Postgraduate Program in Bowen Family Systems Theory and Its Applications

Registration for 2024-2025 is now closed.

The Postgraduate Program will be held both online and in-person for the 2024 - 2025 program year. The schedule includes a combination of virtual sessions and mandatory in-person sessions. In-person sessions will take place in the Washington, DC area in November 2024 and April 2025.

COURSE FORMAT:

• Seven full-day virtual sessions, occurring once per month from September 2024 – May 2025 (includes Warm-up Group, Lecture, and Consultation Group)

• Four 2.5 hr virtual participant presentation sessions, scheduled intermittently throughout the course year.

• Four full-day in-person sessions - 2 consecutive days in November and 2 consecutive days in April. The first day will be for lecture/consultation groups and the second day will be participant presentations and case consultation review/discussion.

  *Please review the Learning Format Rationale below for a better understanding of the importance of a hybrid learning format)

• Monthly 1-hour individual consultation with a faculty consultant, for a total of 9 one-on-one sessions.

• Attendance at 4 Bowen Center conferences during the 2024-2025 program year (at no charge). These are required as part of the program:

• 2 Clinical Conferences of their choosing

• 2024 Annual Symposium

• 2025 Spring Conference

INCLUDED MATERIALS & other offerings:

• In the interest of promoting self-directed learning and research, participants in the Postgraduate Program will have full access to The Bowen Center’s library of videos, and receive a free subscription to Family Systems Journal, including access to its archives.

• Enrolled Postgraduate Program participants will receive FREE registration to 4 Bowen Center conferences during the 2024-2025 program year.

• NEW for the 2024-2025 year is the opportunity for Postgraduate participants in their *3rd year or beyond to join a separate, optional Clinical Research Consultation Group led by director, Randy Frost. Please see below for additional info.

Page Navigation

Learning Format Rationale | Program Prerequisites | Application Process | Questions | Purpose | 2024-2025 Program Dates | Sessions Include | Participant Assignments | Clinical Research Group | Program Learning Focus | Presentation Schedule | Tuition | Scholarship | Continuing Education | History of the Program | Program Head Bio

The Best of Both Worlds

The PGP this next year will be conducted in a new format for the Bowen Center. A return to the “old days” of an in-person, more immersive learning experience combined with a “new days” online format. Acknowledging that both methods have their strengths and drawbacks is important.

The obvious downsides are financial and time efficiency. The upsides are that participants will be in-person with each other, the faculty, and the consultants which facilitates informal learning and ease of exchanging ideas. Additionally, the in-person model provides an intensive-immersive component as other Bowen Center Program offerings will be held in conjunction with the PGP such as the Clinical Conference, the Annual Symposium and the Spring Conference. These conferences are free of charge to PGP Participants to offset some of the financial travel and lodging costs. Studies reflect that in-person learning is preferred among participants, thinking and learning are improved, better recall of content occurs, and the ease of forming learning connections is experienced. All of which the studies report are desired aspects of a solid learning program offering and experience.

The history of the PGP is that for the 48 years it has existed only 4 online programs have occurred prompted by the Pandemic. Previously, PGP participants, over the 44 years it existed, were at the Bowen Center in-person having traveled to Washington D.C. 4 times a year for 3 days per session to be in the PGP. Anecdotally, most PGP participants reported that they found that format meaningful in many of the ways noted above and that the investment of money and time was well worth it. The Bowen Center looks forward to another chapter in the PGP hybrid learning experience.

Please read through the following prerequisites before applying:

• Returning Postgraduate Program participant (no application required), or

• Master’s Degree or greater with completed professional credentialing as required in field of work

• One or more years in the Continuing Studies Program or comparable program at a recognized Bowen Network Center

• Minimum of one year of work with a recognized Bowen Network Consultant

• Experience with and use of the family diagram in working on Differentiation of Self in one’s family of origin

• Using Bowen theory as a framework for one’s professional work

New participant applications for 2024-2025 are now closed. The application process includes a completed application form, a non-refundable application fee of $50, and an interview with the Postgraduate program head, Kent Webb. 

Questions: For questions about the program and your application, please email Kent Webb. For administrative questions, please email Rachel Burnham, Learning & Development Coordinator.

Subscribe to our newsletter for updates on applying to the Postgraduate Program and other news about Bowen Center conferences and programs.

Kent Webb, LCSW, PCC works in both the organizational and mental health worlds with practices in each field. He is an executive coach and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, who has obtained broad experience and education as both a chief executive officer and a mental health coach. 

