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Genogram maker

Build a three-generation genogram with standard symbols. Set each person’s sex and whether they have died, set each couple’s status (married, partners, separated, divorced) and download a clean PDF for your notes.

The Alder FamilyWalter Alder1948Rose Alder1950Helen Reyes1974Marco Reyes1972James Alder1977Sofia Reyes2003Leo Reyes2006Nora Alder2010Priya Alder1979

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Genogram symbols

These are the core conventions from Monica McGoldrick and Randy Gerson’s Genograms: Assessment and Intervention, the reference most clinicians learn from.

  • MaleSquare
  • FemaleCircle
  • Sex unknown / otherDiamond
  • DeceasedAn X through the symbol
  • Index personDouble outline — the person the genogram is about
  • MarriedSolid horizontal line joining the couple
  • Unmarried partnersDashed line
  • SeparatedOne slash across the couple line
  • DivorcedTwo slashes across the couple line
  • ChildrenVertical lines dropping from the couple line, eldest on the left
  • Adopted childDashed line down to the child
  • TwinsTwo lines from a single point

How to make a genogram

  1. Start with the index person — the client or the person you are studying. Add their parents, partner and children.
  2. Cover three generations: grandparents, parents and the index person’s generation are the minimum; add children if relevant.
  3. Mark sex and deaths with the shape and the X. Write ages or years under each symbol.
  4. Record couple status: select a partner and choose married, partners, separated or divorced; the slashes appear automatically.
  5. Add notes for health conditions or significant events in your written record; keep the drawing uncluttered.

Emotional-relationship lines (close, conflicted, cut off) and medical colour-coding vary between practices, so add them by hand to the printed PDF or annotate the SVG in a drawing program.

Questions

What is a genogram?

A genogram is a family tree that uses standard symbols to record relationships, health conditions and patterns across at least three generations. It is used by family therapists, social workers, doctors and genetic counsellors.

How is a genogram different from a family tree?

A family tree shows who is related to whom. A genogram adds standard notation for the quality of relationships, marriages, separations and divorces, and health or behavioural patterns.

What are the standard genogram symbols?

Squares for males, circles for females, diamonds for unknown sex, an X for deceased, a solid line for marriage, dashes for unmarried partners, one slash for separation and two slashes for divorce. The conventions come from McGoldrick and Gerson’s work on genograms.

Is this genogram maker private?

Yes. The genogram is stored only in your browser on this device and is never uploaded. Use Export to save a PDF or a backup file.