This is a 2-year part-time training programme designed to teach Bowen theory and its applications in our lives, families, and work.

• Learn to take a broad view of situations, and not only focus on the symptoms.
• Learn the basic concepts and clinical strategies of Bowen theory.
• Learn to apply systems thinking to dealing with the challenges arising from daily life and work situations.
• Undertake research of their own families, and develop better understanding of their functioning patterns in families and important relationships.
• Learn the connection between the family systems theory and the natural sciences.

• Lectures/presentations/discussions of theory, teaching videos, group and individual supervision, clinical conferences, and Institute conferences.
• The programme also provides a practicum at the Family Institute for trainees to work with clients to apply Bowen theory in their clinical work. Trainees can have the option of working with cases in their own clinical settings.

• Trainees can have the option of undertaking practicum to learn the application of Bowen theory in clinical work.
• Trainees must show sufficient personal and professional maturity in order to see clients. Ethical guidelines for clinical work are based on the Hong Kong Professional Counselling Association (HKPCA) Code of Ethics (2021 Revision). Trainees are advised to review this material thoroughly.
• Trainees are expected to undertake 150 hours of clinical practice in the two-year training programme. Trainees can take about 2 interviews per week. Trainees can start to take cases in Jan. 2025.
• Trainees can have the option of working with cases in their own clinical settings.
• Trainees can accumulate the clinical hours and supervision hours for application as Certified Counsellor from the Hong Kong Professional Counselling Association (HKPCA) and Certified Marriage and Family Therapist from the Hong Kong Marriage and Family Therapy Association (HKMFTA).

• Masters degree in Counselling, Psychology, Social Work, and related human services.
• This programme is designed to professionals in mental health, social services, pastoral care, human resources, and organizational management.
  Motivation to learn and practice Bowen theory in one’s work, and family.
• Applicants should have a basic understanding of Bowen theory. They should have received at least 36 hours of training on Bowen theory from the ISS Family Institute (including Basic Course on BFST, plus any of the courses/workshops organized by the ISS Family Institute).
  (Note: BFS T stands for Bowen Family Systems Theory or Therapy.)

Applicants should complete the attached application form, and send it to the ISS Family Institute together with an application fee of $100 before August 23, 2024. Prospective applicants will be interviewed and assessed by the Programme Director as to their suitability to enroll in this programme.

 Year 1:  Oct. 2024 – July 2025      Saturday        2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. 

This is a ten-month training programme which involves 4 hours of class (Theory/ presentation/ discussion), 4 hours of group supervision, and 1 hour of individual supervision per month, plus 2 clinical conferences (6 hours) for the school year, totaling 80 hours a year. Class time usually takes place on the last Saturday afternoon of each month, except when it is a public holiday. This will involve lectures, teaching videos, dialogue, presentations by trainees on different aspects of the theory and its applications.

Trainees are also expected to attend the Institute conference. Date to be confirmed.

(Oct. 26, Nov. 30, Dec. 14, 2024, and Jan. 18, Mar. 29, Apr. 26, May 24 & July 26, 2025)

Each group will consist of 5-6 members. Group supervision sessions will take place on other Saturday afternoons (2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.), or Saturday mornings (9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m). Group members will fix the schedule of their group supervision sessions according to their availability and the availability of their supervisor.

Group supervision will focus on application of Bowen theory in clinical work, management of self in family-of-origin, work settings and important social relationships.

Each trainee will have individual supervision with the supervisor once (1 hour) (outside the class and group supervision time) every month during the school year. Trainees will examine their understanding of the theory, and application of the theory in clinical work, family-of-origin, work settings and social relationships. Trainees will also practice doing research of their families.

(Feb. 22, 2025 and June 28, 2025 (Sat)  2:00 pm – 5:00 pm)

There will be 2 Clinical Conferences each year.  The instructor or guest faculty will present a lecture on a particular theme followed by discussion of a clinical case that illustrate the theme. Discussion will focus on the application of the theory in conceptualizing the problems and in implementing the clinical strategies and techniques with the clients.

