November 2025

Greetings from the Faculty of CFC to our community of support.

I am writing to ask you to consider a contribution to the annual Center for Family Consultation fundraising campaign. Your financial support is essential to the growth and vitality of the Center for Family Consultation. Your generous donations support the costs of bringing guest scientists to present their research at conferences, as well as the costs of the technology required for programs. What we most appreciate is your recognition of the importance of Bowen Theory and your vote of confidence in the CFC mission.

This has been a tumultuous year in our nation. To see it in context, I find myself revisiting Murray Bowen’s writing on the emotional process in society. The main concerns he was looking at were related to global warming and the increasing awareness of the human impact on the environment. Looking to the future, he wrote: “Man is moving into crises of unparalleled proportions…different than he has faced before.” Fifty years after he wrote this, those crises are unfolding around the world. Increasing chronic anxiety is evident in the high level of social unrest and government dysfunction in our divided nation.

Bowen theory does not have any easy answers. It does offer a different way of thinking based on the core concept of differentiation of self. Dr. Bowen outlines the processes that facilitate the development of more harmonious, collaborative, and productive communities and societies.

“In a small or large social system, the move toward individuality is initiated by a single, strong leader with the courage of his conviction who can assemble a team, and who has clearly defined principles on which he can base his decisions when the emotional opposition becomes intense. A society with higher levels of individuality provides great growth for individuals in the group, it handles anxiety well, decisions are based on principle, and the group is attractive to new members.”

This is a model for responsible leadership and citizenship. It is the mission of Center for Family Consultation to introduce it to all who are searching for a deeper understanding of human behavior. Please consider supporting our work with a financial contribution if you can. Keep informed about our Conferences, Postgraduate Training Program, courses and study groups and subscribe to our substack blog and quarterly newsletter.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Ferrera

with CFC Faculty:
Robert J. Noone
Sydney Reed
Leslie Fox
Kelly Matthews-Pluta
Lisa Moss
Cecilia Guzman
John Bell
Patty T. Sheridan
Jennifer Howe
Lisa Friedstein
Terri Pilarski