Books / Systemic & family
Genograms in Family Assessment
Monica McGoldrick and Randy Gerson’s 1985 book introduces genograms as a way to organise information gathered in family assessment.
Book details
Author of listed edition: Monica McGoldrick and Randy Gerson
Edition: First edition (1985); later expanded as Genograms: Assessment and Treatment
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Edition year: 1985
Language and origin: English (United States)
Form and genre: Treatment Manual & Clinical Guide
Level: Introductory
Historical era: 1980–2009 · Evidence-Based, Trauma & Integrative Era
Covers: Genograms as a way to organise family assessment information; Family relationships and patterns across generations; Clinical use of family diagrams
APA 7th reference: McGoldrick, M., & Gerson, R. (1985). Genograms in family assessment. W. W. Norton & Company.
What it is & historical context
Genograms in Family Assessment was first published in 1985 by W. W. Norton. A genogram presents family information graphically and can help organise an assessment. The 2020 fourth edition has the title Genograms: Assessment and Treatment and lists Sueli Petry alongside McGoldrick and Gerson.
Core clinical themes & arguments
The publisher describes the fourth edition as a guide to constructing genograms, conducting a genogram interview and considering family patterns. The catalogue also describes material on siblings and couples. These details concern the later edition; this entry has not verified the complete contents of the 1985 book.
Clinical practice, reception & legacy
A genogram can be used to organise information and develop questions about family relationships. The diagrams and interpretations are working tools, not proof that a particular family pattern caused a person’s difficulties.
Reader level & educational scope
This entry relies on a library catalogue for the first edition and publisher information for the fourth. Neither complete edition was read for this entry. The entry does not establish that using a genogram improves clinical outcomes or recommend a particular assessment.
Paired academic and clinical scholarship
Paired work: Genograms: Assessment and Treatment (4th ed.) (Monica McGoldrick, Randy Gerson, and Sueli Petry, 2020)
Reference: McGoldrick, M., Gerson, R., & Petry, S. (2020). Genograms: Assessment and treatment (4th ed.). W. W. Norton & Company.
A fourth edition, published in 2020, updates the guide and includes material on siblings and couples. Its scope is described in the publisher’s catalogue.
Source-mapped claims and evidence notes
Claim 1: The 1985 first edition was published by Norton under the title Genograms in Family Assessment. (The catalogue identifies the authors, title, publisher and year; the book was not read for this entry.) [Source 1: Daystar University Library. Genograms in family assessment. Catalogue record.]
Claim 2: The later fourth edition describes constructing and interpreting genograms and includes material on siblings and couples. (This describes the 2020 edition, not the contents of every earlier edition.) [Source 2: W. W. Norton & Company. Norton mental health catalogue 2021: Genograms, fourth edition.]
Sources and inspection notes
Daystar University Library. Genograms in family assessment. Catalogue record.
Supports: First edition title, authors, publisher and 1985 publication; records ISBN 039370002X. The complete book was not reviewed.
W. W. Norton & Company. Norton mental health catalogue 2021: Genograms, fourth edition.
Supports: Publisher description, authors, 2020 date, fourth-edition title, ISBN 9780393714043 and topics including siblings and couples. The complete book was not reviewed.
National Library of Medicine. Genograms: Assessment and treatment. Catalogue record.
Supports: Fourth edition authors, 2020 publication, title and ISBN 9780393714043.