He is a Professional Certified Coach endorsed by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), of which he is a member. He has earned a Multidimensional Leadership Certificate from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management’s Executive Education program, and is a certified Korn Ferry Leadership Architect and 360 coach. For 12 years, he was CEO and principal of Psychotherapy Provider Network, PC, a statewide network of behavioral health care providers. There he was clinical director and manager of contracts with national health insurance companies.

After receiving a Master of Social work and an undergraduate degree in Music Therapy from the University of Kansas, Mr. Webb trained in the Postgraduate Program at the Bowen Center. He became a faculty member of the Bowen Center in the summer of 2020.

Kent is the Vice President and board member of The Murray Bowen Archives Project, and also served on the Denver Mayor’s LGBTQ Commission. Additionally, his background includes training, facilitating seminars, and speaking. He has been a trainer for the US Department of Justice, the Human Rights Campaign, and The Denver Center for Trauma and Resilience. He has given presentations at the National Bar Association, The National Managed Healthcare Congress, The National Employee Assistance Association, the Bowen Center,the Bowen International Conferenfes, and the Colorado State Mental Health Conference.

Mr. Webb’s experience as a trainer and facilitator also includes various aspects of organizational development and management. He has conducted such trainings at QWest Communications, Coors Brewing Company, and the Department of Behavioral Health for the District of Columbia.

His publications include a chapter in Chronic Death and Illness in the Family, a chapter in The Emotional Side of Organizations: Applications of Bowen Theory, and an article, “Sexual Diversity and Bowen Theory” in Family Systems Forum. 

The Postgraduate Program represents the highest level of rigor in the study of Bowen theory, across three levels of learning that include, in addition to the Postgraduate Program, an introductory level (Introduction to Bowen Theory) and a mid-level foundational program (Continuing Studies Program). The Postgraduate Program is designed for individuals who have established a firm foundation in Bowen theory, either through the Continued Studies Program or a Bowen Network equivalent program and who are motivated to take on the rigor of a deeper immersion in the integration and application of the theory. The Postgraduate Program challenges individuals to advance their work on differentiation of self in their families and beyond, as well as continue in the effort to use Bowen theory as a theoretical anchor in their professional work.

Murray Bowen, MD, established a theory of human behavior based upon the study of family systems and knowledge from the natural sciences. Bowen family systems theory provides a conceptual framework for understanding the family, organizations, and human society as emotional systems consistent with facts from biology, evolution, and neuroscience. Knowledge and practice of theory are a foundation for understanding one’s own family, and for research and applications that address problems in human society.

Dr. Bowen established a postgraduate program in 1969 at Georgetown University Medical Center. The special postgraduate program for individuals living outside the Washington, DC area began in 1976. The Bowen Center for the Study of the Family continues to hold this program with teaching and supervising faculty who studied and worked with Murray Bowen. The faculty bring research and applications of theory in such diverse areas as psychiatry, medicine, nursing, family therapy, biofeedback, neurofeedback, primate studies, business, international relations, work with clergy, education, community services, and public policy.

The 2024-2025 Postgraduate Program will center around the learning theme of integration of all concepts of Bowen theory in the effort toward a deeper understanding of the dynamic interplay of the concepts. The program assumes the participant is coming into the program with a foundational understanding of the individual concepts along with other aspects of the theory and sciences.  Learning occurs through an exploration of the interplay of the theoretical concepts, combined with the experiential learning that results from rigorous application of theory to family and non-family real-life challenges. Learning is an individual process. The program includes applying Bowen theory to natural variations in life that include race, gender, sexual identity and sexual orientation; research; and the Bowen Archives. It is designed to provide a rich, stimulating experience in which each participant can engage in his/her own individualized manner, focusing on one’s own learning and application goals. The program head meets with each participant prior to the start of the program year for the purpose of facilitating each participant’s self-defining of his/her own learning goals for the program year.

Monthly Session DaTES

Mondays, 11 am ET - 3:30 pm ET. (This does not include the am/pm consultation groups)

September 9, 2024 | October 7, 2024 | November 5, (Tuesday, In-person) | December 9, 2024 | January 13, 2025 | February 10, 2025 | March 10, 2025 | April 22, 2025 (Tuesday,In-person) | May 12, 2025

CONSULTATION GROUPS:

You will be assigned ONE of the following consultation group times. Groups meet on the same day as the monthly sessions - directly before or after the lecture.

