2021 Spring Conference
Unlocking the Mystery of the Family Emotional History
The Spring Conference focuses on a single concept related to Bowen theory. Guest scientists, researchers, and leaders in the study of family systems offer presentations related to the topic during this two-day conference. There is ample time for questions and discussion with the audience.
Learn More
Overview
Date: April 9-10, 2021
Location: Online via Zoom
The goal of this conference is to highlight the importance of exploring family research as a means to better understand one’s family and one’s part in it. The invited researcher, Ryan Woods, leads a nationally recognized organization, AmericanAncestors/New England Historic Genealogical Society, the oldest genealogical organization in the US. From his rich experience in traditional genealogical research, he will present on how people are motivated and impacted by genealogical research and on his observations of patterns and legacies in published family histories. His broad research perspective will interface with presenters who will describe research of their own families from the perspective of Bowen family systems theory. Participants will come away with an appreciation of how family research broadens one’s understanding of family emotional process and how Bowen theory illuminates one’s understanding of family history.
Guest Speaker
Ryan J. Woods is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of AmericanAncestors/New England Historic Genealogical Society―America’s founding genealogical organization. Established in 1845, it is the nation’s leading comprehensive resource for family history research. Ryan has played a vital role in developing services and experiences to meet twenty-first-century research and information access requirements. He was the lead creator of AmericanAncestors.org, the organization’s award-winning website and the most-used genealogical society website in the world. A dedicated researcher, Ryan’s interests include the history of genealogy as a discipline and its applications in education and social studies, including the use of historical biographies to teach character and ethics.
Mr. Woods will be speaking on the following topics at the Spring Conference:
The Origins, Motivations, and Influence of Genealogy: An Examination of the Development of Family History as Pastime and Profession
Who engages in family history research and why? In this presentation, Ryan J. Woods will examine the history of studying family history in America. In an illustrated presentation, he will explore the framework under which genealogical pursuits have evolved, including the social, economic, and political motivations and implications of family history research and the impacts on sense of self and identity.
Generational Impact: A Survey of Observations, Patterns, and Legacies in Published Family Histories
As a publisher of genealogical books and articles since 1847, AmericanAncestors/NEHGS has published thousands of family histories that examine families in genealogical, historical, and social contexts for 6-12 generations. In this presentation, Mr. Woods will present a survey of recently published family histories and observations of trends and patterns in family structures, mobility, occupations, and service.
Schedule
Friday, April 9, 2021
Time |
Title |
Presenter(s) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:15 | Welcome and Introduction | Carrie Collier, Director of the Bowen Center Friday Moderator: Anne McKnight |
||||
| No One Gets There Without It: Family Research and Differentiation of Self Victoria Harrison’s focus for her presentation is on the importance of family research for one’s own personal work and also for clinical practice – for psychotherapy based in Bowen theory. We are all children of parents who are reacting to family and family history in how they raised us. Knowing more about that history can be life-changing and life-saving, in some situations. Ms. Harrison will present examples from her own family work that illustrate the importance of genealogical research as well as talking to older members of the family about the history that she grew up not knowing.  |
Victoria Harrison, MA, LMFT | |||||
| The Unified Theory of Bowen Theory In the development of Bowen theory, Dr. Murray Bowen described the challenge of conceptualizing the theory as a “unified theory.” This presentation offers a view of the mutually influential, inter-relatedness of each concept in the theory to all other concepts. |
Stanley Proffitt | |||||
| Discussion | ||||||
| Break | ||||||
| The Origins, Motivations, and Influence of Genealogy: An Examination of the Development of Family History as Pastime and Profession Who engages in family history research and why? In this presentation, Ryan J. Woods will examine the history of studying family history in America. In an illustrated presentation, he will explore the framework under which genealogical pursuits have evolved, including the social, economic, and political motivations and implications of family history research and the impacts on sense of self and identity. |
Guest Speaker Ryan J. Woods |
|||||
| Questions and Discussion | ||||||
| Lunch Break | ||||||
| The Trauma of Slavery and the African American Family Dr. Mignonette Keller has completed extensive genealogical work on her family, dating back to enslaved ancestors spanning six generations, which provides an awareness and a heightened understanding of the resilience among family members. The history of her enslaved ancestors, like that of many other untold stories of Black families, reflect not only their ability to survive the trauma of slavery but to thrive as a people in an oppressive society. |
Mignonette N. Keller, PhD | |||||
| An Emotional Workout: What It Takes to Broaden One Family’s Emotional Response Dr. Carrie Collier’s engagement in family research afforded her the opportunity to observe physiological and emotional markers in self or an emotional awareness of self. The examination of four generations of parents and sibling variation in degrees of impairment and functioning demonstrates evidence to support Bowen’s construct of shared anxiety and the family as one emotional unit. This has led her to a family systems way of thinking so that she can see how and when to interrupt old emotional patterns that might play out in the present.  |
Carrie E. Collier, PhD, LPC, CRC | |||||
| Discussion | ||||||
| Break | ||||||
| Discovering an Alternate Reality—When Family Facts Change It has become fashionable for people to explore their ancestry by submitting DNA samples for analysis. Occasionally the results are surprising. This talk will review the impact of receiving unexpected information from DNA test results, and its effects on the understanding of one's family history.  |
