The big picture of the patterns and significant themes in my family of origin is that there are issues of relative closeness of relationships within the various generations of the several nuclear families and to some extent across the boundaries of the nuclear families. For the most part, these relationships are not problematic or pathological, but the graphic representation of the genogram reflects personal observations and assessments of the emotional ties that exist in the family unit. This relationship pattern can be linked, potentially, to my role as counselor, parent, and partner.
With regard to my role as counselor, the traditional structure of my ethnic culture and background in general and my particular position in the family in particular. As is the case with many children of immigrant Greek parents, my emotional bonds with my parents are quite close, and their bond is close. More important, the family unit is considered central to the whole of human experience within the family. That is consistent with the fact that my mother had a very close bond with her parents as well. The extended family, which includes five brothers and their families, is geographically close, with all of the brothers' families living within 50 square miles of one another. Large and informal family gatherings are not confined to special events but are a feature of everyday life. It is hard to overstate the importance of these facts, which are completely consistent with the view of Nichols and Schwartz that a small group such as a family achieves the status of "an important idea in the minds of its members . . . and on the importance of customs and habits, so that relationships could be fixed and defined" (Nichols & Schwartz, 2004, p. 12).
The tradition of closeness in the extended Panos family must be set beside the value placed on traditional values and expectations, including but not limited to the authority of parental figures and the importan...