The genogram is a popular tool used by mental health professionals to spot patterns throughout generations of a family. Not only can genograms be used to learn about a family's history of mental illness, they can also be used to highlight patterns of behavior and relationship styles.

For example, a genogram can help your client gain insight about abuse that seems to have haunted their family for generations. Then, they can work toward becoming the one to stop it.

This printable includes a succinct list of genogram symbols to use as a "cheat sheet," or as education for clients. If you create a copy of a genogram for your client to keep, include one of these worksheets to help them decipher all those cryptic markings. If genograms are new to you, check out our guide about the subject to learn more.