1. AM Group: Mondays, 8:30 am – 11:00 am ET

2. PM Group: Mondays, 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm ET

Participant Presentation DaTES

Mondays, 9:30 am – 12:00 pm ET

October 14, 2024 | November 6 (Wednesday, In-person) | January 27, 2025 | February 24, 2025 | March 24, 2025 | April 23, 2025 (Wednesday, In-person)

• A presentation with discussion by the Director of the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family

• Presentations with discussion by faculty and other invited speakers who present their most current thinking on the integration of concepts and the application of theory to working on differentiation of self. See program schedule below

• Discussion of supplemental learning materials (reading and video assignments) with presenting faculty

• Group consultation with a faculty member

• Video lectures by Dr. Murray Bowen and other faculty members

• Participant presentations, made by each participant on scheduled participant presentation days

• Monthly individual consultation between scheduled sessions, as scheduled between participant and faculty consultant

• Required texts include:

  Bowen, Murray. 1978. Family Therapy in Clinical Practice. New York: Jason Aronson. 

  Kerr, M. E., and Bowen, M. (1988). Family Evaluation (1st ed.). Canada by Penguin Books Canada Ltd.1. 

  Bowen, Murray. 2013. The Origins of Family Psychotherapy: The NIMH Family Study Project. John F. Butler, ed. Jason Aronson.  

  Harrison, Victoria. 2018. The Family Diagram and Family Research. Houston: Center for the Study of Natural Systems and the Family.  

  Keller, M. N., and Noone, R. J. 2020. Handbook of Bowen Family Systems Theory and Research Methods (1st ed.). Routledge.  

  Kerr, Michael E. 2019. Bowen Theory’s Secrets: Revealing the Hidden Life of Families. W.W. Norton & Company.  

  Rakow, Catherine. 2022. Making Sense of Human Life: Murray Bowen’s Determined Effort Toward Family Systems Theory. Routledge.  

Participant presentations and assignments have been an important part of the Postgraduate Program since it began. They reflect the effort to learn and use Bowen theory to think systems beyond one’s own family. The 2024-2025 Postgraduate Program has three assignments:

1. Slice of Life Presentation: The “Slice of Life” Presentation is a key aspect of the Postgraduate program. Each month, the group will meet for 2.5 hours to hear or present a participant Slice of Life Presentation. Using a PowerPoint/Keynote etc., participants will present their best effort to understand a phenomenon, i.e. child abuse, marital conflict, affairs, bankruptcy, estate transmission, using Bowen theory. Some compare “systems thinking” with other approaches in their field. People who have been in the program longer often present a research project, a case study, a paper to publish, a class they plan to teach, or their best thinking on a relevant subject. Each participant will share their 20-minute presentation with the rest of the group (followed by 10 minutes of discussion. The presentation schedule will be selected in advance.

2. Belief Paper or other paper assignment: Dr. Bowen first introduced the Postgrad Program Belief Paper assignment in the 1970’s. The paper offers an opportunity for participants to define their own beliefs, convictions, and principles as an important and ongoing part of differentiation of self. Assigned to 1st year Postgraduate participants. 2nd + year participants will receive a separate paper assignment relative to their experience/years in the program.

3. Postgraduate Project: A postgraduate project is a foundational element to bringing together the concepts and learning gained throughout the program year. The specific assignment is based on year of attendance. First year participants are assigned a Family Assessment. Second year participants are assigned a Research Proposal, and third year participants and beyond are assigned a research project. The projects have been designed as postgraduate level, qualitative opportunities for you to take that deeper dive into Bowen theory and its application to families. These are submitted electronically to the program head towards the end of the program year.

Clinical Research Consultation Group

Murray Bowen used a back-and-forth method of clinical research that entailed testing existing theories against his own clinical experiments at the Menninger Foundation and NIMH. Through his process of formulating concepts based on factual observations of how families function under changing conditions and then testing the accuracy of those concepts with further observations and clinical experiments, he went on to develop a different theory.  

Postgraduate Program members who choose to join this optional consultation group will have an opportunity to utilize a method of clinical research that is based on Murray Bowen’s approach, evaluating the process of family psychotherapy with at least one clinical family and/or their effort to work toward a better level of differentiation in one’s own family. Consultation group members must be in their third year or beyond of the Postgraduate Program (PGP) or have the approval of the consultant.  Participants will continue to complete all requirements of the PGP program and add additional reading and the completion of a paper, due at the end of the program year. The paper will describe the process and outcome of their clinical research project.  There will be an additional charge of $250 for participation in the Clinical Research Consultation group.   

