Death And The Family: Ethics at the End of Life
June 21, 2024 | 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
In-Person in Arlington, VA or Online via Zoom
Conference Description
When there are medical, financial, and relationship decisions to be made at the end of life, what principles are important to consider? In recent decades, great effort has been put into articulating and implementing “patient-centered” ethics (an individual model). In his book, Is There a Duty to Die, John Hardwig, PhD, medical ethicist—and 2024 Ethics Conference Guest Lecturer—proposes a “family-centered” ethics model for end-of-life decision-making. Dr. Hardwig’s book engages this topic from various perspectives. He is a Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and has focused on medical ethics throughout his career. with a signature contribution through his family-centered ethics proposal. The Bowen Center invites attendees to hear Dr. Hardwig and other presenters and consider, through presentations and discussion, how differentiation of self plays an important role when an individual family-member nears the end of life.
The conference, which satisfies requirements of practitioners seeking ethics CEs, will be valuable to general students of Bowen theory and all professionals in the mental health field, especially those involved with facing end-of-life deliberations.
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In-person seating for this hybrid (in-person and online) conference is limited to no more than 25 attendees, so please register early for a guaranteed in-person seat. Unlimited online registration is available. Attendance details will be emailed upon registration.
Schedule and Presentation Descriptions | Register | Guest Lecturer | Conference Location | Continuing Education Credits
Schedule
Time |
Title |
Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 | Welcome and Introduction | Randall T. Frost, MDiv, Director, Bowen Center for the Study of the Family |
| Guest Lecturer Introduction | Jake Morrill, MDiv | |
| 8:35 | Going to Meet Death: The Search for a Good Ending | John Hardwig, PhD |
| 9:20 | Death and Bowen Family Systems Theory This presentation will describe Bowen theory as a framework to look at death. Bowen theory guides everyone in the system to consider their responsibility and actions to the dying individual and within the family. |
Priscilla J. Friesen, LICSW |
| 10:00 | Discussion | Dr. Hardwig and Ms. Friesen |
| 10:20 | Break | |
| 10:30 | Opportunities for Differentiation of Self Around Dying and Death This presentation will describe principles based in Bowen theory and provide examples of working on differentiation of self that have been employed in my own family when facing the death of a family member, including maintaining personal contact, speaking openly about dying, the experiences and responsibilities after the death, and taking responsibility for one’s part in being present. |
Victoria Harrison, MA |
| 11:00 | Death and Differentiation of Self This presentation will specify some of the key variables around which families differ in functioning during the period prior to and following the death of an important member of the family. These differences in functioning will be provisionally linked to ten-point intervals on Bowen’s scale of differentiation. |
Randall T. Frost, MDiv |
| 11:30 | Accompanying Dying Persons and their Families What difference can it make when someone accompanying a dying person and their families is working on differentiation of self? This presentation will survey challenges to that work on self and the difference such an effort can make for the dying person for the family, and for the one who accompanies. It will also consider how working more objectively/less anxiously in triangles can help create a more open emotional system. This presentation is by a pastor who has accompanied many dying persons and their families in inpatient and outpatient settings and in congregations. |
Jennifer Long, MDiv |
| 12:00 | Panel Discussion | Mr. Frost, Ms. Harrison, Ms. Long, and Dr. Hardwig |
| 12:30 | Lunch (provided at conference) | |
| 1:00 | Jennifer Long interviews Corrie Howard | |
| 1:30 | Discussion about Corrie Howard Interview with Dr. Hardwig | |
| 1:50 | What Difference Might Bowen Theory Have Made? A Retrospective on a Family Death In light of the intense challenges presented at the end of life, consideration of ethical decisions through the lens of Bowen theory offers a different perspective. This presentation has three sections which 1) draw on the presenter’s family diagram, 2) describe the response to death in her family and the ethical decisions made at that time, and 3) reviews those decisions and their impact through the lens of Bowen theory. |
The Rev. Carol P. Jeunnette, PhD |
| 2:20 | Differentiation and the Family Emotional Process at the End of Life Many countries now allow for assisted suicide. This decision can be viewed as a strong and final act of defining one’s self. From a Bowen theory perspective, emotional fusion, lack of differentiation, multigenerational emotional process as it relates to death and dying, and anxiety, often impact end-of-life decisions for the individual and family. As does the technology now available to delay death, even when it extends suffering. This presentation asks, just because we can do everything, should we do everything? When not driven by emotions, the answer more often than not, is no. |
Denise Kwan |
| 2:50 | Break | |
| 3:00 | Panel Discussion with Dr. Jeunnette, Ms. Kwan, and Dr. Hardwig | |
| 3:30 | Breakout Groups | |
| 4:00 | Whole-Group Discussion | |
| 4:30 | Conference Ends |
Register
Date of Conference: Friday, June 21st, 2024 | Time: 8:30AM EST - 4:30PM EST *Timezones for all schedules are reflected in Eastern Standard Time.
Conference Fees:
In-person (includes a boxed lunch): $95. | Online (via Zoom): $95.
Full-time student: $70. Online or In-person. *Please contact Emma Voorhes with full-time student verification (a copy of your student schedule or other proof) to gain access to these tickets. For students facing hardships, please reach out to Emma Voorhes and she will assist with a fee modification.
CEUs/CEs are available for an additional charge of $15. Please add them when registering. *Questions: ceu@thebowencenter.org.
Register on Eventbrite. Please select In-person OR online attendance and add CEs/CEUs if needed. Attendance details will be emailed upon registration.
Conference and CEU registration both close June 20, 2024.
Guest Lecturer
John Hardwig, PhD, is Professor Emeritus in Philosophy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Dr. Hardwig has published widely on bioethics, end-of-life issues, the role of trust in knowledge, and the role of experts. He is best-known for challenging the conventional wisdom of “patient-centered ethics,” in favor of his proposed “family-centered ethics.” Dr. Hardwig’s 1997 article on this topic was followed by his book Is There a Duty to Die and Other Essays in Medical Ethics (Routledge, 2000). His arguments have been influential among bioethicists and healthcare clinicians.
Location
The conference will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Arlington, Virginia.
The church is located at 4444 Arlington Blvd, Arlington, VA 22204
Parking is available and the church is accessible by public transportation.
Accommodation Suggestions
For those seeking an overnight stay, the following nearby hotels are suggested:
Holiday Inn Arlington at Ballston | Comfort Inn Ballston | Hilton Arlington | Sheraton Pentagon City | Residence Inn by Marriott Arlington Ballston | Hyatt Place Arlington Courthouse Plaza | Clarion Collection Hotel Arlington Court Suites | Hilton Garden Inn Arlington Courthouse Plaza
Continuing Education Credits
This conference day will provide 7.25 Continuing Education Credits which satisfy ethics CE requirements.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Attendees will be able to identify key ethical considerations for families in end-of-life scenarios
2. Attendees will be able to articulate the relationship between differentiation of self and family functioning, in an end-of-life scenario.
3. Attendees will be able to identify potential benefits and risks of “family-centered ethics.”
REQUIREMENTS FOR CE ELIGIBILITY
Pay the CEU/CE fee of $15 at the time of registration.
Attend the live-streamed or in-person conference in its entirety. Your attendance will be tracked throughout the conference.
If livestreamed, enable video and show your name on the screen, so that you are visible throughout the entirety of the conference, except during designated breaks or lunch.
Submit a completed evaluation no more than 60 days after the conference. 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.
