DONATE

An Invitation for Presentation Proposals
2025 Fall Conference and Symposium

Love and Conflict in Families and Groups;
How Relationship Forces Shape Human Behavior

October 17-18, 2025
Hybrid Format (In Person & Online)

Paulina McCullough, MSW, one of WPFC’s founders and first proponents of Bowen theory in the Pittsburgh area, initiated the organization’s annual two-day conference and symposium in the late 1970’s. From its outset, this event has provided opportunity for both seasoned practitioners and newcomers to Bowen theory to present their ideas and research.

This year’s theme of “Love and Conflict in Families and Groups” references Dr. Bowen’s concept of nuclear family emotional process as it applies to families, organizations, and society. The intent is to address this theme from perspectives both familiar and novel, and to intrigue an audience drawn from many different fields with its utility. Our keynote presenter Phil Klever, LCSW, LMFT is well suited to this effort by his longtime clinical experience and his research on aspects of family emotional process as associated with levels of functioning.

WPFC invites you to submit a proposal to present at this year’s conference. Both in-person and online presentations (via Zoom) are welcome. Please note that presentation slots are limited.

Application Guidelines
Parameters to consider if you are interested in this opportunity:

Abstract submissions are due by 5/30/25.

    • Presentations specifically addressing the theme of nuclear family emotional process (or “love and conflict in families and groups”) will be given priority, but proposals on any topic related to family systems theory are acceptable.
    • This conference welcomes attendees with varying levels of understanding and experience with Bowen theory. Please keep these varying levels in mind when preparing your abstract.
    • Speakers may use slideshows for their presentation utilizing any format compatible with Zoom technology (Powerpoint, Google, Keynote, etc.).
    • Presentations may run either 30 or 45 minutes in length; graduate student talks will be limited to 15 minutes. Depending on the number of proposals selected, some presenters requesting 45 minute time slots may be asked to limit their talks to 30 minutes.
    • If a proposal is accepted, presenters will be required to complete additional forms for both the organization’s records and our continuing education co-sponsors.

Questions to Stimulate Thinking

The following prompts are designed to spur your thinking about the conference topic before submitting your application.

      • Dr. Bowen observed four mechanisms that families and other groups use to bind the anxiety of too much togetherness – distance, overfunctioning/underfunctioning, conflict, and the projection process. How do these relationship patterns play out in your family or organization? What role have you played in the patterns, and how have you worked to change your part?
      • Do the concepts of family emotional process and differentiation of self apply to non-human animal species? Just primates? Others?
      • In what ways do literature, mythology, or historical narratives reveal recurring themes of differentiation, fusion, and conflict? Can you provide an example of a story that illustrates these concepts in an insightful way?
      • How do societal shifts (e.g., political polarization, technological changes, or cultural trends) reflect and interact with the nuclear family emotional system? What patterns of anxiety binding become evident at a larger scale?
      • What role does emotional cutoff play in love, fusion and conflict? How does the absence of visible conflict sometimes serve to maintain unresolved emotional ties?
      • How does anxiety amplify predictable relationship patterns within a family or group, and what does it take to disrupt those patterns without fueling more reactivity?
      • How do unresolved emotional triangles among family members extend into professional or organizational settings? Can an individual effectively work on differentiation in one domain without addressing another?
      • Emotional distancing is a common reaction to aversive behavior in a family or group member. Under what circumstances does it sustain emotional fusion and low-level functioning? When might it be adaptive?

 

 

Please click the link below to submit your abstract:
Abstract Submission Form