An ecomap template helps show how a person or household connects with people, groups, and services around them. Place the person or family at the center, add the relevant outside systems, and use a clear legend to describe the connections.
2 New Editable Templates with Previews
Choose a layout for the task you need to complete. Each preview shows the actual editable Word file. Download the template and replace the placeholders or example inputs with your own details.
Community Support Ecomap
Map a person’s support connections and discuss the strength of each relationship.
Download Editable Word Template
Student Transition Ecomap
Explore the support network around a student moving to a new learning setting.
The 11 templates and examples below provide starting layouts for a printable ecomap or a diagram you recreate digitally. Use the accompanying guide to distinguish supportive, limited, and stressful relationships, record whose perspective the map represents, and turn the discussion into a small set of agreed follow-up questions.
View the template previews and available download buttons, or continue for the practical guide.
What Is an Ecomap?
An ecomap (sometimes called an eco-map or ecogram) is a visual tool that places an individual or family in the middle of a circle and connects them to the people, groups, and organizations in their environment. Lines between the center and each outer circle show the type and strength of each connection. A dated ecomap records a view of current connections; its labels and legend should make that view understandable to another reader.
Ecomap vs. Genogram
The two tools are often used together but show different things. A genogram maps family history and biological or legal relationships across generations. An ecomap maps a person’s current social and community connections. Use a genogram to understand family patterns and an ecomap to understand outside support and stress.
A family tree can document family relationships separately from the support connections shown in an ecomap.
Benefits of Using Ecomap Templates
- Visual clarity: Complex social networks become easy to read at a glance.
- Faster assessments: A ready template saves you from drawing circles and lines by hand.
- Better case plans: Seeing which resources are strong or missing helps guide interventions.
- Client involvement: Clients can help fill in their own ecomap, which supports open conversation.
- Consistent documentation: A standard layout makes files easier to review and share.
A weekly planner can help organize agreed follow-up activities with the person’s support network.
What to Include in an Ecomap
- A central circle for the person or family
- Outer circles for systems such as school, work, church, health care, friends, extended family, and social services
- Connecting lines showing the strength of each relationship
- Arrows showing the direction of energy or resources
- A key or legend explaining line types
- Date and the name of the person who completed it
Line Types Commonly Used
| Line style | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Solid, thick line | Strong connection |
| Dotted or dashed line | Weak or tenuous connection |
| Line with slashes | Stressful or conflicted connection |
| Arrow | Direction of resources or energy |
Note: Ecomaps contain personal information. Follow your organization’s privacy and confidentiality rules when storing or sharing them.
2 New Editable Templates with Word and PDF Downloads
Choose from two different designs below. Each includes an editable Word file, a matching printable PDF, and a preview of the actual template. Older entries marked Preview Only are reference images without a downloadable template file.
Student Support Ecomap
An editable student support ecomap with six connected system areas, a central person or household, a legend and follow-up actions.
Download Editable Word Template Download Printable PDF
Caregiver Household Ecomap
An editable caregiver household ecomap with six connected system areas, a central person or household, a legend and follow-up actions.
Free Ecomap Templates
Basic Ecomap Template (PDF)
Eco-Map Template (PDF)
Ecomap Template with Family Systems (PDF)
Ecomap and Genogram Instructions (PDF)
More Ecomap Examples
Ecomap Example 1 (Preview Only)
Ecomap Example 2 (Preview Only)
Ecomap Example 3 (Preview Only)
How to Make an Ecomap Step by Step
- Draw or choose a template. Start with a central circle for the client or family.
- Name the center. Write the person’s name or list household members inside.
- Add outer circles. Label each with a system, such as school, employer, health care, faith community, or friends.
- Connect the circles. Draw solid, dotted, or slashed lines to show the strength of each connection.
- Add arrows. Show whether resources flow toward the client, away, or both ways.
- Review with the client. Ask whether the map feels accurate and what they would like to change.
- Record and date it. Save the ecomap in the case file and update it as circumstances change.
Keep practical contact details in a contact list rather than crowding the map with phone numbers.
Tips for Effective Ecomaps
- Use a pencil first so you can adjust as you talk with the client.
- Keep labels short and specific.
- Include both supportive and stressful connections.
- Redo the ecomap periodically to track progress.
- Print on letter or A4 paper with enough space for notes.
