Genogram Assignment 1 Instructions (Read First) -2

Purpose

This is a scaffolding assignment to help students organize their thoughts and information in preparation of creating a genogram. This assignment will provide prompts and questions designed to elicit ideas on what to include in the genogram and to identify any gaps in knowledge students might have regarding their family.

Due October 5, 2020 by midnight

Grading Criteria

This assignment represents 15 of the 100 total points for the Family of origin paper. The 15 points are broken down below:

5 Points: Did the student provide information on 3 generations of family and provide some detail on individuals in each generation?
3 Points: Did the student provide information regarding their relationship and connections to family of origin?
2 Points: Is the students writing coherent and easily understood with complete sentences and mostly correct punctuation.
5 Points: Did the student answer most of the questions with information to complete the genogram including all above information and some pertinent details?

Instructions:

Questions to Ask Yourself You may need to ask your parents, grandparents, or extended family members to get answers to these questions. Some questions may be hard to ask, so only go as far as you are comfortable. You do not and should not answer every question specific question. You should have answers to most of the big questions.

Give responses to questions that apply to what you want to put on your genogram and in your paper. You are answering the main questions. These questions are labeled questions 1-8.

First, the basics:

Question 1: What 3 generations are you going to focus on for the genogram such as grandparents, parents, and yours?
Question 2: What was your life like growing up?
- Where your parents married, and did they stay together, if not, what happened?
  - What was their relationship like briefly?
- Did your parents have any other marriages or long-term relationships in which there were children?
- What is your birth order? Do you believe that your birth order impacted your development in anyway?
- How many siblings & what was your relationship like with them growing up?
Question 3: Who to include on maternal side of the family and what to include about them (demographics)?
- Mother’s family of origin demographics
  - How many siblings?
  - What birth order is your mother?
  - Are your maternal grandparents still alive? If not, when did they pass?
  - Did maternal grandparents remain married? If not, what happened?
- Is your mother in contact with her siblings and/or parents? If not, what are the reasons?
  - Did your maternal aunts and/or uncles get married, have children, divorce, etc…
    - How many children did each of them have?
  - Question 4: Who to include on paternal side of the family and what to include about them (demographics)?
    - Father’s family of origin demographics
      - How many siblings?
      - What birth order is your father?
      - Are your paternal grandparents still alive? If not, when did they pass?
      - Did your paternal grandparents remain married? If not, what happened?
    - Question 5: Which, if any, of the following diseases are in your family of origin (Arthritis, Cancer, Heart Conditions, Diabetes, Fibromyalgia, high blood pressure, respiratory problems, ulcers, other chronic illnesses)? Just put who, what disease, and indicate which side of the family.
    - Question 6: What are the important cultural factors to know that should be included in the genogram and/or paper?
      - Where are you from? Were you born in the U.S. or did you immigrate from another country? Did you move to California from another state? If so, where? What problems did this create such as learning a new language, culture, making new friends, etc?
      - Do you have any cultural, ethnic, religious beliefs in your family that are important? If so, briefly write about it? This can also include bilingualism.
      - What are the culturally appropriate ways of communicating for your family? Does that differ from mainstream American culture?
    - Question 7: What import family dynamics patterns and behaviors should you include in the genogram?
      - What role are you expected to have in your family? Do you like this role, and why/why not?
      - Are there any significant dysfunctional roles in any of the generations of your family?
      - What are the significant, if any, relationships that have problems? Who is estranged from the family, who is having conflict with whom? Who is way too close to whom? Briefly list who is involved and reason for this problematic relationship.
      - What are my family of origins spiritual & religious beliefs and practices? Are there any clashes in family over spirituality or religion?
      - Has there been any divorces and remarriages in the family, which side of the family and who? Has there been any cohabitation relationships or other non-marital long-term relationships that have ended?

Sensitive but Important Questions

The following questions are regarding family and individual histories of mental health and addiction issues. You do not have to disclose anything that you do not feel comfortable putting here and in the genogram. If it becomes difficult answering these questions, take a break and try again later.

Question 8: Has there been any substance abuse or addiction? Has anyone been in recovery? You can put down individuals who you suspect have problems but is not confirmed.
- These can be substance addictions to drugs and alcohol
- These can be process addictions (addiction to compulsive behaviors): gambling, online gaming, sex, food, workaholism, shopping, etc).
Question 9: Are there any mental health problems in your family whether it has been formally diagnosed? Certain mental health disorders have strong genetic component like bipolar disorder.
- Additional Examples: Depressive Disorders, intellectual impairment, Mental Disturbances, obsessive compulsive disorder, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder.
- Any trauma history in the family (please only disclose what your comfortable with), which can include abuse, neglect, loss of a family member, impact of chronic illness, etc.

