MONTHLY TOPICS

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September 18/29, 2025: Orientation

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October 16/17, 2025: Toxic Family Members, Estrangement, and Bowen Theory, Anthony J. Wilgus

 

Living in anxious times, amplified by social media platforms where humans can interact free of face-to-face encounters, has impacted family relationships. Bowen theory describes two ways by which members may respond to these increased tensions, viz., emotional distance and emotional cutoff. Karl Pillemer’s research indicates that 27% of Americans report some form of family estrangement. Moreover, an increasing segment of the therapy world now endorses these trends, manifested in Eamon Dolan’s book, The Power of Parting: Finding Peace and Freedom Through Family Estrangement.

 

Participants will explore the ways in which both distance and emotional cutoff appear in their families, congregations, and other relationship networks with a focus on the ‘self’ that plays a part in this process. They will also have the opportunity to review the various ways in which they have addressed distance and emotional cutoff in their families, congregations, and other relationship networks.

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​November 20/21, 2025: Leading Change and Leading in the Midst of Change: Do you want to be right, or do you want to be effective? Dana Runestad

 

“The only constant in life is change,” said Heraclitus. In this unprecedented time of fast paced, far reaching change, whether to lead change or not is not an option. It’s a question of how. How have you led change? How have you led in the midst of change? What wisdom does Bowen Family Systems Theory offer? What markers make for lasting change? What difference does a leader’s maturity make in the family or faith communities? What difference does it make to have clarity around values, principles, a theory of change or a theology of change in the midst of rapid change?

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December - No Meeting

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January 15/16, 2026: Jennifer Long​

Open and closed relationship systems have an influence on functioning… but what is an open relationship system? What is a closed one? What accounts for a relationship systems becoming one or the other? Do opened and closed relationship systems only exist in human groups? Can a relationship move toward one way of being or the other? What are the effects of differentiation of self in relationship to such systems?

This presentation will seek to explore the ideas of open and closed relationship systems through the lens of Bowen Family Systems Theory, considering contributing factors, and what each may look like in family and faith communities, over time.

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February 19/20, 2026: War Games:  When Biblical Interpretation and Emotional Process Collide, Emlyn Ott​​

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We live in an increasingly volatile world.  Principles for living, experiences within families, and historical events create narratives that shape an approach to relationships and belief systems.  How has an understanding of faith and family sacred stories, what we believe in, and why contributed to heightened attempts to ensure safety, security, and control?  How can mature perspectives and a broader view of sacred stories be cultivated when reactivity and righteousness prevail?

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March 19/20, 2026: Is Bowen Theory Theologically Correct? Religion, Science and Bowen Theory, Anthony J. Wilgus 

 

Shortly after the introduction of Bowen theory from the 1950s through the 1980s, the professions that flocked to the symposia, post-grad training programs, and other professional events held by the Georgetown Family Center included members of the traditional helping professions, viz., psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and counselors.  Recently, however, lay leaders and clergy have populated the ranks of those interested in the theory, occupying positions in the faculty at the Bowen Center, filling the ranks of the post-grad program, and establishing an annual conference for Faith Leaders.

 

This presentation will explore some of the factors contributing to this ongoing and apparently increasing fascination with Bowen theory in the religious domain.  Bowen was a researcher who endeavored to move the study of human behavior more toward science.  Faith leaders and clergy dedicate their lives to the well-being of the entire human, including the soul, an area often dismissed by some scientists.  How, then, can these disparate ways of thinking about the world find common ground, if at all?   The discussion will be lively.

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April 16/17, 2026: Differentiation of Self: Where the Rubber Hits the Road, Jennifer Long and Dana Runestad

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Where does the rubber hit the road when it comes to working on Differentiation of Self, the “Cornerstone Concept” of Bowen Family Systems Theory?  How does one take on such a challenge? What are potential perils and pitfalls on the journey? Where can the most progress be made? What does it take to ask important questions that support this work? This presentation will explore these questions as well as the potential fruit of working toward Differentiation of Self in families, organizations and faith communities. What can it look like to take on such work in these contexts?

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May TBD:

Special Event and Leadership Series Capstone - details forthcoming

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*BONUS* An additional  presentation offered to Leadership Series participants and opened for registration for those interested in exploring the topic more fully and meeting judicatory expectations:

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June 11, 2026: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Eastern via Zoom: Crossing Lines and Blurring Roles:  A Systems View on Boundaries for the Thought-Provoking Leader

A certificate will be offered for completion of this 5 hour training for those required to participate in a program for professional expectations.

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