Founders
Bowen Theory Education Center, BTEC, was founded in 2005? when Jean Blackburn, Linda Dwyer, and Bill Dwyer sat at a pub and dreamed of bringing a Training Program to the Chattanooga, Tennessee, spreading the knowledge of Bowen Theory to the southeast.
Jean Blackburn
Founder
President
Faculty
Psychiatric - Mental Health Clinical Specialist
Licensed by States of Tennessee and Georgia
Certified by American Nurses Association
Postgraduate Training Bowen Theory and Psychotherapy
Bowen Center for the Study of Family, Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Master of Science in Nursing
Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Florida State University Tallahassee, Florida
Jean has been a practicing registered nurse for 52 years. She prepared as an advanced practice nurse in 1972-73. Enrolled in the postgraduate program at the Georgetown Family Center in 1975. She began her career as a Bowen Theory therapist in 1975 and opened her private practice, "Family Systems Therapy" in 1978. She has continued to study Bowen Theory and its application to the human condition since 1975. She has frequently lectured on the topic of Bowen theory to various community groups, such as Vanderbilt University Graduate Students, Chattanooga Area Pastoral Care students, and centers that provide direct care to persons with psychiatric issues. She has supervised graduate students in their field placement as they learned Bowen Theory.
Dr. William Dwyer
Founder
Vice President
Faculty
Psychiatric-Mental Health Clinical Specialist
Licensed as a Physician in the State of Tennessee, MD 4071
Member American Medical Association, Tennessee Medical Association and Hamilton County Medical Society
Member of the American College of Surgeons
Board Certified in Surgery by the American College of Surgeons
Serves as Treasurer for the Bowen Archives Project of Leaders for Tomorrow
Dr. Bill Dwyer graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Science degree and then attended Medical School at the University of Tennessee Medical Units in Memphis. Following the granting of his Medical Degree in 1960, he interned in Chicago at Michael Reese Hospital. Finishing there, he served in the Army Medical Corps until 1963 when he entered the Surgery Residency Program at the City of Memphis Hospitals. Upon completing his four year Residency in Surgery, he performed a Fellowship in Surgery at the Lahey Clinic in Boston, and then moved to Chattanooga to establish a practice in General and Cancer Surgery. During this period of his life he came to know and admire the work of a fellow Physician, Dr. Murray Bowen, whose studies led to the theory of human behavior which bears his name. It was after retiring in 1997 that Dr. Dwyer decided to further his studies in Bowen Family Systems Theory at the Georgetown Family Center. This Post-graduate work continued for five years, and he began his practice in Family Systems Therapy in 2002. His office is located at 301 Belvoir Avenue in Chattanooga.
Linda Dwyer
Founder
Director
Faculty
Psychiatric-Mental Health Clinical Specialist
Licensed in the State of Tennessee
Certified by American Nurses Association
Linda graduated from the University of Tennessee Medical Units Memphis in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She formed and coordinated the Cancer Team at Erlanger Hospital in 1979, which led to the development of Hospice of Chattanooga. Her special interest in Cancer led to an interest in Family Systems and to Graduate School at Vanderbilt University where she completed a Masters Degree in Psychiatric Nursing in 1981. She then became the Director of Nursing and later Director of the Adult Program at Valley Psychiatric Hospital.
She did 5 years of Post-graduate work at the Georgetown Family Center and has been in private clinical practice in Chattanooga for the past 25 years, with an office at 551 Oak Street, until recently when she moved her office to 301 Belvoir Avenue in Chattanooga.