What a genogram shows
A genogram is a map of a family over at least three generations, drawn with a shared set of symbols so that anyone trained to read one can follow it. Where a family tree stops at names and dates, a genogram adds what clinicians care about: illnesses that recur, addiction, mental health, losses, and how people in the family relate to each other — who is close, who is in conflict and who has cut contact.
The format was developed by Monica McGoldrick and Randy Gerson, building on Murray Bowen’s family systems theory, and set out in Genograms: Assessment and Treatment (McGoldrick, Gerson and Petry). This tool follows those conventions, so a genogram made here reads the way your instructor or supervisor expects.
How to make a genogram
- Start with the index person. Click “Start my own genogram”, name the client (or yourself, for a personal genogram) and tick Index person to give them the double outline.
- Add three generations. Use the + above a symbol for parents, beside it for partners and siblings, and below it for children. Siblings line up oldest to youngest from left to right once birth years are in.
- Describe each couple. In the panel, set the relationship to married, partners, engaged, separated, divorced or widowed. Add a second partner and their children sit under the right couple.
- Record births and losses. Enter birth and death years — ages are calculated and shown inside the symbol. Mark deceased people by unticking Living. Use “Birth or pregnancy” for pregnancies, miscarriages, abortions and stillbirths.
- Shade conditions. Under Style, pick the conditions that matter for this family. Tick them for each person and the matching part of their symbol fills in.
- Draw emotional relationships. Add lines such as close, conflict, distant or cut off from each person’s panel.
- Download. Choose PDF for printing or an assignment, PNG for slides, or SVG to edit further. Tick De-identify before sharing.
Genogram symbols
| Drawing | Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Square | Male | |
| Circle | Female | |
| Diamond | Another gender, or not known (a “?” inside means unknown) | |
| Double outline | Index person — the client or the person the genogram is about | |
| X through the symbol | Deceased; the age at death is written inside | |
| Number inside | Current age, or age at death | |
| Years above | Birth year (left) and death year (right) | |
| Solid horizontal line | Married couple | |
| Dashed horizontal line | Unmarried partners or living together | |
| One slash / two slashes | Separated / divorced | |
| Dashed line to a child | Adopted | |
| Dotted line to a child | Foster child | |
| Two lines from one point | Twins; a bar between the lines means identical twins | |
| Triangle | Current pregnancy | |
| Small filled circle | Miscarriage | |
| Small X | Abortion | |
| Inverted V inside the symbol | Gay or lesbian | |
| Small circle inside the symbol | Transgender |
Conventions for some symbols vary between textbooks and courses — particularly for gender identity and condition shading. Because every condition’s colour and position can be changed, you can match what your program teaches, and the key always explains what you chose.
Emotional relationship lines
| Drawing | Line | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Close (two lines) | A warm, supportive relationship | |
| Very close (three lines) | An especially strong bond | |
| Fused (four lines) | Enmeshed — so close that individuality suffers | |
| Distant (dotted) | Little contact or emotional connection | |
| Hostile (zigzag) | Ongoing hostility | |
| Conflict (zigzag with line) | Close but conflicted | |
| Cut off (broken line) | Contact has been ended | |
| Abuse (heavy zigzag, arrow) | Physical, emotional or sexual abuse, pointing from the person responsible | |
| Neglect (dashed, arrow) | Neglect, pointing from the person responsible | |
| Caregiver (arrow with dot) | One person cares for the other | |
| Focused on (heavy arrow) | One person’s attention is centred on the other |
Reading a genogram: what to look for
The value of a genogram is in the patterns it makes visible. Look for repetition across generations — the same illness, the same kind of loss, divorce at the same stage of life. Look at triangles, where two people in conflict pull in a third. Notice cut-offs and who sits at the edge of the family, and important dates that cluster: a death followed closely by a move, a birth or a breakdown. In the example genogram above, substance misuse passes from grandfather to father, the parents divorced, and the index person is close to their mother and distant from their father.
Tips for genogram assignments
- Check how many generations are required — three is typical — and whether you need to include a key. The key here is generated automatically.
- De-identify family members, including your own family in a personal genogram. Initials and ages are usually enough.
- In APA style, a genogram is a figure: number it (Figure 1), give it a title in italics, and add a note explaining the symbols if your key doesn’t.
- Download a PDF for the cleanest print, or a PNG at print quality (3×) to place in a Word or Google Docs document.
- Keep the backup file. If your instructor asks for changes, you can open it and edit rather than starting again.
Frequently asked questions
What is a genogram?
A genogram is a family diagram that goes beyond a family tree. Alongside who is related to whom, it records health conditions, patterns such as addiction or mental illness, and the emotional quality of relationships, using a standard set of symbols. It is used in family therapy, social work, nursing, medicine and genetic counseling.
Is this genogram maker free?
Yes, completely. There is no account, no trial, no limit on the number of people and no watermark on downloads.
Is it safe to use for client information?
Nothing you enter is uploaded — the genogram is stored in your own browser on your device. For anything that leaves your computer, tick De-identify so the diagram shows initials instead of names and no birth years. Always follow your agency’s or school’s rules on client data.
What do the symbols on a genogram mean?
Squares are males, circles are females and a diamond is a person of another or unknown gender. An X through the symbol means the person has died; the number inside is their age. A double outline marks the index person (the client). A horizontal line joins partners, slashes on it show separation (one) or divorce (two), and a dashed line means an unmarried couple. Children hang below their parents in birth order; a dashed line down means adopted, a dotted line foster.
How many generations should a genogram include?
Three generations is the usual standard — the client’s generation, their parents and their grandparents — because many family patterns become visible only across three. Assignments often require exactly three; clinical genograms may go further where a pattern continues.
How do I show emotional relationships?
Select a person, scroll to “Emotional relationships”, choose the type (close, very close, fused, distant, hostile, conflict, cut off, abuse, neglect, caregiver or focused on) and who it is with, then click Add. The key updates automatically.
How do I show conditions like addiction, depression or cancer?
Open Style to choose which conditions you want to track; each gets a colour and a part of the symbol (a quadrant or the whole symbol). Then tick the conditions in each person’s panel. You can rename conditions, add your own and change the shading to match your course’s convention.
Can I show twins, miscarriages and pregnancies?
Yes. In a child’s panel choose “Twin of” to draw the converging twin lines (tick Identical for a bar between them). Under “Birth or pregnancy” choose current pregnancy (triangle), miscarriage (small filled circle), abortion (small X) or stillbirth.
Can I turn my family tree into a genogram?
Yes. Download your tree from the family tree maker as a backup file or GEDCOM, then open it here with Open → Open a file. Everyone and every relationship carries over; then add conditions and emotional lines.
What is the difference between a genogram and an ecomap?
A genogram looks inside the family across generations. An ecomap looks outward at the family’s connections to schools, work, health services, friends and community. Many assessments use both — make one with the ecomap maker.