3 Best Genogram Makers to Map Your Family Relationships

October 10, 2022Ashley Mae

This post covers what a genogram is, genogram symbols, and genogram templates. Also, you can get the three best genogram makers to help you build your family genogram with ease.

Genogram Maker

Part 1. What is a Genogram

AA genogram is a visual representation that displays a person's family, history, and relationships between members and includes medical and mental health histories. It is a graphic representation of a family tree that tells detailed data on relationships among family individuals. A genogram also helps to analyze hereditary patterns and psychological factors that punctuate relationships. More than a pictorial display of a person's family relationships, a genogram also tells medical history.

What is A Genogram

Genogram items

A genogram should contain at least two generations. All first-order relatives have listed as clear a picture of the family as possible. Many symbols and formats are used to represent various familial relationships. Compared with a traditional family tree, a genogram includes information about several generations.

There are several genogram symbols that should be specifically noted. A genogram should show all family members, living and dead. Generally, it even includes children who died in infancy, stillborn infants, miscarriages, and these members that families do not mention. You can also add some unrelated persons who live in the same household as part of the genogram. It can be very useful to give a complete picture of the family. A genogram should note the hereditary or recurring illness. If possible, intergenerational child abuse, substance abuse, or mental illness should also be noted.

Genogram symbols

A genogram is built with simple symbols to represent the gender, the corresponding symbols to mark individuals, and various lines to illustrate the family relationships between them. It usually uses different lines to represent the emotional relationships between individuals, including positive, loving connections, estrangement, tensions, and physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. Also, some genograms use circles around members to show those who live in the same living spaces.

Genogram Symbols

Genogram symbols usually contain the date of birth and/or death and the member name of the individual underneath. Also, it should have various codes for genetic diseases or user-defined properties. You can use specific genogram symbols to tell information like stillbirths, abortions, SIDS, cohabitations, and more. Each family member's symbol should include specific symbols or marks to represent various diagnoses. These genogram symbols can help medical providers effectively identify genetic predispositions to various diseases.

Why make a genogram - Genogram uses

Genograms can be used in many types of family therapy. First, you can use a genogram to show a clear family structure. It can give a whole unit view to provide insight into how the various members relate to and affect each other. It contains all the necessary information about several generations. In some cases, a genogram can help to highlight the pattern of marital problems.

What's more, the therapist can observe the client's emotional patterns and various structural relationships among family members and identify dysfunctional patterns through a genogram. It can help conceptualize a case from multiple clinical perspectives.

Part 2. Get the 3 Best Genogram Makers to Draw Your Family Relationships

You can use a complex word processor or a diagram drawing program to map your family relationships. Also, you can easily access many useful genogram examples on the internet. This part recommends three great genogram creators to help you quickly make a genogram.

Free online genogram maker - MindOnMap

MindOnMap is an all-featured online diagramming tool that can help you draw your family relationships visually. It can work as a free genogram maker to draw a genogram directly on your web browsers like Chrome, Safari, or Edge. MindOnMap provides you with many useful themes, examples, and templates to quickly start your genogram drawing. All basic tools and shapes are offered to ensure you can easily build your genogram or other diagrams.

Online Genogram Maker MindOnMap

When you want to make a genogram, you can open a web browser, navigate to the official MindOnMap website, and then click on the Create Your Mind Map button to start. You need to log in with an email or Google account. After that, you can select a suitable diagram type or theme to draw your family relationship diagram.

Genogram Examples MindOnMap

Many commonly-used tools are offered there for you to add nodes, sub-nodes, and components, insert images, links, comments, and other elements to make your genogram. You can freely undo or redo your operation. On the right side of this online genogram creator, you can adjust the genogram style, theme, icon, outline, and more according to your need.

Make A Genogram Online MindOnMap

This genogram maker gives a simple way to share or export your created genogram. You can export it as a JPG/PNG/SVG image, Word file, or PDF file and then print it or send it to other family members. Also, you are allowed to generate a link and then share it with others. To do that, you can click on the Export or Share button in the upper-right corner.

Easy-to-use genogram generator - Creately

Creately is a specially-designed family genogram maker that can visualize your family lineage and medical history. It collects many customizable genogram templates for you to build your genogram and identify patterns quickly. It offers many useful drag-drop tools and a Plus Create feature to streamline drawing a complex genogram. Moreover, it enables you to customize shape settings to freely adjust the genogram entities and organize them around different data types, such as family relationship history, social, psychological, and medical.

Genogram Example Template Creately

Creately has a real-time collaboration feature for you to brainstorm family relationships and build your genogram effectively. Any family members can work on a shared canvas. This genogram generator also makes it possible to make a video conferencing and discuss the genogram mapping. Through that, you can easily track your family history and all the changes and revisions. Creately also gives a video tutorial on its website for you to know its features and how to create a genogram.

How to Create a Genogram Creately

Popular genogram creator - Lucidchart Genogram Online

Lucidchart Genogram online is a diagramming platform that combines diagramming, data visualization, and collaboration to help you make a genogram. It offers an easy way to visualize your family relationships and history. It allows you to add patterns and psychological factors to display family relationships. This online genogram maker carries many useful drag-drop and styling tools to freely customize your genogram.

Lucidchart Genogram Maker

Lucidchart genogram maker can generate your family relationship diagram automatically. You are allowed to build a genogram from scratch or customize a selected template with the right symbols and notations it offered. Moreover, it offers an integrated Lucidchart presentation mode for you to present your genogram. Also, you can choose to export your created genogram to other applications like Microsoft Excel or PowerPoint. This Lucidchart genogram maker is not totally free. Its free plan only allows you to edit three documents, and its many features are limited.

Part 3. FAQs of Genogram and Genogram Maker

What is the main difference between a genogram and a family tree?

A genogram has a structure like a family tree. But it serves a very different purpose. Compared with a traditional family tree diagram, a genogram usually contains more extensive information about relationships and interactions between family members.

Where to use a genogram?

A genogram is mainly used for knowing family history and relationships among family members. Also, it can be used in medicine, education, and psychotherapy.

Where to find useful genogram examples?

You can easily access many useful genogram examples on some online genogram makers. Besides the recommended tools above, you can also go to the Visual Paradigm Online website to get genogram templates.

Conclusion

Genograms can be used to analyze family relationships, hereditary factors, and psychological patterns. People usually make a visual genogram of their families to keep track of lineage and family history. This post tells what a genogram is and how to draw your family relationships visually with three genogram makers. For more questions about the genogram, you can leave us a message.

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