The Ecomap – A Social Work Assessment Tool
What is an Ecomap?
An Ecomap is a diagram often used by social workers or nurses showing the social and personal relationships of an
individual with his or her environment. Ecomaps were developed in 1975 by Dr. Ann Hartman who is also credited
with creating the genogram.
A cornerstone of the social work profession is joining with clients from a strengths-based and client-centered
perspective, forming a relationship in which client and clinician work together toward client self-determination and
empowerment. As client and clinician develop a therapeutic relationship in session over time, joining with clients can
take many different forms.
In initial sessions, clinicians tend to focus on listening and learning about the client’s biopsychosocial history,
important life events, key relationships, resources, and needs. Using visual tools to engage clients in eliciting this
information is one way that social workers can effectively join with clients at the early stages of the therapeutic
relationship, and ecomaps are one such effective tool.
An ecomap is a visual tool that many social workers use with families and individuals as a participatory way to
involve clients in describing and organizing the various elements impacting their lives. Ecomaps are essentially
diagrams that place the client (or client system) at the center, and visually display the key social and personal
relationships the client has with the external environment. Ecomaps visualize the person-in-environment perspective
of the social work profession, and help clients to understand the various systems with which they interact in their
current lives, giving a snapshot of the client in “their dynamic ecological system1.”
Why Use Ecomaps?
Ecomaps are useful assessment tools because they also assist clients in describing, organizing, and understanding the
ways in which the client relates to and with each of the systems in their lives. Ecomaps reveal not only the
relationships themselves, but the quality of those relationships in the ways that the client chooses to classify them.
Clients’ connections to the systems included on an ecomap might be positive or negative, nurturing or damaging,
secure or plagued by conflict and stress. Relationships might be depicted as close or distant, strong or weak, onesided or mutual.
In this way, an ecomap is capable of depicting “the important nurturing or conflict-laden connections between the
family and the world; demonstrates the flow of resources, or lacks and deprivations; and highlights the nature of the
interfaces and points of conflict to be mediated, bridges to be built, and resources to be explored1.” Thus, as an
assessment tool, an ecomap can be helpful in determining the client’s strengths, resources, needs, and deficits, and
“a powerful tool for discovering possible sources of depression and anxiety as well as uncovering hidden support
systems in friends, neighbors, clubs, professional agencies, charities, and social or religious organizations2.”
How to Draw an Ecomap
The social worker, the client, or both, can draw an ecomap, using simple circles and lines with a key/legend.
1.The first step is to draw the client in a large circle in the middle.
2.Next, smaller circles drawn around the client represent each of the people, groups, institutions, and entities with
which the client is in relationship. These can be family members, friends, churches, places of employment,
educational institutions, etc, with the name of each entity written in the center of the circle.
3.Finally, and perhaps most importantly, client and clinician should discuss and draw the types of connections
between the client and each of the external entities in the smaller circles. Different types of lines can be used to
denote different types of connections. For example, a dashed line might represent a distant connection, while a
double line represents a strong connection – any type of line can be used in the drawing, but the definition of each
should be noted in the Ecomap’s legend.
4.Arrowheads should also be used at the end of each line to indicate the direction in which resources flow or the
level of mutuality of the relationship. Arrowheads “indicate the direction of influence for each relationship2.” For
example, if one of the external entities included is “Social Security,” the arrow would point to the client, showing
that the client receives resources from Social Security. A healthy relationship between mother and daughter would
likely have an arrowhead on both ends, showing the reciprocity of the relationship, while one-sided relationships
would have an arrowhead pointing in only one direction.
Best Practices for Ecomapping with Clients
There are many options when creating an ecomap and the types of lines and figures used can vary, as long as they
are identified in the Legend. When using ecomaps in session with clients, the following best practices are
recommended:
•Identify the client and make the ecomap client-centered
•Be sure to determine and depict all of the important external systems connected to the client.
•Ensure that the type of relationship or connection is specified.
•Specify the direction of each relationship.
•Include a date on the ecomap, “because over time these relationships may change and you may want to reevaluate or re-map2”
•Include a comprehensive legend to clearly explain all lines, colors, and symbols used
The most important practice to remember in ecomapping with clients is to use this assessment tool as a starting
point for discussion, opening opportunities for client and clinician to evaluate connections to external entities and
gain understanding of the client’s environment. Ecomapping is a participatory activity that is best accompanied by
constant and meaningful dialogue between client and clinician as they work together to visualize and assess the
person-in-environment and gain new insights into client relationships.
Reference List:
[Internet]. England (UK): Barefoot Social Work Blog; 2016 [cited 2016 Jun 7]. Available from
http://barefootsocialwork.weebly.com/uploads/3/9/7/4/39743910/ecomap_activity.pdf
2SmartDraw. Ecomap [Internet]. San Diego (CA): Smartdraw Software, LLC; 2016 [cited 2016 Jun 7]. Available from
https://www.smartdraw.com/ecomap/
Additional References:
Tennessee Alliance for Children and Families. Genograms and ecomaps: tools for developing a broad view of family
[Internet]. Nashville (TN): Tennessee Alliance for Children and Families; 2016 [cited 2016 Jun 7]. Available from
http://www.tnchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Genograms-and-Ecomaps.pdf
McCormick, K, Stricklin, S, Rous, B, Kohner-Coogle, M, Nowak, T. Using eco-mapping to understand family strengths
and resources [Internet]. Lexington (KY): National Early Childhood Transition Center; 2005 [cited 2016 Jun 7].
Available from http://www.hdi.uky.edu/nectc/libraries/nectc_presentations_research_techniques/using_ecomapping_to_understand_family_strenghts_and_resources.sflb.ashx
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