Introduction
In the field of couples and family therapy, genograms are widely known and used as graphic tools for gathering general or detailed information about family structure and interpersonal relationships, including relevant data regarding family demographics and key aspects of the past and present. Systemic family therapist Monica McGoldrick is not only a pioneer in developing, popularizing, and describing how to depict different family structures, and establishing codes and symbols, but she also proposes diverse modalities to utilize genograms as therapeutic instruments for assessments and interventions (McGoldrick et al. 2008).
A genogram is designed to help understand family composition, dynamics, and patterns across generations. Genograms in a sense are versions of family trees. Some people define them as graphic representations for mapping psychological factors and transgenerational relationship punctuations that influence individuals’ behaviors, emotions, and performances.
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Mosgaard, J., Sesma-Vazquez, M. (2019). Postmodern Approaches in the Use of Genograms. In: Lebow, J.L., Chambers, A.L., Breunlin, D.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_829
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