A family genogram can be used to shed light on the family background. Once a person gains more information and knowledge about the family, the genogram can be used to better understand the family situation (Platt and Skowron, 2013). Family genograms can function as a bigger picture of how family members are related biologically, emotionally, and legally over several generations. Genograms provide several information on the hereditary patterns, medical history, and behavior history of various family members (Gillies and Burrows, 2017). The main reason for creating a genogram is to involve the family members in depicting a relationship that summarizes the family system. The summary is an assessment plan that can be used to solve various interventions. The purpose of this interview paper is to draw and discuss the genogram of a family I interviewed. The genogram is used to record family problems for at least three generations.
Marie’s Family Interview
The family I chose to interview is in the middle of a transition. I got to know the family through community networks. The family I chose to interview is a black family known as the Marie. The Marie’s family that live in a single-family home include the grandparents Marie and George, parent Stella and Stella’s fiancé Dan plus Stella and Dan’s 4-year-old daughter Margaret. The family’s race has seen them struggle through challenges like poor employment and struggling to make ends meet. They go to a nearby Catholic church and like going out on picnics together. Margaret’s relatives that do not live with them are paternal grandparents Ruben and Sandy, paternal Uncle Jessie, paternal Auntie Jasmine, and maternal Uncle Lewis.
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There have been a lot of medical problems in the family. Diabetes and depression is a common problem in the family. Grandfather Marie has been struggling with diabetes and heart disease most of his life. This has been coupled with massive periods of depression. At some point in his life, he struggled with severe anxiety and self-medicated it with alcohol. He got older and continued to have problems with his heart and depression. His daughter, Stella took him in and currently takes care of him. Grandmother George has been struggling to keep the family together and maintain the family unity. She struggled with depression, anxiety, hypertension, and obesity. She had to undergo a gastric bypass surgery the previous year where she lost a significant amount of weight. Her weight loss has helped improve her health significantly.
Stella, Margaret’s mother, has been struggling with anxiety and depression too. She has been going to therapy in the past few weeks to try to manage her daily struggles and her anxiety level. Stella recently acquired a stable job and saving funds to take care of her parents. Stella and Lewis are siblings but not in a good relationship. Lewis has created difficulties in the family by being in and out of jail due to drugs. He dropped out of high school, does not have a stable job and has addicted to drugs and alcohol.
Margaret’s paternal grandfather, Ruben, does not live with them. He stays at Jessie’s. Ruben had struggled with anxiety and depression most of his life. He often resorted to alcohol. As he got old, he saw the effects that drinking had on his health and stopped. Margaret’s paternal grandmother is diseased. She struggled with alcohol addiction when younger and at some point separated from her partner. She was involved in a car accident at the age of 41 where she passed away.
Dan blames Jasmine for causing a lot of trouble and instability in the family that led to Sandy’s depression, alcohol and ultimately death. Dan and Jasmine stopped talking due to a disagreement once Grandmother Sandy passed away. Jasmine had spent time in prison for being involved in a robbery in a jewelry store. Jasmine and Dan’s problems began after the arrest. Auntie Jessie has been married to Israel, and they have a stable home and four children. They took in their grandfather and moved to a distant location. They would like to bring up their children in a safe and healthy and environment.
Four-year-old Margaret is young and is growing up in a stable and healthy environment. The family is currently stable but trying to cope up with the past challenges of anxiety and depression. They plan to give their young daughter a proper growing environment free from depression or anxiety.
While the family did not disclose adequate information, it is clear that it has been trying to adapt emotionally to some challenges. After interpreting the genogram, it is apparent that there are multi-generation issues present in the family. The family went through a stage of dysfunction where anxiety and depression were apparent. If members of a family fail to transition to a different stage in the family cycle, then a total dysfunction is likely to occur (Gladding, 2014). However, things have been leveling off with the changing environment and a different stage.
Marie’s Family Genogram
References
Gillies, L., & Burrows, H. M. (2017). A case study in the use of genograms to assess family dysfunction and social class: To the Manor Born versus Shameless. In Custard, culverts, and cake: Academics on life in the archers (pp. 167-189). Emerald Publishing Limited.
Gladding, S. T. (2014). Family therapy: History, theory, and practice . Pearson Higher Ed.
Platt, L. F., & Skowron, E. A. (2013). The family genogram interview: Reliability and validity of a new interview protocol. The Family Journal , 21 (1), 35-45.
