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Genogram Symbols - Complete Reference Guide

Genograms use standardized symbols to represent individuals, relationships, and family dynamics. This guide covers every symbol you need to know for building accurate clinical genograms.

Person Symbols

The basic shape of a genogram symbol indicates the biological sex of the individual. Squares represent males, circles represent females, and specialized shapes are used for other identities.

Male
A square represents a male individual. This is the most fundamental symbol in genogram notation.
Female
A circle represents a female individual.
Non-binary
An arch or rounded-top shape represents a non-binary individual.
?
Unknown Gender
A dashed circle with a question mark indicates that the gender or identity of an individual is unknown.
Pregnancy
A triangle represents a current pregnancy.
Pet
A diamond represents a pet or animal in the family system.

Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Inner symbols placed inside the person shape indicate sexual orientation or transgender identity. These follow clinical genogram standards and are used when that information is relevant to the family assessment.

Gay Male
A square with an inverted triangle inside indicates a gay male.
Lesbian
A circle with an inverted triangle inside indicates a lesbian female.
Transgender Male
A square with a circle inside indicates a transgender male (assigned female at birth, identifies as male).
Transgender Female
A circle with a square inside indicates a transgender female (assigned male at birth, identifies as female).
Bisexual Male
A square with a dashed inverted triangle indicates a bisexual male.
Bisexual Female
A circle with a dashed inverted triangle indicates a bisexual female.

Status Indicators

Deceased
An X drawn through any person symbol indicates that the individual is deceased.

Relationship Lines

Horizontal lines between two people indicate their relationship status. The style of the line communicates the type of partnership.

Marriage
A solid horizontal line between two people indicates a marriage or committed partnership.
Divorce
A solid line with two diagonal slashes indicates a divorce.
Separation
A solid line with one diagonal slash indicates a separation.
Engagement
A dashed line indicates an engagement or committed relationship that has not yet resulted in marriage.
Cohabitation
A dash-dot line indicates cohabitation without a formal marriage or partnership agreement.

Child Connectors

Vertical lines dropping from a horizontal relationship line connect parents to their children. Children are arranged left to right by birth order, with the oldest on the left. Each generation occupies its own horizontal level, with the oldest generation at the top.

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