From 1954 to 1959, Bowen worked at the National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, where he continued to develop the theory that would be named after him: "Bowen Theory." At that time, family therapy was still only a by-product of theory. Bowen did his initial research on parents who lived with one adult schizophrenic child, which he thought could provide a paradigm for all children. After defining the field of "family therapy" he started integrating new concepts with the theory, noting that none of this had previously been addressed in the psychological literature. His approach gained national attention within two years of its introduction.