1. SEPTEMBER 09, 2024: Individuality and Togetherness
Barbara Laymon, PhD, MPH 
(Online)

2. OCTOBER 07, 2024: (1) The Family as an Evolutionary Unit: The Work of Sarah Blaffer Hrdy (2) Bowen Theory and Attachment Theory
Anne S. McKnight, EdD, LCSW 
(Online)

-OCTOBER 14: Participant Presentations #1 (online)

3. *TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 05, 2024: The Language of Nature in Murray Bowen's Archival Letters: Research Methodology and Bowen Theory 
Carrie E. Collier, PhD, LPC-DC, LPC-VA   
(*In-Person)

-NOVEMBER 06: Participant Presentations #2 (in-person)

4. DECEMBER 09, 2024: *TBD 
Daniel V. Papero, PhD, LCSW  
(Online)

5. JANUARY 13, 2025: Family Oneness and Individual Variation  
Robert J. Noon, PhD  
(Online)

-JANUARY 27: Participant Presentations #3 (online)

6. FEBRUARY 10, 2025: Murray Bowen, Jack Calhoun and Societal Emotional Process - An important dialogue that needs to continue.
Amie Post, MA, LCMFT 
(Online)

-FEBRUARY 24: Participant Presentations #4: (online)

7. MARCH 10, 2025: Differentiation of Self:  Relationships, Reactivity and Self-Regulation
Pricilla J. Friesen, LICSW   
(Online)

-MARCH 24: Participant Presentations #5 (online)

8. TUESDAY APRIL 22, 2025: Human Diversity: Gender, Race, Sexual Identity, and Sexual Orientation from a Bowen Theory Perspective
Kent E. Webb, LCSW, PCC  
(*In-Person)

-APRIL 23: Participant Presentations #6 (in-person)

9. MAY 12, 2025: Clinical Research Based on Bowen Theory
Randall T. Frost, MDiv 
(Online)

The full tuition for 2024-2025 is $3,750.00. This can be paid by choosing one of the payment schedule options below:

1. Pay In Full Schedule 

Pay in full on or before August 1st.  
Total:   $3750 for tuition

2. Two - Payment Plan Schedule 

• Payment 1 of 2 (due by 08/1/2024): $1,925 USD 

• Payment 2 of 2 (automatic 3 months after payment 1): $1,925 USD 

Total:   $3850 (includes a $100 service fee for payment plan)  

3. Four - Payment Plan Schedule  

• Payment 1 of 4 (due by 08/1/2024): $962.50 

• Payment 2 of 4 (automatic 1 month after payment 1): $962.50 

• Payment 3 of 4 (automatic 2 months after payment 1): $962.50

• Payment 4 of 4 (automatic 3 months after payment 1): $962.50

Total:  $3850 (includes a $100 service fee for payment plan)  

**Once the program begins, the Bowen Center does not offer refunds.

**The above totals do not include the addition of CEs ($40) or participation in the Clinical Research Consultation Group ($250).

Purpose:

The purpose of this scholarship is to support the extension of Bowen theory by supporting qualified professionals with financial need in attending the Bowen Center Postgraduate Program.

Guidelines:

• Persons eligible for a scholarship will be at least second year participants in the Bowen Center or Network Programs.

• Any person receiving a scholarship, will be eligible in their second and third year.

• Any person applying will demonstrate to the Network Scholarship Committee and Director of the Postgraduate Program financial need.

• The committee will be composed of three persons, chair from the Network, director of Postgraduate Program and a second member from the Network.

• All scholarship applications must be submitted by July 1st.

Scholarship Criteria

• Potential for leadership in bringing Bowen theory to the world.

• Potential for development of knowledge relevant to Bowen theory

• Financial need.

For more information, or to submit an application, please email Rachel Burnham, Learning & Development Coordinator

This Postgraduate Program provides a maximum of 31.5 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 CEs. 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 

• Demonstrate an understanding of the interrelated core concepts of Bowen theory.  

• Demonstrate knowledge of and capacity for the observation and application of concepts in family, organizational, and societal systems.  

• Demonstrate the ability to use one’s own family of origin as a vehicle for learning Bowen theory and using the theory as a framework and basis for one’s professional field of work.  

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