Ecomap Templates
An ecomap puts one person or family in the middle and maps every connection around them, with the style of each line showing how a relationship runs, energizing or draining. These ecomap templates give you the central circle, the surrounding systems, and the relationship-line styles already set up, so you fill in the people and groups, draw the connections, and a network reads at a glance. Place the person at the center and map their connections outward.
An ecomap maps the connections between one person or family and the people, groups, and institutions around them. The individual or household goes in a circle at the center, the surrounding systems go in circles around it, and lines drawn between them record each relationship. What makes an ecomap distinct is that the style of the line itself has meaning, showing the strength of a connection and which way energy moves, with arrows marking the direction of that flow. The picture that results is a snapshot of someone’s social environment on a single page.
These ecomap templates are built around that structure, with the central circle, the surrounding system circles, and the relationship-line styles already in place, so the network stays readable as connections are added. Social workers, counselors, case managers, and students use them as a working record, capturing who is in a person’s life and how those ties function. The aim here is recording and understanding a network, not assessing or treating anyone; the templates give you a clear way to lay out connections, and any interpretation stays with the practitioner. You name the person, name the systems, and draw the lines; the styles do the work of showing what each connection is like.
Worth knowing: The line styles are the heart of an ecomap, so settle on what each style means before drawing any connections. A consistent key, the same line meaning the same thing every time, is what lets a second reader understand the network without it being talked through.
Ecomap elements
The parts an ecomap is built from, working outward from the person at the center.
The circle in the middle holding the individual or family the map is about. Everything else is drawn in relation to this center, so it is named and placed first.
The circles around the center for the people, groups, and institutions in the person's life, such as family, friends, work, school, health services, and community.
The lines joining the center to each system, where the style of the line records the nature and strength of that connection rather than just its existence.
Arrowheads on the lines that mark direction, showing if help comes in toward the person, flows out from them, or runs both ways.
Mapping a person's network
From the person at the center out to the systems and the connections between them.
Write the individual or family name in the central circle. Everything on the map is drawn in relation to this center, so it goes in before anything around it.
Fill the surrounding circles with the people, groups, and institutions in the person's life. Both informal ties, like family and friends, and formal ones, like clinics and agencies, belong on the map.
Tip — Working through prompts such as home, work or school, health, and community surfaces systems that are easy to leave off.
Join the center to each system with a line, choosing the style that matches the relationship. Keep one meaning per style across the whole map so the picture stays consistent.
Tip — The relationship-line key in the Notes tab sets out what each style commonly stands for, so the styles read the same way to anyone who picks up the map.
Add arrowheads to show which way help or energy moves, in toward the person, out from them, or both. Direction often tells you as much as the connection itself.
Set colors, labels, and a legend so the map is clear to whoever reads it next. If the network grows dense, group related systems together before reducing the spacing.
Relationship-line key
What each line style commonly stands for, so a map reads the same to everyone.
A strong, positive, or supportive connection. A thicker solid line is often used for the strongest, most stable ties of all.
A weak, distant, or tenuous connection, one that exists but is not a strong source of help.
A stressful or conflicted connection, marking a relationship that tends to drain energy rather than give it.
Arrowheads show the direction of energy or resources, pointing inward for help received, outward for help given, and both ways for a reciprocal tie.
The styles above are the conventions these ecomap templates follow, and a short legend on the page keeps them clear. Keeping one meaning per style across a map is what lets a colleague read the network without it being explained.
FAQs
What is the difference between an ecomap and a genogram?
An ecomap maps one person or family’s connections outward to the systems around them, friends, work, services, and community, with line styles showing how each tie functions. A genogram maps the internal family structure across generations, closer to a detailed family tree with relational and health detail added. In short, a genogram looks inward at the family line while an ecomap looks outward at the wider network.
What are formal and informal sources of help in an ecomap?
Informal sources are the unpaid connections in someone’s life, such as family, friends, neighbors, and community groups. Formal ones are the paid or institutional connections, such as schools, clinics, agencies, and intervention programs. Mapping both on the same ecomap shows the full picture of where a person’s help comes from and where it may be thin.
What do the different line styles mean on an ecomap?
The line style records the quality of a connection. A solid line commonly marks a strong or positive tie, a dashed or dotted line a weak or tenuous one, and a jagged line a stressful or conflicted one, with arrowheads showing which way energy flows. The Notes tab on this page sets out the full key these templates follow.
Who uses ecomap templates?
Social workers, counselors, case managers, healthcare staff, and students in those fields use them most, as a working way to record and understand a person’s network during assessment. The templates handle the arrangement and the line styles so the practitioner can focus on mapping the connections; any clinical interpretation stays with them.