Colored lines can mean all the difference in the world when creating a family relationship genogram. Genealogists have created a system that can display all the different types of relationships that people can have in their family history and family tree that include love affairs, cohabitation, divorce and many more. Below are the common family relationship genogram symbols. You can get some genogram templates here.
Genograms can be created easily and be kept simple or get complex depending on how much detail you want to show. They’re created with simple symbols representing the gender, with various lines to display family relationships. You can create them in Microsoft Word or special Genogram programs. I suppose you could even create them on old fashion paper.
Keep in mind these are the basic symobls and sometimes have the date of birth (and date of death if applicable) above, and the name of the individual underneath. The inside of the symbol will hold the person’s current age or various codes for genetic diseases or other specific information that can include diabetes, smokers, abortions, and more.
Genogram templates coming soon.
Are you looking for a great way to cheaply create a genogram template in microsoft word? Me too, but I have some sad news…it is not possible to make a genogram in microsoft word. I’ve spent several hours trying and reading all over the internet for a solution. It comes down to the fact that Microsoft Word is not created for making genograms and the built in tools are far too cumbersome and 90% of the needed symbols and special lines are not even available in Microsoft word.
The cheapest way to create a genogram is to create it on old fashion paper, but that is not why you are here, you don’t (I sure don’t) want to draw it on paper!
The second way is to draw it by hand in photoshop, but you will need to know your way around photoshop.You can learn Photoshop here.
Honestly, one of the best solutions that is to purchase a specially made program for creating genograms. They don’t cost a terrible amount and most are under $50. But the time, effort, stress and ease of use will easily be worth the money.
The one I’ve found that is the best is this one >http://www.genopro.com/introduction/ They offer a 14 day free trial.
A Genogram can be very helpful to an individual to learn about their family of origin. Ways that a genogram can be beneficial are for disease prevention and other information that can be gained by studying the family constellation. Genograms use pictorial symbols and graphical images to identify patterns in one’s family of origin. They can help people identify medical information or personal information that might be useful, and help people see a symbolic representation of the family.
Geonrgrams were first used by those in psychology and other helping professions to access family patterns in a clinical setting. They indicate the sort of information is going to be helpful to the professional and client in dealing with family dynamics. They are often employed by individuals in the helping professions or medical fields as tools to help explain family disease or process to clients or patients.
Genograms use pictures and symbols to symbolize various members of the family and their place within the family. It is helpful to have a graphical representation of all members of the family and how they fit into the family constellation. It also shows the social and emotional relationships amongst the members.They also use colored lines to show a history of violence or emotional events for instance. You can view the genogram symobls here.
As mentioned previously, The theory behind the Genogram is that it helps the individual see how the family constellation impacts them in any number of ways. The applications of the genogram are used in various settings.
Geneologists use this method to track immigrations or significant genetic happenings withing the family. They also will show how the family members are interrelated. They can also be used to focus on significant family events such as adoption or divorce impact the family.
Medical researchers also use the Genogram to show individuals the risk of inherited diseases and family members that may have previously suffered from them. They can be invaluable tools to medical professionals who want to show the risk that various family members incur from the disease process. They also help to show the risk of inherited diseases.
Sociologists are use Genograms to look at family histories and their impact on current societal and cultural behaviors. Genograms are valuable tools indeed, as their use stretches across various disciplines.
Genograms also are used in social work to determine the cohesiveness of a family unit, In education they are often used understand historic family constellations and patterns across generations. In research Genograms are used to study plants and environmental impacts. In family therapy they can be used to study and access family dynamics for therapeutic purposed.
In short, almost any discipline that deals with family interactions can use Genograms for positive effect.
Take a look at some of our free genogram templates.
Free Genogram Templates are coming soon.