save the date for the Spring Conference!

Sexual Diversity and the Human Family

April 25-26, 2025 | Washington, DC or Online

This two-day conference will focus on sexual diversity as a variation in natural systems, including the human family. The topic will be viewed through the lens of Bowen theory, evolution, biology, genetics, hormonal processes, and the environment.

The Spring Conference is an annual conference that 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.
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About | Guest Speaker | Registration | Schedule | Accommodations | Related Events | Recommended Resources | Learning Objectives | Continuing Education Credits | Previous Spring Conferences | Questions

Joan Roughgarden, PhD, will be the distinguished guest scientist speaker at the Bowen Center’s 2025 Spring Conference on Sexual Diversity and the Human Family:  A Bowen Theory Perspective. Dr. Roughgarden is an American ecologist and evolutionary biologist. She is Emeritus Professor at Stanford University, Department of Biology. Additionally, she is an adjunct professor at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology. She has written numerous books and articles regarding sexual diversity and evolution such as Evolutions Rainbow and The Genial Gene: Deconstructing Darwinian Selfishness. She also authored a chapter in the book, On Human Nature titled “Homosexuality and Evolution: A Critical Appraisal.” View Dr. Roughgarden’s publications here.

Spring Conference Dates: Friday, April 26 - Saturday, April 27, 2025
Location: Hybrid. Online via Zoom OR in-person at The Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital: 921 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20003.

Conference rates:

• GENERAL ADMISSION: $395 (In-Person or Online via Zoom). *All tickets are for the two-day full conference. There are no single day ticket options due to the conference being carefully curated for the two-days. 

• FULL AND PART-TIME STUDENT RATES: $100. 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. 

• CEs FOR TWO DAY CONFERENCE: $30. When registering, add and purchase Continuing Education Credits in the “Add-On” section of Eventbrite’s registration. *Please read our CE policy before purchasing. Learn more here.
  Questions: ContinuingEducation@thebowencenter.org

• GROUP RATE: A 15% off per person group rate is available for 3 or more registrants when registering together. 

• LUNCH: $30 (served at venue both days) Purchase this in the “Add-On” section on Eventbrite, when registering for an “In-Person” ticket. 

• PLEASE NOTE: 

  • All ticket and CE credit registrations end Thursday, April 24th at 9pm. CEs will not be available for purchase on the conference day. 

  • Registration takes place on our registration platform, Eventbrite.

  • The Publications table will be open. An assortment of Bowen Center books and Family Systems journals will be available for purchase and subscription, including the Bowen Center’s new book, Thinking Systems. 

  • Questions: Contact Emma Voorhes, Conference Coordinator

The schedule will be posted when it becomes available. Please subscribe to the newsletter for updates. 

Hotel information will be posted when it becomes available.

CLINICAL CONFERENCE : Thursday, April 24, 2025.
In-person at the The Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital: OR online. The day before the Spring Conference, 

SOLID SELF AND A GAY MAN’S IDENTITY
Kent Webb, LCSW, PCC
This presentation and the clinical cases shown will identify and illustrate the process of a gay man’s identity formation. Specifically, the process will be viewed from evolutionary, ecological, and Bowen theory perspectives. A description of how one lives life with a gay identity that automatically is impacted by the concept of differentiation and the corresponding construct of solid self—pseudo-self formation is provided.

Books and articles relevant to the conference topic will be provided here. Including work from the guest speaker and presenters.

1. To better understand how sexual diversity exists in plants and in many different animal species including the human. 
2. To better understand the types of human sexual diversity.
3. To better understand the range of variables that may influence the formation of a sexually diverse identity (evolution, genetics, hormones, and the environment eg.)
4. To better understand how the concept of differentiation of self influences the process of how a sexually diverse identity and orientation is managed by the individual, family, and society.
5. To better understand how a gay man’s sexual identity and orientation develops, its associated milestones, and the influence of differentiation of self and solid self on the process.
6. To better understand how the expression of a sexually diverse identity and orientation is a family affair and how Bowen theory is a viable lens for observing and influencing the experience and adjustment within the relationship system.

This two-day conference provides Category I continuing education (CE) for counseling and social work. **The maximum number of credits available for this conference will be released when the full schedule is confirmed.

requirements for eligibility

• Pay the CE fee of $30 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 CE. 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.

• 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 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 CEs, please email ContinuingEducation@thebowencenter.org.

ACEP No. 6225

2024 - Forging a Faithful Path in Chaotic Times: Looking at Self, Congregation, and Our Society (A combined Spring and Faith Leadership conference.)

2023 - Family Violence: A Systems Perspective

2022- Family Vitality and Variation in Aging

2021- Unlocking the Mystery of the Family Emotional History

For questions and further information, please email Emma Voorhes, Conference Coordinator.