Genogram vs. Family Tree

Short version: a family tree records who is related to whom. A genogram records that plus how the family actually functions — relationship quality, health history, and life events, in a standardized notation other professionals can read. If a therapist, professor, or nurse asked for a "genogram," a family tree will not pass.

The same family, both ways

Here is one fictional blended family drawn twice. The family tree answers "who"; every extra mark on the genogram answers "what's going on."

The same fictional family as a plain family tree: names and descent only.

The same fictional family as a genogram: divorce, remarriage, twins, and emotional lines.

The genogram shows things the tree physically cannot: Marcus and Denise are divorced (two slashes), Tyler and Beth are twins (joined drop lines), Nora is a half-sibling from the remarriage, Tyler is in conflict with his stepfather, and the ex-spouses are distant. Five clinically relevant facts, zero extra words.

Feature by feature

	Family tree	Genogram
Purpose	Genealogy — ancestry, lineage, heritage	Assessment — patterns, risk, family process
Symbols	Names in boxes; any style goes	Standardized: squares/circles, slashes, drop lines (full reference)
Relationship status	Usually just "married to"	Marriage, divorce, separation, cohabitation — each visually distinct
Emotional quality	Absent	Close, fused, distant, conflict, cutoff overlay lines
Health data	Rare	Deaths with causes, conditions, hereditary patterns
Typical users	Families, genealogists, kids' school projects	Therapists, social workers, nurses, physicians, students in those fields
Depth	As many generations as you can research	Three to four generations, analyzed closely

Which one do you need?

Tracing ancestry, building a keepsake, school heritage project — a family tree is the right tool.
Therapy intake, MSW or nursing assignment, family health history, custody or placement assessment — you need a genogram, in standard notation, with a legend.
Unsure? Genograms are a superset: draw one and simply leave the emotional layer off, and you still have a structurally correct family diagram.

When you're ready, the free genogram maker draws all of the notation above — start from a template or a blank canvas.