Princeton Family Center for Education

Training programs in Bowen family systems theory, for professionals and non-professionals.

Course Objectives

Bowen family systems theory offers people a way to conceptualize human behavior. It offers a more objective way to think about, explore, and understand the relationships in which one lives and works as well as one's own functioning within these important relationships.

The objectives of each seminar will be to:

  • Understand specific patterns of family and relationship interactions as described by Bowen family systems theory.

  • Consider and identify steps for moving toward desired change.

  • Heighten awareness of the self of the trainee in professional, personal, and social interactions.

  • Learn to apply system principles of Bowen theory to one's self and to one's family of origin.

  • Acquire a conceptual framework for understanding human functioning.

What You’ll Learn

This series of monthly meetings will give trainees an opportunity to study the eight theoretical concepts of Bowen family systems theory, which are:

  1. Nuclear Family Emotional System

  2. Differentiation of Self

  3. Triangles

  4. Family Projection Process

  5. Emotional Cutoff

  6. Multigenerational Transmission Process

  7. Sibling Position

  8. Societal Emotional Process

  • October 21, 2024

    November 18, 2024

    December 16, 2024

    January 6, 2025

    February 3, 2025

    March 3, 2025

    April 7, 2025

    May 5, 2025

  • 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Eastern Time

    Online via Zoom

  • Lee S. Gardner, LCSW

    Julie Bergdahl, MDiv

  • $700.00, paid in full

    The course fee includes eight, three-hour sessions and three optional individual supervision sessions

    Payment shall be made and sent to: Princeton Family Center for Education, PO Box 331, Pennington, NJ 08534 or via Venmo (@Princeton-FamilyCenter) or PayPal.

For more information or to indicate your interest, contact Lee Gardner at info@princetonfamilycenter.org or call 609.203.0162.

HOW TO REGISTER: Contact Lee Gardner at info@princetonfamilycenter.org or call 609.203.0162 to indicate your interest.

Supervision Course: A Multigenerational Family System Perspective on Parenting in the Present

Princeton Family Center for Education's Supervision Course for parents was initially and successfully launched as a Pilot Program earlier in 2024. This course was developed to augment the ideas of Dr. Jenny Brown's Parent Hope Project Confident Parent Course.  Information on that course can be found on The Confident Parent Course page. 

This supervision course will focus on the multigenerational family system as a way of understanding one’s automatic patterns of functioning in life.  It is intended to build on Dr. Jenny Brown’s idea of "making a project out of oneself" versus anxiously focusing on one's child(ren) or grandchild(ren).  The course will provide each attendee the opportunity to apply Bowen family systems theory ideas directly to the efforts to manage oneself a little more thoughtfully in relationship to one's child(ren) and grandchild(ren).  This effort can be applied to all the relationship systems in which one exists.  Each attendee will work toward the development of their own family diagram, which will be a focus of this Supervision Course.

Each attendee will watch a 90-minute presentation by Dr. Jenny Brown that was given during an event hosted by PFCE in April 2023.  That presentation is entitled “Confident Parenting: A Fresh Approach to Nurturing Resilient Children”. 

Two books will be used for this course:

Victoria Harrison's The Family Diagram and Family Research: An Illustrated Guide to Tools for Working on Differentiation of Self in One’s Family

 Jenny Brown’s Parenting with Clarity: A Guide for Parents, Caregivers, and Their Supporters Who Want to Contribute to Children's Flourishing Paperback

Course participants may be asked to take a research instrument prior to the start of the Supervision Course.  A document certifying attendance in the Supervision Course can be provided at the completion of the course.

 Lee S. Gardner and Selden Dunbar Illick will be facilitating the course. 

  • The following dates are proposed but may change after considering what works best for all course participants.

    October 10, 2024

    November 14, 2024

    January 9, 2025

    February 14, 2025

    March 21, 2025 (possible)

    April 11, 2025

    May 9, 2025 (if there is not a meeting in March)

  • 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Eastern Time

    Online via Zoom

    In addition to the six, two-hour PFCE sessions, each attendee has the option to meet for three one-on-one hour-long coaching sessions.

  • Lee S. Gardner, LCSW

    Selden Dunbar Illick

  • $700.00, paid in full

    Payment can be made via check made out to Princeton Family Center for Education, PO Box 331, Pennington, NJ 08534 or via Venmo (@Princeton-FamilyCenter) or PayPal (https://paypal.me/pfce).

For more information or to indicate your interest, contact Lee Gardner at info@princetonfamilycenter.org or call 609.203.0162.

HOW TO REGISTER: Contact Lee Gardner at info@princetonfamilycenter.org or call 609.203.0162 to indicate your interest.

Course Objectives

This introductory series of four meetings will provide participants an opportunity to learn and understand more about one’s own family of origin and the part self plays in relationships within family, work, and social systems.

In order to participate in the program, enrollment in the entire series is required.

Email us to arrange virtual or in-person meetings for your group or for yourself.

  • Please email us at info@princetonfamilycenter.org to arrange virtual or in-person meetings for your group or for yourself.

  • Lee S. Gardner, LCSW

  • $400, paid in advance

    The fee includes four sessions.

    Payment shall be made and sent to: Princeton Family Center for Education, PO Box 331, Pennington, NJ 08534 or via Venmo (@Princeton-FamilyCenter) or PayPal.

For more information contact Lee Gardner at info@princetonfamilycenter.org or call 609.203.0162.