Therapists often use genograms to help open dialog with those who struggle to talk about an issue such as abuse, mistreatment or personal problems. So why use any of these apps when you could just draw everything on pen and paper? There are a few good reasons.įor a genogram to be effective, it has to be clear and well put together.
Why Use Genogram Software vs Pen & Paper? The templates are almost always family tree templates which do not allow you to add genogram symbols and other details required to make a genuine kinship diagram. This is also true of sites that claim to offer “genogram templates” for programs like Microsoft PowerPoint and Word. Some genealogy apps claim that they can create genograms on Mac but in reality, are more for creating family trees as they don’t provide the specific symbols you need for genograms. It’s important to be aware that genograms are a highly specific type of diagram requiring specific tools.
To draw genograms that are effective and detailed enough, you need specific software but there are fewer options on Mac than there are on PC. The number of genogram apps on Mac are definitely less than for Windows PCs but there are a still some really great options like our top rated genogram drawing tool SmartDraw. Why Use Genogram Software vs Pen & Paper?.