Widely used by both family therapists and family physicians, the genogram is a graphic way of organizing the mass of information gathered during a family assessment and finding patterns in the family system. Until now, however, genogram symbols have some times been used idiosyncratically and underlying assumptions for generating hypotheses have been fuzzy.

McGoldrick and Gerson remedy this situation by presenting standard format for constructing the genogram and clearly outlining the principles underlying its interpretation and application. The text comes to life for the reader through the use of genograms of famous families those of Sigmund Freud, Margaret Mead, Gregory Bateson, Virginia Woolf, Eugene O'Neill, Jane Fonda, John F. Ken nedy, and Thomas Jefferson-to name just a few. Once the principles of family systems theory and systemic interviewing have been thor oughly explained and illustrated by genograms, the authors go on to present clinical applications in both family therapy and family medi cine and to explore new frontiers, particularly the use of computer generated genograms.

Both entertaining and instructive, Genograms in Family Assess ment is the ideal way to introduce all those involved in family treatment-family therapists, physicians, nurses, social workers, and trainees in these fields-to this essential assessment tool.