Wk 2 Disc- Assessing Genograms

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Dec 6, 2023

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Week 2 Discussion: Assessing Genograms After reading your McGoldrick, Gerson, and Petry text chapters 1–4, prepare to create your family genogram in Week 3. A genogram provides a visual representation of a family. For this discussion, describe ways a genogram might help you understand a family better. As a therapist, what insights would a genogram provide in terms of a family's relational patterns, generational connections, significant events, and life stages? How does a genogram help us to think systemically about individuals and families? In what ways might a genogram help you be a better therapist? Response Guidelines Respond to at least two other learners by asking questions and adding comments that expand and deepen the conversation. Your responses to other learners are expected to be substantive in nature. Please remember to be respectful of the ideas and experiences of others. Note: You need to share only information about yourself that you are comfortable sharing. You are also welcome to write in the first person about your personal experiences, though reference concepts should be cited accordingly. Try to connect your personal experiences to concepts in the literature. Post – As a therapist, what insights would a genogram provide in terms of a family's relational patterns, generational connections, significant events, and life stages? As McGoldrick, Gerson, and Petry explained, the socioemotional and physical functioning of all family members is deeply interdependent with changes in one part of the family system echoing to other parts of the family system. (p.2) As therapist, one way to track and explore these interpersonal relationships and patterns in a family is through a genogram. Using a genogram can help therapist’s understand complex family patterns as well as expand family narratives in a way that offers new perspectives on life events and future possibilities. They also help clients (and of course therapists, too!) see underlying problems they were not originally aware of and make connections to their current problems or symptoms (McGoldrick, Gerson, Petry, 200) Moreso, genograms, as a visual diagram, are a clearer way to see the bigger picture of current problems by viewing them in multiple contexts. What behaviors may have been passed down, what members may be a resource, where there are imbalances or balance within family functioning can all be summarized by a genogram making it easier for a therapist to see interactional patterns that impact a client’s life. How does a genogram help us to think systemically about individuals and families? Our society is perpetuated by linear thinking, especially within the science domains that therapy originates. Thus, it would be easy for a therapist to operate as though the client alone ought to outline their own life. However, MFT’s challenge this approach by addressing families systemically and the use of a genograms allows for us to think outside the box of a single individual. Genograms “force” us to think about the generations before and after an individual and explore the patterns observed within their sociocultural networks. As genograms provide us with data on age, race, location, occupation, education, interactional patterns and emotional

relationships, sexual orientation, gender, mental or physical illness, etc. it allows a therapist to inquire about not only a single individual but the various members of the family, opening up a discussion of the presenting problem in the context of the relationships it encompass. In what ways might a genogram help you be a better therapist? I believe that using a genogram can make you a better therapist by adding to the joining process of therapy as a way for a therapist to connect with clients on a deeper level. Similarly, a genogram presents a therapist with a concise summary of a client, allowing for a therapist to maintain an efficient understanding of the clients history, patterns, problems, and potential resources throughout the entire therapeutic relationship. Reference: McGoldrick, M., Gerson, R., & Petry, S. (2020). Genograms: Assessment and Treatment . W. W. Norton. Replies (2)- Hi Nicholas, As one of the goals of therapy is to examine unhealthy patterns that do not serve the client's needs and reframe them in a way that does, I think you were spot on in stating a genogram's usefulness in providing a systemic perspective of a client's entire family. I like how you pointed out that genograms can alleviate negative thoughts that clients may have about their situation. I think this goes along well with the idea that genograms help clients change the narrative of their situation. Being able to see their family’s patterns may be enough for some clients to “put the pieces together” so to speak. Similar to what you stated, it could show clients outliers or exceptions to their thought processes and possible sources of strength. Hello Alecia, A quote from a former professor has really stuck with me over the years. They said, “We are what we’ve been taught” and I think the quote you provided from the text depicts this in that our families set the foundation for our first experiences with the world, our sense of belonging, and our sense of self. Genograms help us understand the people who raised us and the context in which we were brought up. As you stated it is a great visual representation of a family’s history and provides a therapist with a holistic “big picture” view. As a client, it can provide us with information that we may have not thought about before and provide context into our situation, allowing for more empathy for ourselves and others. I know personally it has helped me see the reasons why my childhood was how it was and the many challenging times that my parents (and grandparents) had to face from their own upbringing. It gives more context to the idea that our parents were “just doing their best”. And of course, it allows therapists to think systemically as well as presenting clients with a new perspective to consider.

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