Assignment Example:

Below is an example of how you might answer the 9 questions. You do not have to do this way, and you should use this as a guide for how to answer the questions. The example response are in the blue text.

Question 1: What 3 generations are you going to focus on for the genogram such as grandparents, parents, and yours?

I will be including myself & my siblings; both of my parents siblings & their children; my grandparents.

Question 2: What was your life like growing up?

My parents are still married for the last 30 years, but they did fight a lot when I was growing up. I used to have to take care of my two younger siblings when they were at work. I really resented having to do that and felt like I could not be a kid. My younger sister used to drive me crazy by telling on me to my parents and getting me in trouble. They always took her word over mine even when she was lying or exaggerating. I was always trying to get my parents attention with good grades and sports, but I always felt like their work was more important than me.

Question 3: Who to include on maternal side of the family and what to include about them?

Maternal grandparents: grandfather’s death, grandmother remarried; close with mom

Maternal Aunts & Uncles: eldest has drug problem & estranged from family; mom and her sister are close and live near one another. They were close growing up. Uncle was always in trouble might have been the scapegoat.

Mother was previously married before she married my father but not children. She is the middle child of 3.

Question 4: Who to include on paternal side of the family and what to include about them (demographics)?

Paternal grandparents: both are deceased, and grandfather died when father was a teenager. Dad said that his father had a bad anger problem and would hit him and his brother growing up. The grandparents stayed married.

Father is the eldest and has one brother who he does not speak to; I think it is because of them fighting badly with each other their whole lives. Father was also married before and has one son with ex-wife, my stepbrother. My stepbrother would come to stay with us for holidays and sometimes weekends. We weren’t close but got along.

Question 5: Which, if any, of the following diseases are in your family of origin (Arthritis, Cancer, Heart Conditions, Diabetes, Fibromyalgia, high blood pressure, respiratory problems, ulcers, other chronic illnesses)? Just put who, what disease, and indicate which side of the family.

You could do a table or bullets here to organize it.

Maternal Family Illnesses

High blood pressure: everyone except for my mother
Grandmother had cancer but survived treatment
Mother has chronic fatigue syndrome

Paternal Family illnesses

Asthma: dad, uncle, me (me is here because this is the side of the family the illness comes from)
Ulcers: grandfather and my dad
Grandfather died of a heart attack

Question 6: What are the important cultural factors to know that should be included in the genogram and/or paper(demographics)?

My father is Irish/German and born in California. My mother is from El Salvador, and she moved here with her family when she was around 8. Mother said that it was difficult having to go to school and learn English; she had to work hard, so she pushed me and my sister to do well in school. My father did not speak Spanish, so we grew up speaking English only. My mother still has an accent to this day. My mother has a medium size family, and she liked to take us to Mexico to visit them every summer. My father does not talk about emotions, but my mother is very emotional.

Question 7: What import family dynamics patterns and behaviors should you include in the genogram?

I got good grades, and sister got in trouble a lot for poor grades. She is somewhat like the clown role because she does not take anything seriously. I was the hero of the family, and sister and I fought a lot because she was jealous of all my attention. My mother and father did not fight often, but when they did, they would scream at each other. In those moments, I would hide and try to disappear. My sister would act up, and then they would start screaming at her. I think that my mother was the caretaker growing up and still is because she is the one who cares for my grandparents taking them to the doctor, helping them clean, and general care. My father might have been a lost child because he is sometimes like a ghost, there but not there.

Question 8: Has there been any substance abuse or addiction? Has anyone been in recovery? You can put down individuals who you suspect have problems but is not confirmed.

Maternal uncle still uses drugs and my paternal grandfather was a heavy drinker. Father struggles with depression but hasn’t gotten help for it. My sister stays up real late playing online games and is exhausted in the morning. I think that my maternal aunt’s husband gambles, and she divorced him.

Question 9: Are there any mental health problems in your family whether it has been formally diagnosed? Certain mental health disorders have strong genetic component like bipolar disorder.

Father has struggled with depression all my life, and I think he got it from his father. His brother has severe anxiety problems. My mother also has had bouts of depression as well as my sister. My maternal grandmother has bipolar disorder or something like that. My dad was a abused physically as a child with his brother. My father has never gotten physically violent with us, but he is scary when he is angry.