Family Circle
A schematic diagram of the patient's perceived family system — alliances, boundaries and self-positioning.
Clinical context
The family circle is a patient-drawn schematic of the perceived family system. The patient places circles for self, family members and significant others: overlapping the dashed family circle reads as enmeshed, touching as connected, and separate as disengaged, with an arrow marking the index person.
Use it during clinical interviews to explore alliances, boundaries and self-positioning from the patient's own perspective — especially when psychosomatic symptoms, over-involvement or emotional distance may be shaping the presenting problem.
Family circle settings
People / entities
- Self (index)
- Spouse
- Mother
- Work
Family circle (drag circles to position)
Family Circle
Overlapping the dashed family circle = enmeshed; touching = connected; separate = disengaged. The red arrow marks the index person.
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Interpretation
- 4 significant person/entity circle(s): 3 overlapping (enmeshed), 0 touching (connected), 1 separate (disengaged).
- Several overlapping circles suggest enmeshment / blurred boundaries — watch for over-involvement and psychosomatic risk in one member.