My personal narrative is developed by using the questions posed by McGoldrick and Gerson (1985) in the chapter titled "Constructing Genograms" (pp. 32-7) as a guiding framework. I am the only child of Neil aged 57 and Dorothy aged 53. Because I am much closer to my father's side of family, I will begin with his description and his family of origin. My father was born in 1946. He is the second child in the family of four children, starting with Eve who is 60 and followed by Rene and Toby who are 52 and 47 respectively. Because he is physically handicapped, my father has not worked for many years. He met my mother while she was working at a restaurant that he frequented in 1977 and they were married the following year. However, when I was eight years old, my parents were divorced in 1985 when my mother, who could not cope with her alcoholism, left my family permanently. Since then, my father has been a constant source of support for me.
After my parents' divorce, we moved in with my paternal grandmother, Ruth, who died in 1998 at the age of 82. At that time, my paternal grandfather who suffered from heart disease had been dead for four years. A wise, warm and loving grandmother, Ruth more than compensated for my mother's unexpected departure from my life. Apart from my father who has supported me in all my endeavors, my grandmother was an influential person in my life who encouraged me to realize my ambitions, while cultivating my desire to help others.
In fact, my father's side of the family is a very closely-knit unit that is characterized by strong relationships. All of my immediate uncles and aunts have been married for over 20 years and have forged strong connections with their children. Growing up in a nurturing environment, almost all of my father's siblings and all the children have attended, or are attending college. In addition to their children, all of my father's siblings have also displayed tremendou...