What visual tool can the family social worker use to illustrate the Wilson family's structure and relationships across generations?

The most suitable visual tool for illustrating the Wilson family's structure and relationships across generations is a genogram. A genogram is a specialized family tree that provides more detailed information than a traditional family tree, capturing not just connections and relationships, but also important information about emotional relationships, health history, and significant life events within the family.

This tool allows the family social worker to visualize complex family dynamics and patterns over multiple generations, which is essential for understanding the broader context of the family's situation. It uses standardized symbols to represent different family relationships and can include various aspects like marital status, gender, and important life milestones. This comprehensive approach aids social workers in identifying potential areas of intervention and support.

In contrast, while a flowchart can depict processes or hierarchies, it does not convey the relational nuances of family structures. A family tree, although it shows lineage, lacks the depth of detail regarding the relationships and interactions between family members. Mind maps focus on organizing information and can depict ideas or concepts but are not specifically designed to illustrate family relationships or structures. Thus, for the purpose of understanding family dynamics over generations, a genogram is the most effective tool.