Family Genogram Application for Treatment of Addiction Issues

Source: Toscova, R.  (2013) - *See Reference

By:  Kimberly Swanson, PsyM, LAPC, CNA
There are some therapeutic strategies for analyzing several generations of patterns of mental health and behaviors among family history and patterns.  The therapist would look to see if there are any behaviors or conditions that tend to stand out more so than others. Genograms are used to decipher these patterns and give a therapist a way to interpret family relationships.

A good example of when genograms can be used as an effective tool is when a person goes into a counseling center for assistance for having a substance abuse problem (e.g. alcohol); the therapist may want to get a better picture of the client’s family history with alcoholism.   The therapist may want to look at the family patterns to try to get the source or root of the client’s problems.   Often times the therapist may gather the data from the client's intake paperwork and/or during the initial sessions to put into the genogram; the completed genogram will give a visual picture of the client's family history (Grand Canyon University, 2014); this assists the clinicians in selecting the best therapeutic techniques based according to the client's circumstances. 

Reference

Grand Canyon University (2014).  Classical psychotherapies (lecture notes).  Retrieved from https://lc-grad2.gcu.edu

Above Image Source 

Toscova, R.  (2013).  Applying research in clinical set 3-15-13.  Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/lamentiraestamuerta/applying-research-in-clinical-set-3-1513-radka-toscova.

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