To enrich the exposure of the trainees to system thinkers from the broader Bowen network, the Family Institute organizes conferences led by faculty members of the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family (Washington DC, U.S.A.) or leaders of approved network programmes of the Bowen Center. Trainees are expected to attend the Institute Conference. Date to be confirmed.

The Family Institute also organizes Family Systems Symposium for students of this Programme, local and and overseas Bowen theory learners to share from the Bowen theory perspective, their subject of interest or research to the public.  Students of this Programme are expected to attend or participate as presenters.

Trainees will be given a reading list on Bowen theory. Trainees of this programme have access to the library of the Family Institute which consists of books, articles, audiovisual resources on Bowen theory produced by the Bowen Center and other network programmes.

Trainees are expected to do much personal reading on the theory.

Year 1: HK$26,000
(COF / One-off payment before Sept. 27, 2024:  HK$24,700)

Year 2: HK$26,000
(COF / One-off payment before Sept. 27, 2025:  HK$24,700)

Payments can be made annually by two installments (half of the annual fee), to be paid before  Sept. 24 and Jan. 15 of each year.

Is this training programme recognized by any international organizations?

The Bowen Center for the Study of the Family, Washington D.C., U.S.A., is the leading agency providing training on Bowen theory. Its website lists The ISS Family Institute as one of the 16 organizations with programmes that “are directed by people who trained extensively at the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family and who are in close contact with the most recent developments in Bowen theory and the science that informs theory”.

The ISS Family Institute has close relationship with the Bowen Center for the Study of Family.

• It organizes regular conferences presented by the faculty of the Bowen Center.
• Its Director of Programme, Mrs. Peggy Chan, regularly attends the meetings and conferences organized by the Bowen Center in Washington, D.C. Mr. Chan is currently participating in an advanced programme (Research Seminar) of the Bowen Center.
• Mrs. Chan has presented at the Bowen Center’s 51st Annual Symposium (Nov.,2014) in Virginia, and was a plenary speaker at the 1st International Conference on Bowen Family Systems Theory at Pittsburg, Pennslvania in August, 2015.
• Mrs. Chan is currently a member of the Bowen Network Programme for the Advancement of Bowen Theory, and collaborates with other Bowen theory training centres around the world to promote better teaching and learning of Bowen theory.

How can I benefit from this training programme?

Through in-depth study of how human emotional systems function, trainees will learn a comprehensive framework on how to understand human functioning and relationships. Trainees will get regular coaching on how to apply the theory to their clinical practice, work and family relationships, so that they can solve problems and manage themselves effectively in these arenas.

How can this programme help me in my counselling work?

Through learning Bowen theory, this programme helps the counselor to take a broad view of the clients’ situation, and also to have a firm grasp of the underlying emotional forces that impact on the family members. It helps the counselor to understand the functional patterns of the family system and its members, and not only focus on solving the presenting problems. The counselor will guide the clients to have fundamental changes in their functioning patterns, so that the clients will be more effective in future relationships. This theory sees the family as an emotional unit, and that members’ functioning is heavily influenced by one another. This offers the counselor flexibility in the target clients to work with. The counselor can work with any member of the family to address his/her participation in the problem, even though the person having the presenting problem refuses to come.

I am not a counselor, can I still benefit from this programme?

Bowen theory offers very useful concepts to understand human functioning in social systems or relationship networks. It provides a roadmap or blue print for us to lead a functional life and solve problems in our relationships. Besides clinical work, it has been applied to a great variety of settings, such as work relationships, organizational management, pastoral or church settings, and international relationships. Therefore, anyone interested in self-change, and in enhancing one’s functioning in his/her relationship networks, will find this programme useful.

What is family research? Why is it an important part of this training programme?

Dr. Bowen found out that the interns who had undertaken family-of- origin work did better with their clinical work besides having better functioning families. Our families are thus seen as a laboratory for trying out our new behaviours, and for learning Bowen theory experientially. By doing family research, trainees study the functioning patterns of their families-of-origin, how anxiety plays out in their family systems, how they have positioned themselves to their family members, and how they can function better. Family research provides the opportunity for the trainees to integrate the theory experientially, and is a very important part of our learning.