What do the symbols mean in a genogram?

Genogram symbols use standardized shapes and lines to represent people and relationships. Squares represent males, circles represent females, and diamonds represent unknown or non-binary gender. An X through a shape means deceased. Relationship lines connect people: solid horizontal lines show marriages, slashes show separation or divorce, and vertical lines connect parents to children. Emotional overlays use patterned lines — parallel lines for closeness, zigzag for conflict, dashed lines for distance, and breaks for cutoffs.

How many genogram symbols are there?

The McGoldrick standard notation includes over 150 symbols across 11 categories: person/gender shapes, vital status indicators, partner relationship lines, relationship status markers, parent-child connections, twin symbols, emotional relationship overlays (38 types), medical condition markers, cultural heritage patterns, religion indicators, and social class markers.

What does a zigzag line mean on a genogram?

A zigzag line on a genogram represents conflict or hostility between two people. A tight zigzag indicates violence. If the zigzag has an arrow, it indicates directed abuse. These emotional relationship overlays are drawn between any two family members to show the quality of their bond.

What is the difference between a circle and a square on a genogram?

A circle represents a female and a square represents a male. This is the most fundamental distinction in genogram notation. Additional shapes include diamonds for unknown or non-binary gender, hexagons for intersex individuals, and triangles for pregnancies or miscarriages.

Cutoff Repaired Symbol in Genograms

Understanding Repaired Cutoffs in Genograms

Cutoff repaired represents the restoration of a previously severed relationship. This symbol captures an important therapeutic milestone:

Documents that estrangement was overcome
Shows the relationship has a history of rupture and repair
Indicates successful reconnection work
Reminds clinicians of potential vulnerability to re-cutoff

The Repair Process

Repairing a family cutoff typically involves several elements:

Initiative: One or both parties reaching out
Acknowledgment: Recognizing what led to the cutoff
Responsibility: Accepting one's role in the break
Boundaries: Establishing new terms for the relationship
Patience: Allowing trust to rebuild gradually

Catalysts for Reconnection

Family cutoffs are often repaired following life transitions:

Life-threatening illness: Health crises prompt reaching out
Death of a family member: Loss creates perspective
Birth of children: Desire to connect generations
Major life events: Weddings, graduations, milestones
Personal growth: Therapy, recovery, maturation

Challenges After Repair

Repaired relationships face unique challenges:

Navigating the unspoken "elephant in the room"
Managing expectations about relationship depth
Processing grief for lost time
Integrating back into family systems that adjusted to the cutoff
Risk of repeat cutoff if underlying issues resurface

Clinical Significance

For clinicians, cutoff repaired markers provide important context:

Shows family capacity for healing and forgiveness
Indicates flexibility in family system
May require ongoing support to maintain
Provides hope for other estranged relationships

When to Use This Symbol

The cutoff-repaired symbol documents reconnection after a period of complete disconnection. Use it in these scenarios:

Post-estrangement reunion between parent and adult child: An adult child who cut off contact with a parent for years (often due to conflict, addiction, or boundary violations) and has since re-established communication. The repaired symbol captures both the history of rupture and the current reconnection.
Sibling reconnection after family conflict: Siblings who stopped speaking after a dispute over inheritance, caregiving responsibilities, or family loyalty, and have since reconciled -- whether through therapy, a mediating family event, or mutual decision. The repaired symbol signals that trust is being rebuilt but may remain fragile.
Reconnection prompted by health crisis or death: A family member who re-establishes contact after learning of a serious illness, terminal diagnosis, or death in the family. These reconnections are often emotionally complex, mixing grief, guilt, and hope simultaneously.

How Cutoff Repaired Differs From Estranged

Cutoff Repaired vs. Estranged: Key Distinctions

Prior state: Cutoff repaired implies a previous complete cutoff -- zero contact, deliberate disconnection. Estranged implies emotional distance and minimal contact, but the relationship was never fully severed. The repaired symbol tells a story of total break followed by reconnection.
Current trajectory: Cutoff repaired indicates active movement toward reconnection, even if the relationship is still tentative. Estranged describes a static state of emotional distance with no clear movement in either direction.
Therapeutic implications: Cutoff-repaired relationships need support to build new patterns and manage expectations. Estranged relationships need exploration of whether the distance is protective, mutual, or a source of grief -- and whether repair is desired by both parties.
Risk profile: Repaired cutoffs carry a specific vulnerability: the risk of re-cutoff if the original issues resurface. Estranged relationships may slowly drift further apart or remain stable at a distance indefinitely.

How to Add in GenogramAI

Steps to Document a Cutoff Repaired Relationship:

1Press E to open the Emotional Relationship tool, then click the first person and drag to the second.
2Select "Cutoff Repaired" from the relationship type menu. The line with the healing marker will appear between the two individuals.
3Add a clinical note with the approximate cutoff period (e.g., "no contact 2015-2022") and what prompted reconnection, to provide context for the repair trajectory.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does a cutoff become "repaired" -- is there a threshold?

There is no fixed threshold, but generally the symbol applies when both parties have acknowledged the reconnection and are engaging in some form of ongoing contact. A single phone call after years of silence is a promising step but may not yet constitute repair. Use clinical judgment: if the relationship has moved from zero contact to regular, intentional interaction, the repaired symbol is appropriate.

What if the repaired relationship is still distant or strained?

The cutoff-repaired symbol indicates that reconnection has occurred, not that the relationship is now healthy or close. You can combine it with other symbols (e.g., distant, or even distant-hostile) to capture the current quality of the reconnected relationship. The repaired marker adds the historical context that this relationship was once completely severed.

How common is re-cutoff after repair?

Research suggests re-cutoff is a significant risk, particularly when the original issues that caused the cutoff were never directly addressed. Repair motivated solely by external events (a death, a birth) without accompanying boundary renegotiation is especially vulnerable. Documenting the repair on the genogram can itself be therapeutic -- it makes the fragility visible and motivates the work needed to sustain reconnection.

Can I use cutoff-repaired for relationships that have been cut off and repaired multiple times?

Yes. For relationships with a pattern of repeated cutoff and repair, the symbol still applies to indicate the current reconnected state. Add a clinical note documenting the cycle (e.g., "third reconnection; prior cutoffs in 2010 and 2016"). The repeated pattern itself is clinically significant and suggests the underlying dynamic driving the cutoffs has not yet been resolved.