When it is used
Use it when a practitioner needs to formulate a recurring system-level pattern behind a family presenting problem rather than focus on isolated symptoms.
Family Game / Pattern Hypothesis Map
Family Game / Pattern Hypothesis Map is a practitioner-only systemic formulation artifact for family practitioners. It helps practitioners organize family members' roles, positions, meanings, and interactions into a tentative system-level pattern hypothesis connected to the presenting problem.
Build a sample pattern map and review the current hypothesis.
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Tool guide
Learn more about this tool
Use this background section to understand when the tool fits, how practitioners use it, and what to consider before sharing it with clients.
Revision
The map should remain testable and revisable. Prior states may be preserved for comparison if revisions are made.
Limits
The tool does not automatically detect hidden patterns, assign certainty, diagnose, or generate intervention prescriptions.
Does the system generate the family pattern hypothesis?
No. The practitioner writes the hypothesis; the system organizes entered roles, meanings, positions, interactions, and presenting-problem links.
Is this a genogram?
No. It is a system-level pattern hypothesis map, not a generic genogram or relationship diagram.
What happens if only one person is represented?
The map can retain the entry, but review should show insufficient systemic coverage because multiple roles or positions are central.