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Training
The mission of the Vermont Center for Family Studies is to strengthen families and communities by improving human relationships. We do this through the training of expert family therapists, advisors, leaders, and family members in Bowen Family Systems Theory.
Conferences DEI UNDER PRESSURE: A SYSTEMS VIEW OF ANXIETY, TRIANGLES, & ORGANIZATIONAL LIFE
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2026
1 PM – 3 PM ET
RECOMMENDED FOR 2 CEUs
This session with Sriram Sridharan, MA, MLHR explores diversity and inclusion through the lens of systems thinking, with particular attention to the role of chronic anxiety and triangling in organizational life.
Drawing on Bowen Family Systems Theory, the presentation considers how well-intentioned leaders, employees, and support functions can become caught in cycles that intensify reactivity rather than reduce it and shape patterns of relationship.
Participants will be invited to consider how triangles form, how they function under pressure, and what this may reveal about leadership, conflict, and adaptivity in complex systems. The focus will be on observing these dynamics and exploring what it might mean to lead with greater clarity and differentiation in the midst of them.
Sriram Sridharan, MA, MLHR is a consultant with a background in diversity, leader development, and change. He brings over 20 years of experience helping organizations foster diversity, and achieve missional goals. Before founding his consulting practice, Sriram served as the first Vice President of Diversity at a faith-based non-profit. His innovative leadership led to the creation of multiple diversity product streams, including training programs, consultative services, and data-driven initiatives.
Sriram holds a Masters of Management in Labor and Human Resources and a Master of Arts in Comparative Studies from The Ohio State University, his thesis being on Organizational Folklore. He has also earned certificates in Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Management from Georgetown University and Integrated Mission Leadership from the Oxford Center for Mission Studies. Currently, he continues to expand his knowledge through postgraduate work in Family Systems Theory.
Symposium TALES OF FAMILY LEADERSHIP: ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM ON BOWEN FAMILY SYSTEMS THEORY
TBD
The Annual Vermont Symposium on Bowen theory offers a day of brief presentations by thinkers with an interest in emotional process in families and other groups. Participants will enjoy short talks on the application of family theory to practical challenges- in one’s own family, clinical or organizational settings. Please join us for what promises to be a stimulating day, with something for everyone.
Differentiated Universal Self
Bowen theory describes the family as an emotional unit, a “group self” that spans generations. Our degrees of self are shaped by something larger than our brains. In this way, family systems thinking incorporates an expanded view of self.
The concept of a “Differentiated Universal Self” builds on this. Is there a universal dimension of self that connects everything? Bowen theory doesn’t answer this outright, but it offers a framework for exploring how differentiation and transcendence are related.
Professional Training Program Paused for 2026 - 2027 Session
