Art-Based Genogram: Mapping Family Stories Through Art

Photo by Taylor Heery on Unsplash

The genogram was first developed in the late 1970s by family therapist Murray Bowen within the framework of Systemic Family Therapy. Originally, it served as a visual map of family relationships — showing connections through births, deaths, marriages, divorces, cultural backgrounds, health patterns, and life events. Bowen’s approach highlighted how families transmit beliefs, emotional patterns, and ways of relating across generations, suggesting that “it became increasingly impossible to see a single person without seeing his total family sitting like phantoms alongside him” (Bowen, 1978, as cited in Schroder, 2015).

Schroder, D. (2015). Exploring and developing the use of art-based genograms in family of origin therapy: Sharing the potential for understanding and healing through the art process. Charles C Thomas Publisher.

In art therapy, this traditional genogram evolves into an art-based genogram, becoming a creative and intuitive exploration of family systems. As described in Exploring and Developing the Use of Art-Based Genograms in Family of Origin Therapy, it “can be used to genogram into a deeper place — a place informed by psyche or soul, where our creative, intuitive voices whisper. An art-based genogram allows these intuitive whispers to be heard and their images made visible.”

Schroder, D. (2015). Exploring and developing the use of art-based genograms in family of origin therapy: Sharing the potential for understanding and healing through the art process. Charles C Thomas Publisher.

Through drawing, color, and symbolism, clients are invited to express not only facts and relationships but also emotions, sensations, and unspoken dynamics within their family history. This creative process can open pathways to understanding inner conflicts, family patterns, and intergenerational influences that shape one’s identity.

The art-based genogram thus becomes more than a map — it is a dialogue between generations, a visual narrative that helps transform awareness into healing.

References

Bowen, M. (1993). Family therapy in clinical practice. Jason Aronson.

Perry, S. (2024). Taking a trauma-sensitive approach to art therapy work with children [Lecture]. Western Sydney University.

Schroder, D. (2015). Exploring and developing the use of art-based genograms in family of origin therapy: Sharing the potential for understanding and healing through the art process. Charles C Thomas Publisher.