|
The Family Systems Institute specialises in post graduate training for professionals working with human systems (eg. mental health, education, health, religion, organisational / psychology).
The mission of the Institute is to develop and apply family systems
theory, as developed by Dr Murray Bowen, to assist people in their efforts
to improve relationships.
Institute Background
The plans to establish the Family Systems Institute in April 2004
have been in response to the request of many in the family therapy and counselling
community in Sydney to have a training venue in Dr Murray Bowen's model of Family
Systems. While training centres in the USA have been operating in this approach for
some decades, comprehensive training in Bowen's model is difficult to access in Australia.
Having trained at the Family Institute of Westchester New York in the early 90s,
Jenny Brown has been mindful of the value of a centre that offers both an introduction to Bowen's
theory as well as a comprehensive clinical program of supervision and training that allows for a
deeper grasp of this very broad model of relationship systems. A venue for therapists and others
to explore
their own family of origin in order to increase differentiation levels, is also an important
offering for personal and professional development.
Murray Bowen
Murray Bowen, 1913 - 1990, was a psychiatrist who
researched human behaviour in relationships and developed a theory about the
common patterns found in all emotional systems and how these patterns are
transmitted across generations.
As individuals react to tension in
relationships, predictable patterns of behaviour develop. Symptoms that
impact healthy functioning can be avoided as individuals learn how to hold
onto their thinking selves while at the same time remaining connected to
significant others.
"...I finally knew one
way through the impenetrable thicket which is the family emotional system."
Murray Bowen
Heritage
Betty Carter set up the Family Institute of Westchester in 1977 (FIW),
where Jenny Brown trained from 1992-1994.
The FIW has remained committed to providing a focused approach to theory and practice based
on Bowen's model with a parallel focus on
family life cycle concepts and socio cultural lenses. The Family Systems Institute
in Sydney is influenced by FIW's vision and looks forward to seeing its model evolve in
collaboration with trainees and faculty as the years proceed. The scholarship and experience
of other established Bowen Theory Training Institutes in the North America (the USA) will provide invaluable resources
for the Institute's work, in particular, The Bowen Centre for the study of the family
in Washington DC.
The Institute aims to provide a training setting that brings faculty and trainee's
thinking and research together in a collaborative manner.
| 
