Continuing Studies in Bowen Family Systems Theory

Registration for 2024-2025 is now closed.

This program is held online.

The Continuing Studies Program is for professionals in various fields with previous learning in Bowen family systems theory. The program’s focus is on deepening one’s understanding of theoretical concepts and exploring how theory is applied to one’s own family and work. The Continuing Studies Program meets monthly for 2-hour sessions, and also includes individual consultation and video discussion sections.

Program Head, Dr. John Millikin, provides a closer look at what participants can expect during the Continuing Studies program for 2024-2025.

“The concept of differentiation has to do with self and not with others. Differentiation deals with working on one’s own self, with controlling self, with becoming a more responsible person, and permitting others to be themselves.”

— Murray Bowen, MD

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Program Prerequisites

The Continuing Studies Program in Bowen Family Systems Theory is for professionals in various fields who have completed a learning program in Bowen family systems theory. Prerequisites include any Bowen Center or Bowen network training program, a completed application, and an interview with one of the program heads. Those who have attended several meetings offered by the Bowen Center and have been in coaching with a Bowen family systems coach will also be considered for enrollment in this program. Most participants will have already developed a family diagram and applied some of Bowen’s central constructs to their own family. Please contact the program director for questions concerning program requirements.

Application Process

Applications for the 2024-2025 year are now closed. The application process includes a completed application form, a non-refundable application fee of $50, and an interview with either Dr. John Millikin or Dr. Ashley Mader, program heads.

Purpose of the Program

The Continuing Studies program is designed particularly for those who are motivated to consider Bowen theory as an alternative to conventional approaches to solving problems in families, organizations, or society. It provides a substantial experience in learning and using Bowen theory in one’s own family and field of work. The program will focus on theoretical concepts and how theory is learned and applied to one’s own family and work.

Dates for 2024-2025

This is an 8-month—October through May—program that meets twice per month. There is a Tuesday or a Thursday section option.

Students select either the Tuesday or Thursday section and remain in their section for the entire course. All presentations must be attended live.

TUESDAY DATES

PRESENTATIONS: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM ET
October 15, 2024 | November 5, 2024 | December 3, 2024 | January 7, 2025 | February 4, 2025 | March 4, 2025 | April 8, 2025 | May 6, 2025

VIDEO DISCUSSIONS: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM ET

THURSDAY DATES

PRESENTATIONS: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM ET

VIDEO DISCUSSIONS: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM ET

Sessions Include

Each month of the program includes:

A two-hour live streamed faculty presentations with discussion
A one-hour monthly video discussion with faculty members
A monthly one-hour consultation session to support one’s family research
Reading assignments from Dr. Bowen’s original work
Online access to recordings of Dr. Bowen and members of the Bowen Center faculty.

Students are required to attend all of the monthly class lectures, video discussions, and coaching sessions. All presentations must be attended live. Students access the class syllabus and assignments once they are registered. View a sample syllabus from a previous year.

Consultation Requirement

The consultation aspect of learning is an integral part of the Learning & Development programs that Dr. Bowen originally established at the Georgetown University Family Center. Participants will schedule one-on-one monthly virtual sessions with a faculty member where they can better understand emotional processes in their own family, and focus on differentiation of self.

Differentiation of self is the basis for learning and applying Bowen theory. The Continuing Studies Program will provide the theoretical training and the experiential work on self as described throughout the chapters in Bowen’s Family Therapy in Clinical Practice.

Program Heads

John Millikin, PhD, LMFT earned a doctorate in human development/family therapy at Virginia Tech in 2000. He has maintained a private practice in Reston, VA, since 2001 and works with individuals, couples, and families from a systems approach. He has been a clinical supervisor and has facilitated numerous therapy and educational groups.

Dr. Millikin has developed and taught a variety of courses as an adjunct faculty member in the Virginia Tech master’s program in family therapy. He is co-author of several publications in family therapy journals and has published a lifespan development assessment tool from a family systems perspective.

Dr. Millikin has been a faculty member since 2019, is co-director of the Continuing Studies program, and is the director of the Bowen Center clinic. His interests include emotional processes in human families, the application of Bowen theory to clinical practice, and teaching Bowen theory in various settings.

Ashley Mader, PhD, LICSW is a psychotherapist, coach, and consultant specializing in sexuality, aging, and family systems. Dr. Mader received her Masters in social work and her Doctorate in human sexuality from Widener University in Pennsylvania.

Throughout the years, Dr. Mader has presented at numerous national conferences on sexuality and aging. From 2016-2020, Dr. Mader co-hosted the podcast Our Better Half. In 2018, she began the postgraduate program at the Bowen Center and has been attending it for the past four years. She is also currently an intern at the Bowen Center. Dr. Mader has a private practice in Western Massachusetts.

Faculty

Bowen Center Faculty who teach and consult in this program are:

Curriculum and Course Materials

The curriculum for each month and materials will be provided upon registration. Educational resources included in your tuition are online streaming of teaching tapes and faculty lectures associated with the monthly presentations. You will be expected to purchase books on Bowen theory.

Examples of course readings, syllabus, and Presentations

*Bowen Theory's Secrets: Revealing the Hidden Life of Families*

Tuition

The nonrefundable tuition for the Continuing Studies Program is $2000. Full payment is due on or before August 1, 2024. For general tuition-related questions please visit our tuition policy page.

Questions

For administrative questions, please contact Rachel Burnham, Learning & Development Coordinator. For all other topics, please contact program head John Millikin to discuss your interest and questions.

Continuing Education Information

This Continuing Studies program provides a maximum of 24 CE credit hours of Category I continuing education for counseling and social work.

REQUIREMENTS FOR CE ELIGIBILITY

Pay the CE fee of $40 at time of registration.
Attend each live streamed or in-person class in its entirety. The program head will note your attendance in each class.
If livestreamed, enable video and show your name on the 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 final class. 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 class recordings. It is the sole responsibility of the participant to verify their state’s professional licensure criteria for CE qualifications.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Develop an understanding of the core concepts in Bowen theory.
Demonstrate the ability to use one’s own family as a ground for learning and using Bowen family system theory in one’s field of work.
Work on self (differentiation) in relation to others and how emotional mechanisms play out through in-depth coaching.
Demonstrate a knowledge of the application and practice of the concepts in organizations and society.
Upon completion of the Continuing Studies program, participants will be qualified to apply for the Postgraduate Program.

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 ContinuingEducation@thebowencenter.org