Family genogram

Introduction to family and community

Nigel (50) and Sally (47) live in Currumbin, Queensland with their 3 children Daisy (15), Ella (11) and Luke (8). Nigel and Sally met at university when they were both studying business degrees. Nigel was born in Australia and has always lived around the Gold Coast area. His parents live just two streets away and his sister lives in nearby Elanora. They are a very close family. Sally was born in England, but moved to Melbourne when she was 3, due to her father’s work as an aeronautical engineer. Her parents decided to move back to England when Sally graduated from university 25 years ago. Sally decides to stay and see where her relationship with Nigel might lead. Sally’s parents try to come out to Australia every other year, however they are getting older and find the journey hard. While Nigel and Sally try to go back every second year, financially they are finding this difficult. Sally’s parents are fit and well but are becoming slower as the years go by.

Nigel and Sally’s house is a two-storey Queenslander, which they have spent the last 10 years renovating. They now have the house just as they want and are proud to have friends and family over. The children each have their own bedrooms, as well as a rumpus room which is home to Luke’s precious collection of cars, diggers and tractors.

Sally

Sally majored in events management at university. Before having children, she worked full-time for a sports events company, a job she loved. Since having children, Sally has not worked. She has always regretted not going back to work sooner and is now concerned whether it will be possible for her to get back into the industry. She volunteers at the canteen at the local primary school her younger 2 children attend. Sally has a good circle of friends, with whom she regularly goes to the gym and meets up for lunch, walks and book club. She is also a member of the local church and actively helps in the youth program. Sally is fit and well, takes pride in her appearance and is a great believer in using natural, complementary and lifestyle medicines.

Nigel

Nigel majored in accounting and is now a partner in an accountancy firm in Brisbane. He stays away in a rented apartment Monday to Wednesday to save on travelling time. He works long hours, but the income is good. Nigel enjoys playing soccer in his spare time and helps coach the local under-12s team with his best mate Craig. When he is able to ‘escape’ the business of life with 3 children, he also enjoys the odd round of golf.

Daisy

Daisy is 15 years of age and is fit and well. Her parents describe her as a ‘typical teenager’. She is in year 9 at the local state high school, does well academically and has a good circle of friends. As Daisy went through her teenage years, Sally felt as though she and her friends were drifting apart, which upset her. Daisy used to dance until last year, when she gave up, wanting to spend more time with her friends. She plays the flute and was successful in gaining a place on the Music Excellence Program at school. Nigel believes she should be studying more, a topic that often ends in an argument at home. Daisy enjoys going to the cinema with friends and hanging out at the church youth club on a Friday night.

Ella

Ella is a bubbly 11-year old who is particularly close to her mother. Ella is always busy, with her mum taking her to various activities throughout the week, including 3 dance classes and music tuition (Ella plays the piano). She also plays netball on Saturday mornings in the winter season and basketball in the summer season. Ella’s favourite part of the day, though, is when she and Sally snuggle in bed together and read before lights out. Ella attends a local state primary school and is in year 5. She loves school and throws herself into all areas of school life. Since Ella started year 5, Sally has noticed she is struggling more academically and is concerned she may be losing confidence.

Luke

Luke is 8 years old and the baby of the family. As Nigel always wanted a son whom he could take to the footy and play rough and tumble with, he was delighted when their third (and final) baby was a boy. Luke loves cars, diggers and tractors and will sit and play for hours, organising them on his road map into their different colours. If he sees roadworks when he is out walking, he has to stop and watch, often providing the family with a number of facts about the diggers he sees.

As Luke was growing up, Sally always had a niggling feeling there was something ‘different’ about him. When she would try to talk to Nigel about it, he would brush it off, saying ‘he’s just a boy’. When Luke started pre-school at aged 4, however, one of the teachers suggested that Nigel and Sally take Luke to see a clinical psychologist. The teacher had reported Luke did not make eye contact and found it difficult to build social relationships with his peers. Luke would get frustrated easily if things were not ‘just so’, which further exacerbated his difficulties in making friends. The teachers would often say that Luke was in his ‘own little world’, not unhappy, but not the smiley child they remembered Ella as being.

Nigel found the suggestion that Luke should see a psychologist incredibly difficult and remained adamant that nothing was wrong. When the appointment came up, Nigel said he had to be in Brisbane overnight, which meant Sally had to attend the appointment with Luke without Nigel. After a number of visits, Luke was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Sally felt relieved to finally have a diagnosis and was not, as Nigel said, ‘imagining something that wasn’t there’. Nigel has found the diagnosis extremely difficult to accept and has drifted further and further away from his son.

John

John Lewis is 52 and is Nigel’s brother. He lives a pretty relaxed lifestyle in Broadbeach on Queensland’s Gold Coast. He loves living near the beach and surfing; you will usually find him out at one of the famous surfing breaks on a good day or enjoying the local café scene on days when the surf is not so good. John owns and operates a cleaning business and sub-contracts work cleaning shops and offices after-hours. John is single and lives alone in a second-storey unit. It is one of the older style units with an external staircase and shared balcony to a single entrance.

John was married to Skye (now aged 47), but they divorced 10 years ago. They have minimal contact, with the occasional text message at Christmas or on their birthdays. John has a few mates that he catches up with for a surf or coffee. He doesn’t have any other hobbies or activities other than his regular motorbike rides.

David and Patricia

Nigel’s father David is 74 and is a retired maths teacher. While he leads an active life, just recently he has noticed he is more breathless when playing a round of golf, often having to have a nap in the afternoon after playing. Nigel’s mother Patricia (71) or ‘Patsy’ as she likes to be called, is full of life. Nigel often says that Patsy is where Ella gets her personality from. Patsy’s social life is everything to her; she is part of the Queensland Country Women’s Association, the local bridge club, church, plays golf and engages in a number of other activities. Whilst she has a busy social life, nothing is more important to her than her family; she will readily drop everything if Nigel or the children need her. Patsy insists on seeing them all at least weekly and will often pop in without warning with a meal for everyone. Patsy is fit and well and is slightly frustrated that her husband’s increasing tiredness changes their social arrangements on occasion.

Stephen and Elizabeth

Sally’s father, Stephen (76), likes a quiet life now he is retired. He enjoys modelling and reading and potters around the garden. Despite living in Australia for so long, England is still his home and he doesn’t like to stray far from his home country. Sally’s mother, Elizabeth (74), was diagnosed with stage I breast cancer 8 years ago. Following chemotherapy, she is now in remission, but has suffered with depression ever since. She doesn’t want to take medication despite her GP’s recommendation. Instead she tries to manage it with herbal remedies and exercise. Elizabeth misses Sally and they speak on FaceTime twice a week. Sally has an older sister (51) who also returned to England with her parents following the breakdown of her marriage. Sally and her sister are not as close as they once were following a disagreement about Sally not moving back to England with the rest of the family. Sally rarely speaks with her sister and keeps up with the news through her mum.