counseling to plot a client’s family of origin. Not only plotting like one would a family tree but also experiences that occurred within the family. According to Corey and Corey (2014) a genogram can start simple and then can become complex picture of a family and issues and struggles within a family.

Genograms are used to graphically represent a family tree and display detailed data on relationships among the individuals included in the family tree. In essence, families are complex systems that interact with kin groups in specific ways, and a genogram helps to show a diagram of a family tree, but also maps out interactions, relationships, traits, and characteristics that may otherwise not be noticed. The purpose of a genogram is to identify and understand patterns in family history which may influence an individual’s personal behavior and traits. Family Systems Theory, presented by Dr. Murray Bowen, suggests that an individual cannot be understood in isolation from their family members. According to Dr. Bowen, the family is an emotional

Since all families are different, a diagram could potentially assist a client to become aware of many aspects of their family. They construct a diagram in which they are familiar with all of their biological family members or they could construct a diagram in which they are not familiar with their biological family. Although they may not be familiar with their biological family, their adopted family is their family. Being able to see the members represented within the digram can allow the client to understand how theories and therapies can influence knowledge of the client’s

To help the client gain a visual of her past influences, the counselor can put together a genogram of the client’s family system. Since Heather comes from an Italian family, maybe being a stay at home wife is more of a culture aspect than a family structure. According to Simonelli, Bighin, and Palo (2012) the Italian culture is more focused on the “co-parental” couple than a “marital” couple. In other words, the mother is responsible for raising the children, cooking meals, and cleaning the home. As for the father, his duties are too private the income (Simonelli et al., 2012). By providing a family genogram that digs deeper into Heather’s Italian family, the counselor can gain an understanding why the parents are forceful about their daughter

Although family relationships can provide stability and a sense of wellbeing, they can also involve physical violence, verbal and emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect (Holmes et al., 2016, p.

That is, the nuclear family's relationship-or lack of relationship-to the extended family or the community may play a huge part in functioning. Ackerman (1958) viewed family work as a special method of treatment of emotional disorders based on dynamically oriented interviews with the whole family. This looks at the who, what, where, when, why, and how of family. The goal is to bring to the surface all the "contributors" (person or thing) of the issue and map out ways to manage it.

One of the most useful models for social workers to implement is the generalist model. Since the goal of social work is to work with individuals and assist them in solving their problems, the generalist model seeks to create three levels of practice to better aide the individuals in direct practice service (Farley, Smith, & Boyle, 2011). These three levels are the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. The micro level refers to the systems that directly impact a single individual, whereas the mezzo level refers to the small groups (such as marriages and families) that impact the individual. Furthermore, the macro level refers to the large systems, such as cultures and large organizations, which can influence the person. With the establishment of the generalist model, the social worker can better aide the client and work directly with him to help him solve any problems or concerns he may have, and this model has become the most common operational model in social work, though it does have both advantages and disadvantages.

A genogram is more than a family tree. It is a visual interpretation of a family and their relationships. A genogram says a lot about a family. It uses symbols to describe the relationships between family members. One can use a genogram to tell the dynamics of a family. Sometimes, there are patterns that are passed down generation to generation. The purpose of this paper is to go into more detail about what a genogram is and what it means. Also, I have provided a genogram of my family on the last page. I will spend most of the time talking about my family and what our genogram means. Different people in my family have different relationships with one another. There are several characteristics I see that have been passed down.

The social worker explores the issues that currently affect the client system. This identifies key issues, family history, cultural identities and values (Brew & Kottler 2008, p. 75). In collaboration, the social worker and the client system to prepare a plan of action. This includes outlining strengths, resources, goals, objectives, and targets for change (Miley, O’Melia & Dubois 2013, p. 119). Tools can be used to gather more information such as genograms and eco-maps. The genogram is utilised to identify the client system’s family and explore the

The family system is founded on the notions that for change to occur in the life of an individual, the therapist must understand and work with the family as a whole. In working with the family, the therapist can understand how the individual in counseling functions within his family system and how the client’s behaviors connect to other people in the family. This theory also holds the perception that symptoms are a set of family habits and patterns passed down by generation and not a result of a psychological problem or an inability to change (Corey, 2017). Furthermore, the family system theory holds the idea that when a change occurs everyone in the unit is affected by the change.

The family unit as a whole is suffering due to marital strife due to, spiritual and emotional issues taking place in the home amongst couples and parents and their children.

The objective of doing the genogram is to get to know the patient by gaining understanding of his/her family background. Assessing the family using systemic approach enables health care providers to learn about the ways in which family members interact, what are the family expectations and norms, how effective is the members communication, who makes decisions and how the family deals with life time stressors (Hockenberry & Wilson, 2007). This paper outlines the assessment and analysis of the three generation of Wits’ and Smiths’ families, its relationship, health pattern, habits, tradition and structure. It also provides a nursing teaching plan. The interview was conduced with Alina Wit, a second generation mother of three.

In the professional field of Social Work, there are many terminologies that individuals outside of this group may not understand. During the process of assessing a problem in a family, there are different theoretical perspectives that helps social workers understand different aspects of family situations. There are eight theoretical perspectives that helps social workers understand family’s dynamic and situations. These theoretical perspectives are; system perspective, conflict perspective, exchange and choice perspective, social constructionist perspective, psychodynamic perspective, developmental perspective, social behavior perspective and humanistic perspective.

Family is something that plays a tremendous role in our life. Even though the structure of families has changed over the years, it is important to acknowledge that there many families out there whether they are traditional families, nuclear family, stepfamilies or others which tend to have different types of problems in their families. Therefore, many families attempt to go to family therapy in order for them to obtain help in solving the different types of issues they might have at home. As stated in the book Family Therapy by Michael P. Nichols (2013), “The power of family therapy derives from bringing parents and children together to transform their interaction… What keeps people stuck in their inability to see their own participation in the problems that plague them. With eyes fixed firmly on what recalcitrant others are doing, it’s hard for most people to see the patterns that bind them together. The family therapist’s job is to give them a wake-up call” (2013).

(Cohen, 2017) By following the Family development theory you are able to better understand the running of a family and the different dynamics that occur within it. As for the genogram, it can detect patterns in psychological health and hereditary diseases and can show how families can better their relationship for the