Family ecomap: what is it, characteristics and how to do it?

These are the characteristics of the family ecomap, a tool used in therapy.

In social sciences and health sciences it is often necessary to know in which environment the patient's or patients' family lives in order to know the origin of their problems.

Both the other members of the family and their interaction with the sociocultural environment in which they live can motivate different intra and interrelational dynamics that lead to problems for its members.

A good way to know how a family relates to its environment are the family ecomaps, tools that we are going to discover below.tools that we are going to discover next.

What is a family ecomap?

Among the many instruments for assessing individuals, families and communities in the health and social fields applied to the family setting is the ecomap. The family ecomap is a tool that allows us to appreciate the structure of a family and what connections there are between its members, also exposing what the extrafamilial support is, if it exists or is absent.The ecomap is a tool that allows us to appreciate the structure of a family and the connections between its members.

These tools are elaborated as a graphic representation to quickly identify the interrelationships of the family with the environment and its sociocultural context.

Ecomaps are elaborated when a family is evaluated with the intention of knowing that there is a mutual influence between the family as a social unit and the other systems with which it is related, whether it is the extended family, the extended family, or the social and cultural context.The ecomaps are elaborated when a family is evaluated with the intention of knowing that there is a mutual influence between the family as a social unit and the other systems with which it is related, be it the extended family, health systems, educational centers, neighbors, the neighborhood, family friends...

Based on its definition we can understand that it has some similarity with the familiogram or genogram, but instead of focusing solely and exclusively on the family, it also shows its external relationships, the main characteristic that differentiates it from genograms. Nevertheless, like the familiograms, the family ecomaps are easy tools to elaborate. In addition, they have a wide applicability and can be used to plan, evaluate and intervene with families to see how they relate to other social nuclei.

Family ecomap and functions of the family ecomap

The family ecomap presents certain facilities to the family therapist when treating a family nucleus and understanding what possible problems are occurring within it.. Among the main utilities of the family ecomaps we have:

• Quickly identify extrafamilial resources that act as a protective factor.
• To detect deficiencies in the family.
• To work on the aspects that are weak or absent in the intra-family relationship.
• Detect problems in intra-family dynamics.
• Detect cases of family isolation due to migration and other problems with their community.

How to make an ecomap?

To make an ecomap we need at least a piece of paper and a pencil or pen, in addition to the information provided by the family and that which we have observed in their internal relational dynamics, as well as the information we have observed in the family. both in its internal relational dynamics and with the external systems.

To make the ecomap we can follow the following 4 steps.

Step 1. To elaborate the familiogram

We draw a circle in the center of the family. Inside this circle we will elaborate a small familiogramthat is, the members that integrate the family unit of reference. Although it is possible that grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins or other second and third degree relatives acquire an important weight in the family unit studied, as a general rule we will focus on the most central family, that is, the couple and their respective children.

When making this small family tree it is necessary to know that the males are represented with squares and the females with circles. The marriages are represented by connecting the spouses with two vertical lines and a horizontal one, from which the children of the couple are connected with their respective vertical lines. with their respective vertical lines.

Sons are represented with squares, and daughters with circles. In the case of a pregnant woman, the unborn child is represented by a triangle. If there have been miscarriages, they are represented either with a black dot (spontaneous) or with an X (induced). Twins are represented by two lines that emerge from the horizontal line at the same point.

If it is a marriage the line is continuous, if it is a premarital union the line is dashed and if it is a separated or divorced couple the horizontal line is "cut" with one or two diagonal lines. If one parent has custody of one of the children, the diagonals are drawn near the non-custodial parent. In case of shared custody the diagonals are drawn in the middle..

Step 2. Add personal information

In case we have more information and enough space, we can write the names, dates of birth, date of marriage, separation and/or divorce, deaths and any other important family events. important. Information related to particular individuals can go inside or together with their symbols, while details of the relationships between family members will be indicated on the line connecting them.

Step 3. Drawing the external systems

Once the familiogram has been drawn up, the next step is to consider which external systems influence the family. consider what external systems influence the family or its members.. These systems can be of all types, and those that are significant for the family nucleus and that have an important influence on it should always be considered.

Work, school, church, friends, the neighborhood, the health system are some examples of external systems that may be of great importance to the family being evaluated. Each of these external systems will be represented with their corresponding circles around the main circle.

Step 4. Representing external influences

Once we have decided which are the most important external systems, it is time to relate them to the main family unit. To do so, we will connect them to the central circle, either as a whole or to specific we are going to connect them to the central circle, either as a whole or to specific individuals in case they are particularly significant for specific members of the family..

These connections are represented in different ways depending on the type of influence they exert. For example, one solid line represents a strong connection; two or three solid lines represent a strong connection; a dashed or dotted line represents a rather modest connection; and a wavy or broken line represents a conflicting connection.

To provide more information, arrows can be used at the ends of each line, which will represent the directionality of the energy between the connections.. An arrow can be placed pointing to a family member if it is influenced by the external system and, if the arrow is placed on the external system, this means that it is the connecting family member who influences it. The arrows on both sides represent a mutual influence between the connected elements.