Diana Clark is OPG’s Chief of Clinical Operations. She is a renowned family recovery advocate in the field of addiction and mental health treatment. With a Master’s Degree in Psychology from Antioch New England Graduate School in 1997, Diana has been aiding families during times of turmoil for over 20 years.
Prior to her work in the mental health field, Diana was a practicing labor and employment attorney advising employers in the implementation of clear and compassionate policies. As a specialist in both family systems and parenting, Diana is a recognized force of clear speech, logic, and loving acceptance, and has helped thousands of family members establish healthy boundaries, manage expectations appropriately, and develop plans for their families.
Diana has developed and facilitated numerous workshops for families and professionals and is also the author of the book: Addiction Recovery: A Family’s Journey, which offers guidance for family members of those struggling with substance use disorders and mental health concerns.
What you’ll learn about in this episode:
• Diana’s background and how she ended up in her particular area of familial care.
• Definitions of entitlement and how it shows up in the contemporary landscape.
• Separating entitlement from narcissism; considering patterns of behavior and deeper conditions.
• The role of parents in enabling entitlement and the shifts across generations.
• How these family dynamics enter into the business realm.
• How entitlement relates to and results in chronic disappointment.
• The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ‘age of entitlement’.
• Disconnection within family structures — the most problematic features.
• Diana’s four questions for dealing with all issues connected to entitlement.
• Pathways to resilience and strengthening our natural capacity to deal with difficulties.
• The advice that Diana offers clients for moving away from entitlement.
• A ‘letter of resignation’ that Diana uses and how it embodies the right approach.
Tweetables:
“Entitlement develops through a pattern of behavior. Narcissism as a clinical disorder comes from a wound. Entitlement doesn’t necessarily.” — Diana Clark [0:08:18]
“When I hear entitlement, I see it as a family issue, not a kid issue, not a millennial issue. It goes back to a shift in parenting.” — Diana Clark [0:11:01]
Facebook Posts:
“I learned very quickly that families become distorted in some ways, but certainly organized around somebody with a mental health or addictive disorder.” — Diana Clark [0:03:39]
“A parent who is balanced, will listen, empathize with the idea like, ‘Wow, that must be a tough hurdle for you’, and not leap in to fix it. That’s the healthiest approach.” — Diana Clark [0:17:12]
Additional Resources:
Website: https://oconnorpg.com/
Book: https://www.amazon.com/Addiction-Recovery-Familys-Diana-Clark/dp/1492862339
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-clark-jd-ma-02128031
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OconnorProfessionalGroup
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OConnorPG
Podcast: https://oconnorpg.com/podcast/
Phone Number: (802) 236-0145
Letter of Resignation:
Links Mentioned:
Antioch New England Graduate School
Family Firm Institute Conference
Sharon Spano:
Website: sharonspano.com
Book: thetimemoneybook.com
Events: sharonspano.com/workshops
Contact: sharon@sharonspano.com
Twitter: twitter.com/SharonSpano