Daniel V. Papero, PhD, LCSW-C, LICSW | |||||
| Discussion | ||||||
| 4:10 | Adjournment |
Saturday, April 10, 2021
Time |
Title |
Presenter(s) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:30 | Taking One for the Team: Mother Nature, Family Emotional Process, and Chronic Illness The most important and interesting question for this presenter related to the family emotional system is who, and under what conditions and circumstances, is most vulnerable to a chronic illness? This presentation will attempt to examine carefully and closely the role of family emotional process as it is understood in Bowen theory in observable, repeatable, verifiable facts about how one family member becomes chronically ill.  |
Eileen Gottlieb, MEd, LMFT | |
| The Journey of a Lifetime: Stories, Roadblocks, and Surprises In researching her family history, Ms. Devoe has encountered the many ways in which Bowen theory and genealogy intersect, and has come to believe that Bowen theory is the bridge between family stories and genealogical facts. The stories we tell ourselves are important, as is understanding that they originated for a purpose. Her presentation will explore how significant events in her family prior to her birth carried down through the generations. |
Cynthia Devoe, MBA | ||
| Differentiation and Family History Joan Jurkowski’s effort to learn about family history was prompted by her hope that it would help her mature and improve relationships. This long-term effort began with obtaining facts about her family from people she knew. Later, she went to historical records to locate and meet family she didn’t know. In this presentation, Joan will talk about the value she found in her research, which was motivated by a desire to increase her level of differentiation of self, a concept in Bowen theory which refers to the ability to be more of a “self” in relationships. |
Joan Jurkowski, MS, LCPC | ||
| Discussion | |||
| Break | |||
| Generational Impact: A Survey of Observations, Patterns, and Legacies in Published Family Histories As a publisher of genealogical books and articles since 1847, AmericanAncestors/NEHGS has published thousands of family histories that examine families in genealogical, historical, and social contexts for 6-12 generations. In this presentation, Mr. Woods will present a survey of recently published family histories and observations of trends and patterns in family structures, mobility, occupations, and service. |
Guest Speaker Ryan J. Woods |
||
| Discussion | |||
| Lunch Break | |||
Interview |
Kathleen K. Wiseman, MBA and Ryan Woods | ||
| A Family History Reboot: A Year of Deep Research About a year ago, Anne McKnight began a research project sorting through and organizing four trunks and about 10 boxes worth of family letters, photos, reels of film, and other artifacts of family history. What she discovered was an amazing opportunity to hear what her ancestors had to say in their own words, which yielded a deeper and more complex history than she had been able to uncover through connecting in person. Several examples will be given of the shifts in Dr. McKnight’s understanding while conducting her research. |
Anne S. McKnight, EdD, LCSW, LICSW | ||
| Discussion | |||
| Break | |||
| Impact of Disruption over the Generations In this presentation, Ms. Friesen will 1) frame emotional experience in the facts of the nuclear family, 2) describe the emotional history on both her maternal and paternal lines related to disruptions and early deaths, and 3) highlight the impact of the study on her family and her personal functioning.  |
Priscilla J. Friesen, LICSW | ||
| The Family System: A Source of Despair as Well as Joy Ms. Andersson will recount a period of hard times that struck her ancestors during the 1800s in Sweden and how a lack of food, contagious disease, and the deaths of multiple children greatly increased the stress and anxiety in members of the nuclear family who survived. By following the emotional process over several generations up to the present time, she will provide examples of how family as an emotional system can balance high chronic pressure. |
Kerstin Sofia Andersson, BSc | ||
| Discussion | |||
| 4:15 | Adjournment |
CEU/CEs
The Bowen Center for the Study of the Family/Georgetown Family Center is authorized by the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners and the District of Columbia Board of Social Work to provide continuing education credit. This program is a Category I offering.
The Bowen Center for the Study of the Family/Georgetown Family Center has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6225. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. The Bowen Center for the Study of the Family/Georgetown Family Center is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
The conference day provides a maximum of 10.5 hours of Category I continuing education credit for social workers and for counselors. Registrants must attend the conference live to receive continuing education credit. We do not offer continuing education credit for viewing conference recordings.
IF YOU PLAN TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CEU/CE PROCESS, IT IS NECESSARY TO:
Pay the CEU/CE fee of $30 prior to the start of the conference.
Attend the entire livestreamed conference.
Enable video so that you are visible throughout the entirety of the conference (except during designated breaks or lunch).
Submit a completed evaluation.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will learn more about how Bowen theory illuminates an understanding of family life across generations that extends beyond the gathering of genealogical facts.
Participants will have a better understanding of how learning about the history of their family affects who they are today.
Participants will learn about the origins and history of genealogical research.
Participants will learn from Bowen thinkers how research in their families has contributed to work on differentiation of self.
If you have any questions about CEU/CEs, please email ceu@thebowencenter.org.
Georgetown Family Center, Inc.
Spring Conference
ACEP No. 6225
Media Offerings
Recordings of the Spring Conference will be made available here. When the recordings are released, you will receive an email from Gumroad with the link to access the recording and your credit card will be charged. Spring Conference attendees can receive up to 50% off the full rate for video recordings. Look for the discount code in the Spring Conference brochure.
Our previous conference, Creating a Climate for Change (2020), was held on April 3-4, 2020. Recordings of this and of previous Spring Conferences are available to download or rent on Gumroad.