Genograms: Assessment and Treatment

Book excerpt: The latest edition of this definitive book in the field of family therapy—the first update in ten years. Widely used by family therapists— and by health care professionals in general—the genogram is a graphic way of organizing the mass of information gathered during a family assessment. This visual representation allows the practitioner to find patterns in the family system for more targeted treatment. Now in its fourth edition, Genograms has been fully updated by renowned therapist Monica McGoldrick. Expanded with four-color images throughout, additional material explaining the use of genograms with siblings and couples, and a thorough updating to essential concepts, this edition provides a fascinating view into the richness of family dynamics. Informative, comprehensive, and beautifully written and illustrated, this book helps bring to life principles of family system theory and systemic interviewing, as well as walk readers through the basics of constructing a genogram, doing a genogram interview, and interpreting the results.