Create a Genogram Quickly With EdrawMax

Lead-in Part

Etymologically speaking, a genogram consists of two words – geno- and -gram. Geno comes from family, tribe, race, and genetics, whereas gram means something written, recorded, or otherwise drawn. As one can see, a genogram is a graphical representation of someone’s entire family history while mentioning their medical and other health issues. In most cases, we will see how detailed genograms help us map out an individual from their family members regarding medical conditions or lifestyle choices.

When we work on creating a genogram of a person, we try to underline the hereditary patterns of medical and other psychological factors that would affect the entire family tree. For instance, a genogram of a three-generation family will illustrate the medical conditions of grandparents (both paternal and maternal) and how it influenced similar conditions in their sons, daughters, and other grandchildren.

In most cases, we create genograms to understand the following:

• Mental conditions affect the entire family tree.
• Physical or other medical conditions that might affect future offspring.
• Behavioral patterns in a family tree help others understand a family’s nature.

In this guide to creating a genogram quickly with EdrawMax, we will help you explore the genogram in detail. However, before we draw a genogram effortlessly, let us show you the preparations you should be doing before you sit down to create a genogram for a family or your client.

What to Do Before Creating a Genogram?

Just like other medical diagrams, genograms also require extensive research on your patient or the considered family. Some of the basic preparations that you should be doing before creating a genogram are:

• Identifying the Goals: What exactly do you want with your genogram? Are you planning to lay out the reason behind some behavioral patterns? Or are you trying to identify some medical conditions in the future generation by checking up on the previous generations in that family tree? Once you have the information on these end results, it will become easy for you to start creating the genogram.
• Outlining the Family: Remember that with genograms, you can easily identify patterns of mental and physical health issues, substance abuse, physical violence, and more. By outlining the family in the correct order, it becomes easier for you to learn about them. Start by learning about the marital status of individuals, followed by adding their children, their family lineage, mental/physical health patterns, career choices, and more.
• Learn the Region: It should be noted here that demographics play a vital role in describing a family. If someone has migrated from a different country, do add that detail in the genogram as it becomes helpful in learning about some particular behavioral patterns. Such demographic changes will help you understand some lifestyle choices, which is why adding them to your genogram is highly recommended.
• Access to Tools: Creating a genogram can be a tedious process. It becomes too complicated if you draw it on paper. For starters, the traditional way is not considered professional. At the same time, you will have a hard time modifying the content of that genogram. In order to avoid such issues, it is highly recommended to start drawing genograms with software like EdrawMax.

How to Draw a Genogram Effortlessly?

The best way to draw a genogram effortlessly is by using a genogram maker. This powerful diagramming tool has hundreds of features that help create complex genograms and 280 other diagrams. Check out the following steps when planning to draw a genogram quickly:

• Download EdrawMax: Head to EdrawMax’s official website and download this genogram software as per your computer’s operating system. If you are traveling or prefer to access this diagramming tool online, check out EdrawMax Online. In both scenarios, you can register for this diagramming software using Google, Facebook, Twitter, or your official email address.

Head to the ‘Education’ diagram category that you will see on the homepage. Followed by clicking on Genograms to check out the system-generated templates.

• Template Access: This genogram software comes with a template community, which has 1400+ user-generated templates. Head to the ‘Templates’ section on the left and search for ‘Genogram.’ In this section, you will find all the user-generated genogram templates.

Check out these templates and click on the one that most resonates with your requirement. If you prefer the same content, click on ‘Use Immediately,’ and the entire content of that genogram template will be instantly copied to the drawing board.

• Start From Blank: If you are aware of the patient and know about their family history, you can start making the genogram from scratch. Start by adding the Males and Females using the boxes. Followed by adding the personal relationship between them. Once that is added, you can start adding the next generation by adding the respective shapes.

• Add Content: After adding all the family members, you can now start adding the text that would represent the mental or physical health of the individuals. You can further color code the family members as per their medical history. It is always advisable to add the genogram legend at the end that represents the meaning of those color codes and helps in reading that particular genogram.

• Export & Share: After completing your genogram, you can export it in your preferred format. This genogram tool lets you export in JPEG, PNG, SVG, PDF, and more. In addition, you can export the file in Microsoft formats, like Docs, Excel, and PPTX, for better collaboration.

If you are on the paid version of this tool, you can even export the genogram design to Visio’s VSDX format. The paid version also allows you to export the genogram in high-resolution graphics without EdrawMax’s watermark. This tool also lets you take a direct printout of your genograms that you can share for offline purposes.

Final Thoughts

When a doctor tries to understand the behavior of their patients, a genogram is the first thing they should consider before reaching any diagnosis. These genetic diagrams are crucial in understanding a person’s behavior in certain situations. With a tool like EdrawMax, it becomes easier for doctors or even students to draw a genogram. The tool comes with free genogram templates, symbols, styling options, and multiple export suggestions, which makes it easier for non-tech people to draw genograms quickly.