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What Is An Ecomap
What Is An Ecomap
WH AT IS AN E CO M AP ?
•ECOMAP SYMBOLS
• ECOMAPS INCLUDE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SYMBOLS, MOST
OF WHICH ARE LINES, TO CONNECT THE CENTERED
INDIVIDUAL WITH THE REST. IN TERMS OF RELATIONSHIPS,
THE LINES AND THEIR MEANING ARE AS FOLLOWS.
• SOURCE: EDRAWMAX ONLINE
• THICKER LINES:
• THESE LINES AREOFTEN DARKER IF NOT THICKER. IN AN
ECOMAP, THEY DENOTE STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS
BETWEEN THE TWO ENDS OF THE LINE. IN SOME CASES,
TWO LINES ARE DRAWN TO DENOTE THE SAME, STRONG
AND POSITIVE, CONNECTION.
• CURVY LINES:
• THESE LINES ARE OFTEN RED IN COLOR WHEN NOT CURVEY
• IN A FAMILY ECOMAP OR ANY TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP
ECOMAPS, THESE LINES INDICATE A STRESSFUL AND NEGATIVE
RELATIONSHIP. IN SOME CASES, SUCH LINES ARE BROKEN TO
INDICATE THE SOURCE.
• SINGLE LINES:
• ARROWS HAVE A BLUNT END AND A POINTY END. AS
COMMONLY INTERPRETED, THE POINTY END OF THE ARROW
INDICATES THE DIRECTION TOWARDS SOMETHING. HENCE,
WHEN THE ARROW IS POINTING TO THE CLIENT, I.E., THE
CENTER, IT MEANS THE FLOW OF INFLUENCE IS DIRECTED TO
• THE INDIVIDUAL IN QUESTION. AND WHEN THE ARROW IS
POINTING TO ONE OR MORE SYSTEMS OF THE CENTER, IT
INDICATES A FLOW OF INTEREST FROM THE CENTERED
INDIVIDUAL TO THE POINTED MEMBER. IN SOME CASES, THE
ARROW IS POINTED TO BOTH PARTIES. IN THAT CASE, IT
INDICATES THE FLOW OF INFLUENCE TO BOTH DIRECTIONS.
• CURVY OR RED LINES MEAN THAT THE SYSTEM IS A
STRESSFUL RELATIONSHIP
• THICKER (DARKER) LINES MEAN STRONGER RELATIONSHIP
• COMMON USE CASES OF ECOMAP:
• ECOMAPS HAVE A NUMBER OF COMMON USES.
THE MOST COMMON USE CASE OF ECOMAP IS ASSESSING THE
• OF ECOMAP IS ASSESSING THE QUALITY OF CONNECTIONS
A YOUNG FAMILY MEMBER HAS WITH HIS OR HER OTHER
MEMBERS.
• ANOTHER COMMON USE CASE OF ECOMAP IS BY SOCIAL
WORKERS TO DETERMINE THE CONNECTION QUALITY ONE
HAS WITH OTHER MEMBERS AND ELEMENTS OF THE
SOCIETY.
• ECOMAPS ARE ALSO USED IN NURSING TO DETERMINE AN
• EFFECTIVE WAY OF INTERVENTION AND PROVIDING TREATMENT.
• WHAT IS AN ECOMAP IN NURSING?
• ONE OF THE COMMON SECTORS THAT ECOMAPS ARE USED IN IS
NURSING. IN MEDICAL SCIENCE, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE
ASSESSMENTS ARE ACCURATE OR AS CLOSE TO ACCURATE AS
POSSIBLE. THAT IS WHY NURSES CREATE ECOMAPS TO HAVE THE
PROPER INFORMATION ABOUT THE PATIENT.