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FAMILY GENOGRAM
Family Genogram Narrative
Amy Johnson
Department of Behavioral Sciences, Liberty University
Author Note:
Amy M. Johnson
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Amy M. Johnson.
Email: [email protected]
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FAMILY GENOGRAM
Abstract
Genograms are useful tools for recording and interpreting family history (National Center
for Biotechnology Information, 2020). They serve as visual maps of people, relationships and
events in a family while providing insight to dynamics and patterns across generations.
Gathering information on challenges like divorce, death, legal struggles, and relationship conflict
help individuals and therapists uncover patterns of behavior which may be recurring within the
family system and prove instrumental for treatment and recovery. Counselors use genograms to
identify from where issues and concerns stem (McGoldrick et al., 2020). This paper will describe
my own genogram journey through three generations. While including information about
significant relationship lines and dynamics, I will discuss the role that faith played in pulling my
family out of trauma and abuse and in shaping who I am today.
Keywords: genogram, dynamics, patterns, significant relationships, family history
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FAMILY GENOGRAM
Family Genogram Narrative
I. Family Dynamics
In this section, I will discuss the social, cultural and economic factors as well as key
events which have shaped patterns of behavior and values within our family system. In addition,
I will discuss the role faith has played in building resiliency in my family, emerging from
patterns of trauma and abuse.
Coming from a largely working-class family, hard work, and duty was steeped in our
family’s value system. While our family ultimately nested on the outskirts of bustling
Washington DC, my family roots reached deep in southwestern Virginia. My maternal
grandmother, Ruby, grew up in rural Bedford County, the second-born of four and oldest girl in
a very poor family. Her father, half American Indian, struggled with alcohol addiction all his
adult life. His volatile abusive behavior ultimately resulted in my grandmother, mother, and
sister fleeing to DC for work and safety when my she was a young teen. She never enjoyed the
luxuries of childhood, having memories of cooking at the stove top at four years of age, using a
stool so that she could reach. While this would have been unthinkable by modern parental
standards, it served to establish essential skills that she would need at a young age when she
moved to DC. At 13 she lived with a wealthier family, helping with cooking and cleaning so that
she could attend better schools. It was not a surprise that she connected with David Cole, who
experienced a similar traumatic childhood. My grandfather’s family was of German descent.
They anglicized their name from Kohl to Cole to avoid any perceived connection to Nazi
Germany. My grandfather was also the second born and oldest son of seven children. Like Ruby,
his father was a violent alcoholic. While his father came from an educated middle-class family,
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his father’s addiction and sporadic presence left David’s mother supporting seven children on her
own. David and Ruby had three children of their own. My mother, Sharon, was the unplanned
third. My grandfather worked multiple jobs to make ends meet and they saved every penny with
the hopes of one day owning a home. The family of five lived in a one-bedroom apartment until
my mother was eight years old. She said the best part of moving into a house was that she no
longer slept in a crib but had her first big girl bed. My mother reports feeling distant from her
father throughout her childhood, that he was an abusive disciplinarian.
There are several events that significantly impacted my mother’s family. First, there
were three car accidents which took the lives of my grandmother’s brother Lewis, her nephew
Calvin, and my grandfather’s sister Anne. These tragedies explained the frequent phone calls
from my grandmother when she heard about local accidents and the strict adherence to letting
others know when you have arrived some place safely. It also provides context to the strong
emotional reaction of my mother when I was in a serious car accident.
Fewer stories were shared about my father’s parents. I know that they grew up in
Lynchburg, Virginia. My paternal grandfather, Robert, was number five of six children. His
mother died when he was four years old. When his father remarried, he and his siblings referred
to her as “old lady Mason,” never feeling that she cared for them. Even less was shared about my
paternal grandmother, Alpha. We know that her father was an alcoholic, and that this is
something that Alpha later struggled with. When Alpha and Robert married, they moved to
Glover Park, Washington DC where they started local grocery store. Both my paternal
grandparents worked at the store which required them to hire Lizzy, who helped care for their
three children, my father being the middle child. Lizzy was more of an attachment figure for my
father than his own parents who were quite consumed with the grocery store. My father also
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acknowledged that his father “excessive” in his discipline, recalling the sound of his father
removing his belt.
The story of faith in my family changed the trajectory of my family in many ways. When
my mother’s parents had a dramatic faith conversion after they were married, my grandfather
decided to become a pastor. My mother was brought up in a strict Christian household, and she
came to faith at a very young age. My mother, though ultimately leaving her father’s
fundamentalist church, often communicated respect for his work in prison ministry and taking in
those many others had given up on. My father did not grow up in a Christian household, but his
friend Richie (my mother’s cousin) invited my father to a church event, where my father made a
decision to follow Jesus. Later, my parents were introduced, dated in high school and later were
married.
