Free genogram template

Mental Health Genogram Template

Three generations with mental illness shading and the emotional lines that go with it.

Updated October 2026 · PDF, PowerPoint, PNG and SVG · no sign-up

Quick answer

A mental health genogram template is a three-generation genogram with a key for mental illness shading (left half filled), suspected conditions (striped) and conditions in remission (a quarter with a line), plus emotional lines for close, conflict, distant and cutoff relationships. Clinicians use it to trace depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and suicide across generations.

Open in GenogramAI (free) Download blank PDF

Download the mental health genogram template

Free files, no sign-up or email. Print the blank, edit the PowerPoint, or reuse the example image with a credit to genogramai.com.

When to use a mental health genogram template

Use this template when a mental health condition is part of the referral and you want to know whether, and how, it runs in the family. Depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, psychosis, suicide and self-harm often appear in more than one generation, and seeing them on one page changes the conversation: a client may realise for the first time that a grandparent’s "nerves" or an uncle’s early death fit a pattern.

The key separates confirmed diagnoses from suspected ones and from conditions in remission, which keeps the chart honest about what is known. Emotional lines sit alongside the shading because relational patterns (cutoffs, conflict, over-closeness) are often part of how distress travels between generations. For more on reading these patterns, see the Mental Health Genogram guide.

If alcohol or drug use is the main concern, the Substance Use and Addiction Genogram Template has the substance shading and recovery markers. If you are working in Bowen family systems therapy, the Family Therapy Genogram Template has the full emotional key.

The blank template and a filled-in example

Left: the blank printable. Right: the same template filled in for a fictional family in GenogramAI.

Blank mental health genogram template: A three-generation structure with a header for Client, Clinician and Date; a key with mental illness shading (left half), suspected (striped), in remission (quarter plus line), and close, conflict, distant and cutoff emotional lines; lines for notes. — Blank: A three-generation structure with a header for Client, Clinician and Date; a key with mental illness shading (left half), suspected (striped), in remission (quarter plus line), and close, conflict, distant and cutoff emotional lines; lines for notes.

Mental Health Genogram Template filled in: Depression Across Generations drawn in GenogramAI with a genogram key — Filled in: The completed example is a fictional family tracing major depressive disorder through the maternal line over four generations, with Daniel Whitfield (b. 1986), a high school English teacher, as the index person. It shows suicide, alcoholism, recurrent, treatment-resistant and postpartum depression, and estrangement between Patricia and her father Frank. Read the full example

Open this example in GenogramAI to start from the finished layout: it copies into your account (the Free plan holds 2 genograms) and every person, line and condition stays editable.

How to fill in a mental health genogram template

1
Draw three generations
Grandparents, parents and the client’s generation, with the client in a double outline.
2
Shade conditions
Fill the left half for each diagnosed condition, stripe suspected ones, and use the remission marker where relevant. Write the condition and age at onset.
3
Record deaths and attempts
Mark deaths with an X and the cause, including suicide, and note attempts carefully.
4
Add emotional lines
Show close, conflict, distant and cutoff relationships, then note the patterns you see.

Symbols this template uses

Drawn the way GenogramAI draws them. Every other symbol is in the genogram symbols guide and the genogram key.

Symbol	What it means
Left half filled	Physical or mental illness, as GenogramAI shades it (one colour per condition).
Left half striped	Suspected condition: not diagnosed, but reported or likely.
Quarter filled with a line	Illness in remission.
Two blue lines	Close relationship.
Two dashed red lines	Conflict.
Dashed red line	Distant relationship.
Red line broken by two bars	Cutoff: contact has ended.

Common mistakes to avoid

Shading a condition no one has diagnosed as if it were confirmed. Use the striped (suspected) marker.
Recording the diagnosis without age of onset. Onset age is what shows anticipation or a repeating life-stage pattern.
Leaving suicide or attempts off the chart because they are painful to ask about. They are among the most important facts, recorded with care.
Drawing shading without a key that says what each colour means.

Who uses this template?

Psychotherapists, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, mental health counselors, psychiatric nurses and trainees in each of these disciplines.

Common uses

Assessment of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and psychosis
Suicide risk assessment and family history of suicide
Perinatal mental health
Psychoeducation about family patterns
Case formulation in training and supervision

What the template covers

Three-generation layout with a clinical header
Mental illness, suspected and remission shading key
Close, conflict, distant and cutoff emotional lines
Notes lines for onset ages and patterns
Editable PowerPoint and SVG versions

What is free?

Free and paid, plainly

All five files on this page (blank PDF, PowerPoint, SVG, example PDF and PNG) are free to download and use, with no sign-up. In GenogramAI, the Free plan includes 2 genograms, 5 AI credits a month, all 64 relationship types, medical shading and PNG export, with no card. PDF, SVG and GEDCOM export, file import and photo import are on paid plans; Professional is $12/month.

Frequently asked questions

How do you show mental illness on a genogram?

Shade part of the person’s symbol. In GenogramAI’s default notation the left half is filled for physical or mental illness, striped when suspected, and a quarter with a line marks remission. Add the diagnosis and age at onset beside the symbol.

How do you show suicide on a genogram?

Mark the person as deceased with an X and record the cause and year of death. Some clinicians add a note or symbol for attempts. Record it plainly; it is central to risk assessment.

Is a mental health genogram a diagnosis?

No. It is a record of what the family reports and what is known. It helps form questions and spot patterns; it does not establish genetic risk or a diagnosis on its own.

Can I keep this genogram confidential online?

GenogramAI’s Clinical plan adds zero-knowledge encryption for clinical genograms. The free PDF on this page can also be filled in by hand and kept with your paper records.