Thinking Big About Family Challenges
Fall 2026 Conference
family systems theory
Online Clinical Conference
Overview of Thinking Big About Family Challenges.
How is a family systems theory approach to family challenges unique? What difference does it make to look at a client and their family to have a theory based systems perspective?
“Thinking Big About Family Challenges” is a clinical conference for practitioners across disciplines who are interested in understanding the complex issues facing individuals and families today. Drawing on a Bowen family systems theory perspective, attendees will be invited to look beyond the individual and consider the relational, social, and multigenerational patterns that influence behaviour and distress. Through case-based learning and thoughtful discussion, the conference offers practical ways to deepen clinical thinking, ask more effective questions, and support meaningful, sustainable change in the families and communities clinicians serve.
Dr. Murray Bowen spent years observing the human family and how it functioned as an emotional system. The challenge itself may not be as important as the emotional processes and reactivity related to the challenge in finding a solution.
Conference Details
Date: Friday, October 23, 2026
Times: 9:00 am – 4:15 pm ( zoom opens at 8:45 am)
Location: This is an online only conference.
Brochure link TBD
Fall Conference Schedule
Welcome
9:00-9:15am Opening remarks from Katie White
9:15-10:30am Dr. Carrie Collier – “It’s Not Just the Person; All Emotional Problems are Products of the Family: Bowen Family Systems Theory Coaching”
Break
10:45-11:35 Rebecca Van Der Hijde presentation
11:35-12:15 Annie MacIntosh presentation
Lunch
12:15-1:00pm
1:00-2:15pm Dr. Carrie Collier – “Research Examples of BFST Coaching from Bowen’s Archival Work: How it looks today with secrets, affairs, & distance”
Break
2:30-3:05 Breakout rooms
3:05-3:45 Katherine Burke presentation
Closing remarks
3:45pm – 4:00pm
Presentations
Dr Carrie Collier – It’s Not Just the Person; All Emotional Problems are Products of the Family: Bowen Family Systems Theory Coaching
The importance of broadening the lens to the entire family emotional system rather than the person is the focus of BFST coaching with couples and families. Seeing the nuclear family mechanisms coupled with the triangles at play in the family leads to a clearer understanding of what the family must do to survive. Focus on symptoms and offspring, tension and disagreements in couples, blaming the other and not blaming self are just a few of the many manoeuvres’ families use to manage anxiety. This management keeps the family stuck in an intense emotional cycle. Revealing the patterns from the past, particularly the stuck ones free up the family to see new moves and possible changes. Focusing on change, process, and goal definition come to the fore of this work. All of this cannot take place without the individual taking responsibility for his/herself in the family system.
Rebecca Van Der Hijde – Caregiver Differentiation Within a Neurodiverse Family System
This presentation will explore a father’s efforts toward greater differentiation within his family system as he navigates his role as the primary caregiver and the expectations of his wife and parents. Particular attention will be given to his efforts to define and maintain his position while identifying the reality needs of one of his children, and responding thoughtfully.
Annie MacIntosh – TBD
Dr. Carrie Collier – Research Examples of BFST Coaching from Bowen’s Archival Work: How it looks today with secrets, affairs, & distance
Bowen’s couples coaching videos highlight his thinking when working with families presenting marital discord, secrets, and symptoms. Bowen’s thinking that the problem is in the family is paramount in helping the family see its way out of the challenges. This still holds promise for today’s families. Examples from Bowen’s past work along with new examples from the presenter will demonstrate the usefulness of Bowen family systems therapy.
Katherine Burke – Dominant Practice Paradigms in Family Violence
This presentation will review dominant practice paradigms in family violence and consider the unique opportunities Bowen theory can offer in working with family violence. Katherine will discuss her effort over a 5 year period to operate from Bowen theory as she has worked therapeutically with people restoring their agency, dignity and sense of self in the midst of experiencing the impacts of family violence perpetration. Katherine will share her observations about how Bowen theory has changed the way she functions and works with the issue of family violence and her thinking on the role of family therapy in addressing the phenomenon of polyvictimization.
Ticket Pricing
- Individual General Admission – CA$225.00
- Early Bird Individual General Admission – CA$195.00
- FT Student / Bowen Program Student – CA$100.00
- Individuals from Agency Group Rate 3 or more – CA$165.00
- Agency Group for Recording only up to 12 people – CA$1,170.00
- Individual Recording only – CA$195.00
(includes recording for 60 days)
About the Presenters
Dr. Carrie Collier
PhD
Carrie Collier, PhD, has practiced as a licensed professional counsellor since 2000 and currently maintains a small private family coaching practice. She is busy these days with her research coding Bowen’s archival letters and tapes. She has developed, tested and published a Family Unit Functioning Questionnaire (2022) and has conducted research on the relations between wisdom and ethics of care in late life. She continues to be faculty at The Bowen Center and is the President of The Bowen Center board. Carrie resides in Northern Virginia with her husband, son, and three dogs. She loves walking, gardening, reading, hanging with friends and family, cuddling her pups, and nature in her spare time.
Katherine Burke
Therapist
Katherine Burke currently works as a therapist in her private practice operating from Newcastle, Australia. Katherine has found Bowen theory to be unique in the way it can account for all the variables that influence health and wellbeing. Katherine is a current faculty member for the Family Systems Institute in Sydney, Australia. In 2024, she co-authored the article “Intimate partner violence and Bowen family systems theory: promoting safety and expanding capacity of families” with Amie Post which in 2024, was one of the top 10 cited articles in the ANZJFT. Throughout her career Katherine has made every effort to “walk the talk” and views the functioning of the professional in the room as the most important variable in effective work with family violence.
Rebecca Vanderhijde
BCBA, MFT
For more than 20 years, Rebecca has been working with neurodiverse children and their families. Both a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA) and a Marriage & Family Therapist (MFT), Rebecca specializes in helping caregivers navigate the real, everyday challenges of raising neurodiverse children. Rebecca is an Associate Clinical Counselor with Living Systems, and is excited and passionate about integrating Bowen Family Systems Theory and Behaviour Analysis in her presentations and in her work with families.
Annie MacIntosh
MA
Who is this Workshop for
This workshop is suitable for clinicians, practitioners, and students from all backgrounds in counselling, psychology and psychotherapy, not just those with previous training in Bowen family systems theory. The basics of Bowen theory will be covered as well as more in-depth application of theory.
Learning Objectives
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Identify anxiety mechanisms and learn ways to track family emotional mechanisms.
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Diagram ways to track the emotional mechanisms.
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Coaching couples using family diagrams.
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Identify examples of how to connect symptoms with family problems.Identify examples of how couples play out the family emotional problems over generations.
Letter of Attendance / CEU Credits
A Letter of Attendance is available for continuing education purposes. Please select this option when registering.
Registration for Thinking Big About Family Challenges
For inquiries, please email conferences@livingsystems.ca
Refunds
A refund is available before Oct0ber 9, 2026, minus $30 Eventbrite/admin fee. There are no refunds after October 9, 2026 unless for an emergency as determined by Living Systems.
