The Bowen Center

Latest Episodes:

Facts and Beliefs About Leadership Dec 23, 2019

Show notes

Speaker: John J. Engels
President, Leadership Coaching Inc., Rochester, New York

Beliefs about leadership govern every leader’s decisions and behavior. Some beliefs about leadership are closely aligned with reality. Others — including many widely accepted as “true” — are influenced more by emotional process and the imagination. This presentation will help leaders distinguish reality-based from emotionally-driven beliefs in an effort to maximize credibility and competence.

This lecture was recorded live on March 14, 2013.

The Parental Brain: Transformations and Adaptations Dec 17, 2019

Show notes

Speaker: Kelly Lambert, PhD
Professor and Chair, Department of Psychology, Randolph Macon College, Ashland, VA

The transformation that accompanies the onset of motherhood and fatherhood in mammals is remarkable. Based on research with rodent and primate models, Dr. Lambert will discuss the neurobiological and behavioral aspects of these transformations. Her findings suggest that the transition from an animal focused on self-preservation to one that is responsive to the needs of other animals represents a significant transition in both neural and behavioral systems that enable parents to meet the many challenges associated with raising offspring.

This lecture was recorded live on January 9, 2014.

Systems Thinking and Leadership Oct 21, 2019

Show notes

Speaker: Daniel V. Papero, PhD, LCSW
Faculty Member at the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family, Washington, DC

Like families, organizations have an emotional side to them that is predictable. In today’s anxious world, filled with stressed people and anxious organizations, systems ideas can help a leader understand the terrain of leadership, the forces at work within that terrain and provide some guidance for managing oneself effectively as a leader and a follower. This talk explores the implications of Bowen theory for organizational leadership.

This lecture was recorded live on June 6, 2019.

Can’t attend the lectures in DC? The lecture and discussion are streamed on our Facebook page. (Please note that if you participate in the discussion portion, your questions/comments will be streamed during the live broadcast, as well as recorded and saved onto Facebook.) Livestreamed recordings will be saved on the Bowen Center’s Facebook page to view.

The Brain, Food and the Family Oct 21, 2019

Show notes

Speaker: Sam Pappas, MD
Private Practice, Tysons Corner, VA

The Mediterranean diet has received wide acclaim for the many positive health effects it exerts. Adherence to this traditional diet has been shown to reduce the risk of cognitive impairment, dementia and neurodegenerative diseases overall. This talk will explore the multiple benefits a Mediterranean diet and lifestyle has on mood, cognitive function and overall brain health.

This lecture was recorded live on May 2, 2019.

A Physician’s Response to Climate Change Oct 07, 2019

Show notes

Speaker: Dr. Mona Sarfaty, MD, MPH, FAAFP
Executive Director, Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

A family medicine physician and public health doctor who has engaged in teaching, research and advocacy for over 30 years, Dr. Sarfaty will describe her research using this background to show how climate change has affected her view of health care over the years. Her work and research were the impetus for founding the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health in 2016. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of options for advocacy.

This lecture was recorded live on October 3, 2019.

Goal Direction and Family Functioning May 06, 2019

Show notes

How much energy and attention does a family require of its members to sustain stability? How much room does the family allow for its members to pursue their individual interests and directions over time? This presentation explores variation in goal direction and its impact on the functioning of the nuclear family by examining the findings of a longitudinal family study.

Phillip Klever, MSW maintains a private practice in Kansas City, MO. This lecture was recorded live on January 17, 2019.

What Are the Differences Between Attachment Theory and Family Systems Theory? May 06, 2019

Show notes

John Bowlby and Murray Bowen were contemporaries, each basing their ideas about relationships on clinical observations influenced by evolutionary thinking. Bowlby focused on the interactions between the mother and the infant while Bowen examined the multigenerational family system. This evening will highlight the parallels and differences in their ideas.

Anne S. McKnight, EdD, LCSW is the Director of the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family in Washington, DC. This lecture was recorded live on December 13, 2018.

The Special Education Process: Trying to Apply Bowen Theory Surrounded by ‘Individual Thinking’ May 03, 2019

Show notes

Robert Felton will describe how he attempted to use Bowen Theory as a Supervisor of Special Education in a major school system where individual thinking was pervasive. The process for defining a child’s problem for special education services was based on a medical model which tended to increase anxiety in the system and child focus. Mr. Felton will address his ability to manage self using principles of Bowen Theory in working with the triangles as the system focused on the symptomatic child, parents and educational institution.

Robert Felton, MEd is an educational consultant located in Washington, DC. This lecture was recorded live on October 4, 2018.

Application of Theory: Toward Resolving Degrees of Unresolved Emotional Attachment Jun 27, 2018

Show notes

Dr. Murray Bowen stated: “The degree of unresolved emotional attachment to the parents is equivalent to the degree of undifferentiation that must somehow be handled in a person’s own life and in future generations” (Bowen, 1978, p. 382). He observed that all people have some degree of unresolved emotional attachment from their parents. These emotional attachments in the parental triangle formed at birth are initially necessary for survival. In the process of growing up and moving toward increasing independence, individuals come up against degrees of unresolved emotional attachment, or as Bowen sometimes described it, emotional dependencies. This presentation describes one person’s effort over time to apply Bowen Family Systems Theory to resolve degrees of unresolved emotional attachment in the parental triangle.

Selden Dunbar Illick, LCSW is a Bowen family systems consultant. This lecture was recorded live in Washington, DC on June 7, 2018.

A Partnership, a Marriage, the Search for Cures and How Bowen Theory Helped Chart the Course May 31, 2018

Show notes

Dr. Ruff was both a partner in life through marriage and in research with Candace B. Pert, PhD., with their discovery of Peptide-T which controlled the pain and extended thousands of lives in the treatment of the HIV virus. This discovery opened the door to a non-opioid treatment for pain. Dr. Pert contributed to the founding of the field of MindBody (her term) medicine in the mid-1980’s. Her sudden death in September 2013 created a whirlpool of reactivity in the family and their business requiring significant changes for Dr. Ruff in the last 5 years. These included a successful court action to give credit to Dr. Pert for her discoveries and his creation of a new business, Creative Bio-Peptides, Inc.

Michael R. Ruff, PhD is the CEO and President of Creative Bio-Peptides, Inc. This lecture was recorded live in Washington, DC on May 17, 2018.

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