Network map

What it is about

The network map shows a person's social network at a glance. The person is in the centre, as the anchor person. Around them are four areas: family, friends and acquaintances, colleagues and professional helpers. The closer a contact is to the centre, the closer the relationship feels right now.

The method comes from Peter Pantuček-Eisenbacher. It works best when the anchor person says who belongs where and you develop the map together.

Each case has one network map. You and a registered co-counsellor can open and change it at any time. Leads, operations and the office do not see it.

The room has a “Network map” box. Click “Create network map”. The client's pseudonym is then in the centre. Use the pencil next to “Anchor person” to change the name and details.

Adding contacts

1. Under “Contacts”, click the icon with the plus.
2. Enter a first name or nickname.
3. Click the place on the map where the contact belongs. The role follows from the area, and you can change it.
4. “Next contact” goes on, “Close” finishes.

On a phone you tap the map first, then the keyboard opens for the name. The return key goes on to the next contact. The other details are under “More details” there.

A double click on a free spot adds a new contact there straight away. A double click on a contact opens its details. While the details are open, a click on the map moves the contact to the new spot.

In the list each contact has three buttons: edit, relationships and remove. With a mouse they appear when you move over the row.

Details and relationships

Each contact has a role, gender, age and a note. Untick “Human” for a pet, for example. “+deceased” marks someone who has died.

Under “Relationship” you choose one of three options:

• existing: The relationship is being maintained.
• multiplex: They meet in several roles, and the relationship fulfils several functions.
• no current relationship: The contact has ended or is on hold.

The “Relationships” button links contacts with each other: then click another contact, and the link appears or goes away again.

Views

Use the mouse wheel or two fingers to zoom into the map. On a phone, one finger moves the view. The magnifier on the map resets everything.

Under “View settings” you decide what the map shows: names, age and role, text size and connections. These settings only apply on your device.

• Horizons shows three rings around the centre: close relationships, significant relationships and loose contacts. The manual recommends showing them only once the map is finished. That keeps the first placement spontaneous. The anchor person can still move contacts afterwards.
• Anonymise shows substitute names, for example for a case discussion.
• Qualities on shows who supports whom and how.

In the appointment and between appointments

The appointment page has a “Network map” tab. On narrow screens it is called “Network”. When you choose it, the client sees the map and works on it too, and so do guests in the appointment. Everyone sees every change right away. “Undo” only takes back your own steps.

Between appointments, switch on “Also work on it between appointments” in the “Network map” box. The client then finds the map in their room and can keep working on it. You can switch this off at any time.

Only for you

Only you and a co-counsellor see these three areas:

• Maps and versions: “Duplicate map” keeps today's state and you continue in a copy. At the top of the map you then switch between the dates. This makes a development visible.
• Key figures: network size, distribution across areas and horizons, average closeness, density, stars and isolated contacts.
• Save and print: PDF, image, key figures as CSV and all data as a file.

History, export and deleting

After a break and after every appointment the map keeps a version. Under “Save and print” and “Earlier versions” you bring one back. The current state stays in the history.

Exported files contain the names. Only store them where they are protected. Every export is in the log. Nothing from the map goes to specialist software.

The map contains details about other people, so a first name or nickname is enough. The map goes with the case, after your centre's deletion period. You can delete it right away in the “Network map” box with “Delete network map”.

Sources

Network map after Peter Pantuček-Eisenbacher. The technology is based on easyNWK by the University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten (github.com/fhstp/easynwk-web, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.14474950, MIT licence, Copyright 2020 University of Applied Sciences Sankt Pölten). We adapted easyNWK for the counselling room, our version is at github.com/melajukuna/easynwk-web.