FALL FUNDAMENTALS 2024

A Systems Take on Leadership

September 27, 2024 | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm EST
Online via Zoom

The Bowen Center’s annual Fall Fundamentals Conference Series provides background on family systems thinking related to a topic of current interest to therapists in clinical practice.

A Systems Take on Leadership: What variables influence the emergence of leadership in groups?  What part do members of a group play in the emergence of more mature or less mature leaders? What does it mean to take responsibility for self and to others in the functioning of a group, before and after designated leaders emerge?  Join us for a thoughtful discussion of a systems take on leadership.


Registration Information

Conference Fees:

  • General Admission: $125 (select online attendance)

  • Full and Part-time student rates: Please contact Emma Voorhes to gain access to student tickets. A current copy of your schedule or similar verification is required. For students experiencing financial hardship, please reach out to Emma Voorhes and she will assist with a fee modification.

  • CEUs/CEs: $15. Please read our CE policy and add when registering for the conference.

  • Questions: ceu@thebowencenter.org.

Register on Eventbrite. Please select online attendance and add CEs/CEUs if needed. Attendance details will be emailed upon registration.
Conference and CEU registration both close the morning of the conference, September 27, 2024.

Schedule

Time

Title

Presenter(s)

9:00 Welcome and Introduction
Randall T. Frost, MDiv, Director of the Bowen Center
Ashley Mader, PhD, LICSW, Fall Fundamentals Conference Head
9:05 Leadership in a Family and in an Organization
A premise of Bowen theory is that leadership is based on the emotional maturity of an individual rather than the position one holds in the relationship system. As Franz de Waal observed in documenting a chimpanzee troupe, the power of Mama, the alpha female, was based on the respect in which she was held, rather than her physical strength. The characteristics of mature functioning, or the work of differentiation, will be discussed and illustrated.
Anne S. McKnight, EdD, LCSW
9:50 Differentiation of Self: Blueprint to Evolving Leadership Capacity Beyond Hierarchy
Bowen theory shifts the focus from the individual to the system and considers leadership as a function that emerges from reciprocal relationship processes as the system responds to adaptive challenges. This presentation will present the concept of differentiation and invite participants to consider how the work on differentiation of self will necessarily promote functioning within a relationship system—no matter where the individual is placed within the hierarchy.
Amie Post, MA, LCMFT
10:35 Panel Discussion
Dr. Mader (Morning Moderator), Dr. McKnight, and Ms. Post
11:00 Break
11:15 Solid Self and Differentiation: The Leader and the Organization
This presentation will define solid self, differentiation of self, and the connectedness of one to the other. The construct of solid self and the concept of differentiation will be examined from the intersectionality of the leader and the organization, and how each is systematically impacted by the other.
Kent Webb, LCSW, PCC
12:00 Breakout Groups
12:30 Lunch
1:30 From the Boardroom to the Assembly Line: The Application of Bowen Family Systems Theory to the Workplace
For over thirty-five years, the foundational theoretical concepts of Bowen family systems theory have intrigued me, as I related to family challenges and channeled my career to the application of Bowen theory in related and non-related work systems. I believe this theoretical approach, based in science, can provide a road map for those interested in leadership and organizational challenges and evolution.
Kathleen Wiseman, MBA
2:15 Designed to Fail?
The normal design of most organizations generates tension and anxiety. Interlocking triangles allow anxiety to spread, rather than issues being resolved. How much might this contribute to the failure of an organization? This presentation proposes that level of differentiation is a major factor for the success of an organization.
Dave Galloway
3:00 Break
3:15 Panel Discussion
Elayne Chou, PhD, (Afternoon Moderator), Ms. Wiseman and Mr. Galloway
4:00 Conference Ends

Continuing Education Information

This one-day conference provides a maximum of 5.25 credit hours of Category I continuing education (CE) for counseling and social work. 

CEs must be purchased before the conference begins. Your purchase of CEs indicates you’ve read and accepted the requirements below.

REQUIREMENTS FOR CEU/CE ELIGIBILITY: 

  • Pay the CEU/CE fee of $15 at time of registration. Be sure to choose “Add On” when purchasing your ticket on Eventbrite.  

  • Attend each livestreamed or in-person class in its entirety. The conference coordinator will note your attendance. 

  • If livestreamed, enable video and show your name on screen so that you are visible throughout the entirety of the class, except during designated breaks or lunch.  

  • Submit a completed evaluation no more than 60 days after the event. Shortly after the submission of your completed evaluation, you will be emailed a certificate.  

Policies: The Bowen Center does not offer refunds for CEs. We do not offer continuing education credit for viewing any recordings. It is the sole responsibility of the participant to verify their state’s professional licensure criteria for CE qualifications.  

LEARNING OBJECTIVES 

  • Describe how leadership in families and in organizations are similar.   

  • Define differentiation of self and the importance of it in leadership.   

  • Identify how triangles spread anxiety in organizations.  

The Bowen Center for the Study of the Family/Georgetown Family Center is authorized by the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners 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 the National Board for Certified Counselors (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. 

If you have any questions about Continuing Education, please email ceu@thebowencenter.org

Previous Fall Fundamentals Conferences