Introduction to Murray Bowen’s Theory of Human Functioning

Page Navigation

Tuition and Application | Purpose of the Program | CEU/CEs | Dates for 2026-2027 | Session Topics | Program Head and Faculty | Questions 

Applications for the 2026–2027 program year are open May 15–June 15, 2026.

The cost for the program is $1,000, To confirm your enrollment, the full tuition fee is required at the time of registration. Visit our Tuition Policy Page for fee questions and information. Class size is limited to 30 students.

This 7-month course is held online and will meet monthly for 90 minutes. The Intro course is offered in two groups, limited to 30 people each. All sessions will be held on Tuesdays, with Group One meeting at 9 am EDT/EST (UTC -4/UTC -5) and Group Two meeting at 1 pm EDT/EST(UTC -4/UTC -5). Register directly for either Group One or Group Two after considering your time zone and the 2026-2027 dates listed below.

Sessions are held on TUESDAYS in the morning or afternoon. Participants may register for ONE of the following groups:

Group 1: 9:00 – 10:30 am EDT/EST (UTC -4/UTC -5) | Group 2: 1:00 – 2:30 pm EDT/EST (UTC-4/UTC-5) 

• September 29, 2026

• October 27, 2026

• December 1, 2026

• January 19, 2027

• February 23, 2027

• March 23, 2027

• April 27, 2027

Mental health professionals, business leaders, leaders of faith communities, and many others have engaged with Bowen theory to understand their own functioning in their lives and in their work. Participation in this course may lead to continued engagement with programs in Bowen theory at the Bowen Center.

Session 1: A Different Way of Seeing — Introduction to Bowen Family Systems Thinking

Topics:

• Origins and scope of Bowen theory 

• Systems vs. individual-focused thinking 

• Theory as a way of seeing, not a technique 

• Introduction to the eight concepts 

• Anxiety as a central organizing force 

• Differentiation of self — first look 

Session 2: Mapping the Emotional System — The Family Diagram 

 Topics: 

• Constructing a three-generational genogram 

• Reading patterns across generations 

• Nuclear family mechanisms — overview 

• Triangles — introduction to the basic unit 

• Case example: family business consultation 

• Applying the diagram in your own context 

 Session 3: The Invisible Architecture — Triangles and Nuclear Family Emotional Process 

 Topics: 

• How triangles form and stabilize systems 

• Interlocking triangle networks 

• The four mechanisms of nuclear family stress 

• Marital conflict and emotional distance 

• Dysfunction in a spouse 

• Projection to a child — recognizing the process 

 Session 4: Defining a Self — Differentiation in Theory and Practice 

 Topics: 

• Solid self vs. pseudo-self 

• Togetherness and individuality forces 

• Emotional fusion and emotional cutoff 

• "I" positions vs. reactive positioning 

• The professional's own differentiation 

• What coaching looks like in Bowen theory 

 Session 5: The Long View — Family Projection and Multigenerational Transmission 

 Topics: 

• How anxiety transmits to children 

• Family projection process in depth 

• Multigenerational transmission patterns 

• Sibling position and functional profile 

• Reading the long-term family trajectory 

• Application to nonprofit and family business contexts 

 Session 6: Beyond the Family — Emotional Cutoff and Societal Emotional Process 

 Topics: 

• Emotional cutoff — distance as a solution 

• The cost of disconnection 

• Societal emotional regression 

• Anxiety in organizations and communities 

• Leadership through differentiation 

• Research directions and emerging applications 

 Session 7: Bringing It Together — Your Life as a Research Project 

 Topics: 

• Synthesis of all eight concepts 

• Theory applied to your own family system 

• Developing a personal inquiry practice 

• The professional as an instrument 

• Pathways for continued learning 

• Next steps: Postgraduate and fellowship programs

Program Faculty

The Introduction to Bowen Theory program provides a maximum of 10.5 credit hours of Category I continuing education for counseling and social work. 

Election of Continuing Education credits in your application indicates that you have read the policies below:

REQUIREMENTS FOR CE ELIGIBILITY: 

• CEs are included in the registration fee, with no additional cost is required. Please indicate which type of CE (Counseling or Social Work) you are seeking on your program application.

• Attend ALL live streamed or in-person sessions of a program in their entirety. The program coordinator will note your attendance at every session. We do not offer partial credits for partial attendance - 100% program attendance is required.

• If livestreamed, enable video and show your name on screen so that you are visible throughout the entirety of the session, except during designated breaks or lunch.  

• Submit a completed evaluation no more than 60 days after the event. Shortly after the submission of your completed evaluation, you will be emailed a certificate.  

POLICIES:

• CEs are not sold once a program has already begun.

• The Bowen Center does not offer refunds for CEs.

• We are unable to offer CE credit for viewing of recordings.

• We do not offer partial CE credit for partial program attendance. Missing a session(s) will result in disqualification from credits, without a refund.

• It is the sole responsibility of the participant to verify their state’s professional licensure criteria for CE qualifications. 

EXCEPTIONS:

Exceptions will be made only for truly unavoidable and extenuating circumstances. Please contact the Learning & Development Coordinator in advance if you experience any such circumstances during the program year that affect your CE eligibility.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Active participation and engagement in this program assists participants to: 

  • Distinguish systems thinking from individual-focused models of human behavior and articulate the practical implications of this distinction in one’s own family, and professional settings.  

  • Define and explain the eight interlocking concepts of Bowen Family Systems Theory  

  • Construct a three-generational family diagram and use it to identify patterns of anxiety, symptom formation, and relationship functioning across generations.  

  • Identify the four primary mechanisms families use to manage anxiety — emotional distance, marital conflict, dysfunction in a spouse, and projection to a child — and recognize these patterns in case examples from diverse professional contexts.  

  • Apply the concept of triangles to professional practice settings, including counseling sessions, organizational leadership, mediation, and family consultation, by recognizing the automatic engagement of a third-party that aims manage tension in an emotional field.  

  • Explain the relationship between level of differentiation of self and patterns of symptom formation, relationship functioning, and professional effectiveness.  

  • Describe the role of the professional's own emotional reactivity in shaping outcomes and identify at least two self-defined strategies for developing a more principled, less reactive stance.  

  • Distinguish between the concepts of solid self and pseudo-self and explain how fusion and emotional cutoff represent two sides of the same underlying process in both families and professional systems.  

  • Recognize the parallels between emotional processes in families and in broader social and organizational systems, and articulate how societal anxiety shapes professional culture, institutional functioning, and community well-being.  

  • Develop a personal learning plan for continued engagement with Bowen theory, including identification of at least one area of self-study and one relationship system for ongoing observation. 

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 Cory Freeman, Learning & Development Coordinator, at cfreeman@thebowencenter.org.

Questions about the course can be directed to Amie Post.

Administrative questions regarding applications, registration, and payments may be sent to Cory Freeman, Learning & Development Coordinator, at cfreeman@thebowencenter.org.