The Cultural Genogram: Experiences From Within a Marriage and Family Therapy Training Program

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to illustrate and demonstrate the use of the Cultural Genogram (CG) in a graduate-level course in gender and culture for family therapists-in-training at a large Midwestern university's accredited program in family therapy. Although the importance of the CG as a training tool is delineated by Hardy and Laszloffy, very little information exists about the actual implementation and usefulness of this tool within a training program for family therapists. In this article, we present a qualitative research study of the lived experiences of a class of women from diverse cultures as they constructed and presented their CGs. We discuss the basic curriculum and structure of the course in which the CG was used, the process the class members developed to create and present their CGs, the effects of presenting the CGs, and a set of recommendations and ideas for further exploration.

Family Mapping: A Cumulative Measure of Family Structure and Instability

“…Participants found the measure very user-friendly, and tended to give very positive responses about the family mapping measure. Similar positive feedback is often seen with the use of genograms in therapy and research, with individuals indicating they are grateful for the interest in their full stories (Keiley et al, 2002).…”

Increasing Accessibility in Couple and Family Therapy Training: Incorporating Universal Design for Instruction

“…Person-of-the-therapist training and cultural genograms (Keiley et al 2002) have been utilized to explore the reactivity of a beginning therapist and how it might be ameliorated within the therapy room. Decreasing the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions also could provide the opportunity to create a collaborative remediation plan.…”

The family therapy journals in 2002: a thematic review

“…The year 2002 saw an excellent description of some training around partner abuse (Haddock, 2002), but more significantly there was a flurry of articles about diversity training. The first of these (Keiley et al, 2002) provides some fascinating qualitative research of students who have used the cultural genogram method within their training. All the students found the experience to be powerful and moving.…”