How to Make an Ecomap

Create an ecomap for your relationships.

The ecomap was developed by Dr. Ann Hartman in 1975 as a way to graphically represent the different systems in an individual's life and to diagram how those systems affect the individual. They are primarily used in counseling to evaluate the healthy or unhealthy relationships that an individual has with each system in his or her life.
Making an ecomap is a very easy process, but you will need to be honest about the quality of the relationships within the system. It is also a good idea to have a book about the commonly used ecomap symbols to help you create and interpret your ecomap correctly.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Pen and paper
• Book about ecomap symbols (optional)

Ecomap Your Life

1. Draw a circle in the middle of the paper.

2. Begin the ecomap by writing the name of the individual who is being analyzed in the circle.

3. In the space around the circle, add another, smaller circle for every system that the individual is a part of, and label them. For example, add the person's family, boyfriend/girlfriend, work environment, school, clubs and church should be included in the ecomap when they exist in the person's life.

4. Draw lines from the smaller circles connecting to the larger circle in the middle. The lines should represent the type and quality of the relationships that the individual has to the system. For example, a curvy line represents a stressful relationship.

5. Discuss the ecomap with a trusted adviser (or with the client if you are a counselor or social worker) to evaluate whether you have healthy relationships and identify areas where a relationship requires changes.

Tips & Warnings

• Many counseling, nursing and social work textbooks offer instructions for making ecomaps.

• Oftentimes, the symbols used for a genogram are also used for ecomaps.

• An ecomap can be used for entire family relationships—simply place the family in the center circle rather than an individual.

• This is just a starting point to begin identifying relationships that you may wish to discuss with a professional.

Resources

• PDF about ecomaps