Tool: Relationship charting

Page posted: 3/6/24

The Relationship chart tool, DHS-8479F-ENG (PDF) can help identify important people in a person’s life, including their roles and how relationships change over time. The information gathered must be based on what the person feels about the relationships being charted. It is a way for the person to express who they want and do not want to be involved in the planning process.

The provider could use this tool to identify if there are changes in the person’s relationships after they start a medication. Ongoing use of this tool on a semi-annual or annual basis might serve as a good indicator of how the person’s relationships with others have been affected by the use of psychotropic medications.

DHS recommends the layout of the example and template on this page for people who use assistive technology to read documents and for people who find tables easier to follow and understand. With a quick internet search, providers can find other templates for relationship maps or charts. The provider can use any format that meets the person’s needs and preferences.

Example

Mandy started a new antidepressant a little over one year ago. Her team used the relationship charting tool (adapted from Support Development Associates) to identify people important to her before she started the medication, as well as people important to her one year later. The tool shows how her relationships have grown and expanded over the last year.

People important to Mandy before she started the antidepressant

Level of closeness	Family	Friends	People who support me at home	People who support me in other ways or at other places, such as work, school, recreation center, etc.
Very close to me	Pat and Donna	Laurel and Val	Bobby, Rob, Patty, Mong and Makeda	N/A
Somewhat close to me	N/A	Dena, Richard	Cameron	N/A

People important to Mandy after she started the antidepressant

Level of closeness	Family	Friends	People who support me at home	People who support me in other ways or at other places, such as work, school, recreation center, etc.
Very close to me	Pat, Donna, Deb and Eric	Laurel, Juanita, LaShae, Val and Dena	Bobby, Rob, Patty, Mong and Makeda	Mark, Rasaque, Hans, Eric, John, Lyndell and Youssef
Somewhat close to me	Sara and Jake	Gary, Richard, Stephanie, Karen	Raina, Harrison, Joel and Cameron	Trevor, Laura, Marlin and Luis

Next step

Mandy’s team wants to know if Mandy is feeling better about herself, so they use the 4+1 questions tool, as described on Psychotropic Medication Manual – Tool: 4+1 questions.

Additional resources

DHS – Person-centered practices
DHS – Frequently asked questions about formal person-centered planning
Psychotropic Medication Manual
Psychotropic Medication Manual – Person-centered tools to support medication management