An ecomap is one of the most practical tools for understanding a client’s world. Pick a template from the list above, print it, and start mapping connections in minutes.
Preparing the Conversation and the Map
Decide what the map is intended to explore before adding circles. A student exercise might illustrate the relationships around a fictional household, while a working record may support a conversation with a particular person. Write the purpose and date on the page. This context helps a later reader understand why some connections were included and others were left out.
Explain the proposed symbols in ordinary language and invite the person contributing to change labels that do not fit their experience. A line should describe the relationship being discussed rather than assign a permanent label to the person or service. A connection can also be useful in one respect and difficult in another, so allow short notes when a single symbol would oversimplify it.
Choose labels that provide enough context without overloading the page. “Work” may be sufficient for a broad overview; a more focused discussion might distinguish a supervisor from a colleague. Start with the most relevant connections and expand only where the added detail helps answer the question. A crowded diagram with tiny writing can obscure the very relationships it is meant to clarify.
A Fictional Household Ecomap Example
Consider a fictional household with a parent and two school-age children at its center. The parent identifies a nearby relative who helps with school collection, an employer with unpredictable shifts, the children’s school, a neighborhood group, and a transport service. These become five outer circles. The labels describe systems that affect the household’s routine rather than listing every person the family knows.
The relative receives a strong-support line because help is regular and valued. The employer connection is marked as stressful in relation to changing hours, with a note explaining that the stress concerns scheduling. The neighborhood group has a limited connection because the household has attended only once. None of those marks alone explains the whole relationship, which is why the brief notes matter.
Arrows can distinguish who provides help. The relative’s arrow points toward the household for school collection; a two-way arrow might represent an exchange of help with another family. State what the arrows mean in this particular map. Without a legend, a reader might mistake direction for the strength or quality of the relationship.
Review the completed picture with the person who contributed. They may explain that the school’s connection should be split between helpful classroom communication and a difficult transport arrangement. Adjusting the map preserves that distinction. The useful outcome is a clearer account of the person’s perspective, rather than a diagram that looks complete but misrepresents the conversation.
Using the Ecomap During a Follow-Up
After drawing the map, ask which connection the person wants to discuss first. A weak connection does not automatically need strengthening, and a stressful one may still provide an important resource. Identify what the person would like to be different before suggesting any next step. Keep the diagram and the agreed actions separate enough that a descriptive line is not mistaken for a commitment.
For the fictional household, a follow-up note might be to ask the school about the collection arrangements or to clarify work scheduling information. Record who agreed to do what and when the topic will be reviewed. If no action is agreed, record that too. The map can still be useful as a shared description of the current situation.
Date later versions rather than silently replacing the original picture. Relationships can change, and differences between maps can open useful questions about what happened. State whose observations informed the update. If two household members see the same connection differently, their perspectives can be recorded separately rather than forcing one line to stand for both.
Before sharing or storing the completed map, check that names, labels, and notes are appropriate for its intended audience and your organization’s process. Use fictional labels for teaching examples and remove identifying details from demonstrations. Keep contact numbers and detailed histories in the appropriate separate record so the ecomap remains readable and focused on relationships.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is an ecomap used for?
It is used to show a person’s or family’s relationships with the wider community, helping professionals assess support systems, stressors, and gaps in resources.
Who uses ecomaps?
Social workers, family counselors, school counselors, nurses, and students in human services programs use them regularly.
What is the difference between an ecomap and a genogram?
A genogram shows family relationships and history across generations. An ecomap shows current connections between the person and outside systems.
Who invented the ecomap?
The ecomap is associated with social work scholar Ann Hartman. When using a diagram in an assignment, follow your course’s required reference and distinguish the ecomap from a genogram.
Can I make an ecomap in Word or by hand?
Yes. You can print a template and fill it in by hand, or recreate the circles and lines with shapes in Word or PowerPoint.
What do the different lines mean?
Solid lines usually show strong ties, dotted lines show weak ties, and slashed lines show stress or conflict. Always include a key so others can read your map.
How often should an ecomap be updated?
Update it whenever the client’s situation changes, and review it at regular case reviews.
Can two members of one family have different ecomaps?
Yes. Each person may experience the same school, relative, or community group differently. Identify whose perspective each map records and its date. Separate maps or clearly attributed notes can preserve those differences without suggesting that one person’s account represents everyone.
You must be logged in to post a comment.