Genogram_and_Analysis_Paper

Genogram and Analysis Paper Dana Benkin MFCC 556 November 4, 2010 Michael Uram, MA, LMFT Genogram and Analysis Paper The Genogram and Alcoholism A genogram is a method of diagramming your family tree. The author has recorded three generations of reoccurring themes and patterns within her family systems. The “X” in the symbols for all four grandparents indicates that they are deceased; the half shaven circles and boxes indicate relatives who are alcoholic or died of alcoholisms. The author’s grandfather on her mother’s side was an alcoholic who died of alcoholism. The author’s mother and her siblings are all alcoholics, one of her siblings died of alcoholism. On her father’s side, the author has an aunt who is an alcoholic and an uncle who died of alcoholism. The author’s brother is an alcoholic who has a teenage son who is also an alcoholic and incarcerated. Relationship Abuse and Trauma Relationship lines on the author’s genogram describe the quality of relationships in the individual families. Double lines on the genogram represent the closeness between siblings. The author’s mother and all of her siblings are very close, so are the author and all of her siblings. The perforated triangles represent a pattern of rigid and emotional distance relationships between the author’s father and the children that he had with her mother. The same pattern repeats itself with the author’s middle brother and all six of his children. The lightening bolt arrow represents physically abusive relationships between the author’s maternal grandparents and the author and her ex-husband. Rampant Divorce Divorce patterns in the author’s genogram replicates themselves from one generation to the next. The author’s maternal grandparents divorced and remarried, so did her parents as well as she and her siblings. Furthermore, most of her uncles and aunts on both sides of her family have all married, divorced and re-married. Medical Traits and Diseases We know that alcoholism is a disease and has run rampantly on both sides of the author’s family; however some medical genetic traits are prevalent as well. Sickle Cell Anemia is a blood disease occurring almost exclusively in Black people of Africa or of African descent. Although no one in the author’s family has ever had sickle cell anemia, the trait has presented itself in over four generations on the author’s father side of the family. On the genogram, the square or circle with a line drawn across represent the family members who have the sickle cell trait; heart disease, asthma, diabetes and breast cancer are diseases that also run rampant in the author’s family system.