How to Show Who Lives Together in a Genogram
Descent shows who is related; the household circle shows who wakes up under the same roof — often the more clinically interesting fact. A closed line drawn around a set of symbols means: one household.
The notation
The household boundary
A smooth closed line (often dashed) encircling everyone who lives together, cutting across generations and even families — a grandmother raising two grandchildren is one circle around three people.
Labels and dates
Households can be named (“Maternal home”) and dated (“since 2022”). Multiple households on one genogram are normal — that’s usually the point.
Living alone or in care
A circle around a single person marks living alone; institutional settings (care home, incarceration) are annotated on the circle.
How to draw it in GenogramAI
- 1Turn on Family Groups (the house icon in the bottom toolbar) to display household circles
- 2Select the people who live together and group them — the circle is drawn and can be renamed and recolored
- 3Or tell the AI: households are created for you from a plain-language description
"Maria and her grandmother Beatriz live together — put them in one household."
Frequently asked questions
What does a circle around people in a genogram mean?
A closed line around a set of people marks a household — everyone inside lives together, regardless of how they’re related.
Can one person be in two households?
Yes — shared-custody children commonly appear in both parents’ household boundaries, or with an annotation such as “50/50 custody.”
How do I show someone living alone?
Draw the household boundary around just that one person. It’s meaningful — living alone is information, not an absence of it.
Draw it correctly, automatically
GenogramAI renders standard notation for you — describe your family and the symbols come out right.
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