The faith of my parents and grandparents had a significant impact on my life. As early as
I can remember, I knew that I was loved by God and introduced to Jesus at a young age. I
attended a Christian school for most of my childhood which shaped my worldview and heart for
ministry. It is interesting that while I see unhealthy patterns that have impacted my family (to
include likely undiagnosed BPD in my mother), there is also strong faith which proved to be
protective in many ways. Alcohol abuse ended in my family system. With each generation,
abusive discipline subsided. My identity became deeply rooted in Jesus Christ.
II. Questions
What do you understand about yourself within the context of this multigenerational family?
When I consider this question, I think of both the healthy and unhealthy parts of me that
have emerged in the context of the family in which I have grown up. First, I come from a family
of women who have overcome a lot. I believe that I can come through to the other side of life’s
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challenges better and stronger. Interestingly, my grandfather prayed for a grandson that would
follow in his footsteps as a pastor and preacher. I was supposed to be named Daniel until I
arrived on a snowing February morning, a baby girl. Though not a boy, I am the grandchild that
has pursued ministry throughout my adult life. This deep value for faith and ministry is
something that I have passed on to my children who have also pursued ministry.
How do the cultural, historical, and personal characteristic aspects of the information impact
your understanding of the self?
Coming from a hard-working family, I don’t shy away from difficult tasks and approach
most challenges with the assumption that I will “figure it out.” By in large, this was instilled in
me by my mother. While my grandmother and mother had limited choices due to the education
level that was offered to them, their high value of education played a big role in me deciding to
become a teacher.
If at all, what are the family lifecycle-related issues in the past or present that have influenced
your family?
There are two life-cycle issues that seemed to repeat itself in my family. The first issue
was related to the postnatal transition. Both my mother and I struggled with post-partum
depression. A big difference was that I felt like it was something that I could talk about quite
freely, and my mom never really discussed it until I was well into motherhood. The other
transition difficulty seemed to surround children leaving and establishing independence. My
mother expressed frustration over my grandmother’s response and framing of her taking steps
toward differentiation, like deciding to attend a different church than where her father was pastor.
However, my mom also struggled with maladaptive cognitions when my sister and I moved out
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and were excited about starting out own lives. This caused a great deal of tension during the
differentiation process.
What intergenerational dynamics, patterns and/or themes that you have identified influence
you (or others) in your current family?
As I reflect on the differences in generational perspectives, preferences and expectations,
I can see how it has been a source of hurt, misunderstanding, and conflict. My grandparents
deeply relied on family for survival. It was assumed that family members would live in
proximity to one another, and there were diffuse boundaries between my mother, her siblings and
their parents. It was a source of tension in my family when my husband and I made the decision
to move two hours away. My parents and mother’s siblings expressed lack of understanding and
disapproval that my son and his wife would choose to move across the country and to live so far
away from family.
What areas do you need to work on in order to become a better spouse, parent, counselor, and
godly person?
Coming from a household with a mother who exhibited BPD (borderline personality
disorder) symptoms, for a long time, I struggled expressing my thoughts and feelings, I engaged
in excessive people pleasing behaviors and struggled setting healthy boundaries. I have had to
develop skills in identifying my values and needs implementing boundaries with my family
members. In addition, I have had to address the maladaptive cognitions surrounding people
pleasing and learn what it looks like to be secure in who I am in Christ. It is interesting how
these struggles surfaced in my marriage, parenthood, developing a relationship with my son-in-
law and daughter-in-law as well as the workplace and ministry.
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FAMILY GENOGRAM
Conclusion
As I reflect on my journey with this project there are several things that stand out to me.
First, I see a pattern of mental illness and abusive and controlling behaviors which stemmed from
the trauma and adverse childhood experiences my grandparents endured. At the same time, I see
a pattern of hard work, commitment to family and faith which served as protective factors and
contributed to the resiliency of my family. There was a conscious decision to end the
generational trend of alcoholism in the family system. Even thought there were maladaptive
behaviors that were not completely eradicated, there was a strong desire for the following
generation to have better experiences than that of their ancestors.
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References
McGoldrick, M., Gerson, R., & Petry, S. (2020). Genograms: Assessment and Treatment (4th
ed.). W.W. Norton and Company. ISBN: 9780393714043.
National Center for Biotechnology Information (2020). Chapter 4: Integrated family counseling
to address substance use disorders. [Review of the book Substance Use Disorder
Treatment and Family Therapy: Treatment Improvement Protocol Series, No. 39].
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK571079/
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Family Genogram 2025
