How to Create an Ecomap ​

To create an ecomap, place the person or family in a large circle at the center, draw smaller circles for each external system around them, and connect the circles with lines showing whether each relationship is strong, weak, or stressful. Add arrows to show which way support flows, include a key, and date the diagram.

Before You Start ​

Who goes in the center? ​

An ecomap can center on an individual or a family unit.

• For a family, write all household members' names inside the center circle.
• For an individual, write their name alone.

Everything else in the diagram is built around whoever sits at the center.

What is the ecomap for? ​

The purpose determines which external systems to include.

• Social work ecomap: includes formal services, caseworkers, and statutory connections.
• Nursing ecomap: focuses on healthcare systems, community support, and recovery environment.
• Family therapy ecomap: maps informal and community connections alongside formal ones.
• Personal ecomap: includes whatever systems are significant to the person's life.

Decide before you start drawing, as it saves you from adding and removing circles mid-way through.

Step-by-Step: How to Create an Ecomap ​

These are six steps on how to create an ecomap.

Step 1: Draw the center circle ​

Draw a large circle in the middle of your page or canvas.

Write the name of the person or family inside it.

If mapping a family, include all household members.

This circle is the anchor for the whole diagram; make it large enough that the outer circles don't crowd it.

Step 2: Identify the external systems ​

Before you draw anything else, list the systems you want to include. Work through the main categories:

• Family members outside the household
• Schools or childcare
• Employers
• Healthcare providers
• Faith communities
• Friends and neighbors
• Social services or formal agencies
• Housing or financial systems
• Community organizations

Include only the systems that are currently significant; not every possible connection. An ecomap with 15 outer circles is harder to read than one with 7 well-chosen ones.

Step 3: Draw the outer circles ​

Place a smaller circle for each system around the center.

Label each one clearly.

Position matters loosely; systems with stronger connections can sit closer to the center, distant or stressful ones can sit further out, but there is no fixed rule.

Use whatever layout makes the diagram readable.

Step 4: Draw the connecting lines ​

Connect each outer circle to the center with a line. Choose the line type based on the quality of the relationship:

• Thick or double solid line - strong, positive connection.
• Thin dashed line - weak, distant, or underused connection.
• Zigzag or jagged line - stressful or conflictual relationship.

For a full reference of line types and what each one means, see the ecomap symbols guide.

Step 5: Add directional arrows ​

Place arrows on each line to show which way support flows:

• Arrow pointing toward the center - the system gives support to the person or family.
• Arrow pointing away from the center - the person or family gives support to that system.
• Arrows at both ends - mutual, reciprocal support.

Not every connection needs an arrow.

If the direction of support is unclear or not relevant for a particular connection, leave the arrow off.

Step 6: Add a key ​

Write a small legend on the diagram listing every line type used and what it means.

Anyone reading the ecomap without context needs to be able to interpret it without asking.

An ecomap diagram without a key is incomplete.

Step 7: Add the date ​

Write the date the ecomap was completed.

Ecomaps are snapshots; they show how a person's connections look at a specific point in time.

Without a date, the diagram loses its value as a record when the situation changes.

Common Mistakes ​

1. Including too many outer circles ​

A crowded ecomap is harder to read than a focused one.

Aim for the systems that are genuinely significant, not an exhaustive list of every connection the person has ever had.

2. Leaving out stressful connections ​

Stressful systems belong on the diagram.

An ecomap that only shows positive connections gives an incomplete picture.

The zigzag lines are often where the most important assessment information sits.

3. Forgetting directional arrows ​

The direction of support is one of the most clinically useful things the ecomap shows.

A connection that looks supportive with a solid line may actually be taking energy away from the person; the arrow reveals that.

4. No key ​

Every symbol and line type on the diagram needs to appear in a legend.

Skipping the key assumes the reader knows the notation, which is not always true.

5. No date ​

A social worker reviewing a case six months later, or a nursing student referring back to an assessment, needs to know when the diagram was completed.

Undated ecomaps are difficult to use as progress records.

Related ​

• Ecomap Guide
• Ecomap Symbols
• Ecomap Template
• Ecomap Social Work
• Ecomap Example
• Ecomap Family
• Ecomap and Genogram
• How to Create an Ecomap in Word