![]() ![]() However, virtually no literature exists on the usefulness of the ecomap with non-Western cultures. Helping professionals from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand have written about the value of utilizing family diagrammatic tools with families. Two such resources are "Ecotivity" by Wonderware and Mattaini's software companion to "Visual Ecoscan for Clinical Practice." In recent years, new computer software allows professional helpers to develop computer-generated diagrammatic assessments such as ecomaps and genograms. Although originating in social work, the use of this tool spans disciplinary boundaries literature on nursing, psychology, law, and other disciplines salutes the usefulness of family diagrammatic tools. Other social workers who have joined Hartman in refining the ecomap include Joan Laird and Mark Mattaini. Since its creation, the ecomap has been used in a variety of practice settings. ![]() The concept quickly became popular with family therapists in the United States and the United Kingdom. The social worker Ann Hartman first introduced the ecomap in 1978 in her article "Diagrammatic Assessment of Family Relations." Hartman's work evolves from the school of family theories known as family systems theory, which grew out of the general systems theory applied to sciences such as physics, biology, and anthropology. This empowers families to know where to begin making changes. Using the ecomap, the therapist and family can identify the external relationships that are nourishing, as well as those that are wounded. Arrows indicated direction of energy flow and conflicted or broken relationships may be represented by interrupted lines. For example, a solid line may indicate a strong and healthy relationship, while a diffused line represents a weaker tie. Standard symbols are used to express energy that flows from a person or family to other important people and institutions. ![]() The ecomap diagram consists of circles, lines, and arrows (see Figure 1). Identifying these connections clarifies and organizes data on a family's environment highlights energy that flows into and out of the family and raises issues such as network size and stability, reciprocity of relationships, and access to or deprivation of available resources. As the name signifies, therapist and client together map out connections between the family and its ecological environment. The ecomap, also called a sociogram, is a visual assessment tool depicting the relationships between a family and its social network. ![]()
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