Monthly Newsletter
September 2020
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Onyx partners with Heinz teaching fellows at University of Pittsburgh to discuss dual pandemics
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 Onyx’s educational consultants, Ayana Malone and Miriam Lane participated in the final sessions for the Heinz Teaching Fellows program alongside counselors, Shanelle Clay and Qiana Wright. The group spent time preparing mentally for their return to the classroom virtually or in-person. They also explored how they could support students and families as they deal with the "dual pandemics" of Covid-19 and the racial reckoning.
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Onyx’s CEO discusses the intersection of racism and mental health on the Today Show.
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Dr. LaNail R. Plummer, CEO of Onyx Therapy Group, was interviewed by Meghan Holohan of The Today Show where they discussed the intersection of racism and mental health, specifically among Black women. The interview primarily focused on blackness and womanhood in a white-centric, patriarchal society.
Dr. Plummer discussed the ways in which Black women are more susceptible to stress and how it’s our country’s responsibility to transform systems to make society safe and equitable for all people. The conversation also touched on the #BlackLivesMatter movement, the implications of support, and the challenges of overindulgence. On this topic, they also noted how non-blacks are responsible for educating themselves on these issues rather than relying on members of the Black community who often feel more pressure and stress when asked to explain their experiences.
The conversation also touched on how mental health is becoming a class-based issue. While many middle to upper class Black women are attending counseling at higher rates, we are seeing drastically fewer low-income Black women seeking mental health care. Dr. Plummer believes this may be connected to a number of factors, including: lack of access, lack of quality, lack of privacy, lack of understanding of the process, lack of belief in the process, and the traditional elements of taboo and shame.
At the end of the interview Dr. Plummer discussed the need for increased telemental health and for credentialed professionals working in virtual environments. Although receiving telemental health services may be easier to access, it’s not always safer or more accommodating to the individual in need of the counseling.
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Onyx CEO becomes member of Goldman Sachs 10,000 small business program
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 July 29 – Onyx’s CEO, Dr. LaNail R. Plummer, is one of the new cohort members of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program. This program is constructed to mentor and guide small businesses to become more lucrative. In light of the continued expansion of Onyx, this is extremely beneficial and we are proud of her.
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Onyx talks about back to school stress and helping parents and children cope
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 August 5 – Onyx Therapy Group’s CEO, Dr. LaNail R. Plummer, partnered with Desmond Walker of Nylinka School Solutions, LLC and co-panelists, Dr. Dana Crawford and Shannon McFadden to address education and mental health as parents prepare their children and themselves for the beginning of the school year. The speakers addressed the elements around emotional health in supporting students engaging in distance education as a result of COVID-19. The panellists offered recommendations for creating positive learning experiences in the home by separating school, work, and relaxation. They also encouraged parents to take care of themselves, while supporting their children.
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Onyx Educational Consultant talks about race and cultural socialization
August 6 – Onyx Therapy Group’s educational consultant, Miriam Lane, led a workshop for her latest cohort at Steel Smiling in Pittsburgh. The topic for Miriam's session focused on Race and Cultural Socialization, which was timely and welcome in our current climate. The cohort explored their personal viewpoints, their frustration, and their own histories in relation to the state of the world and the work they do as mental health street teams.
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Onyx celebrates the first year of its re-branding and the opening of the Pittsburgh office
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August 17 – What was once EMC2 Educational Consulting was rebranded to what is now known as Onyx Therapy Group, one year ago from today. For the past year, Onyx has been dedicated to healing and helping the community. When asked what is in store for Onyx going forward, Dr. LaNail R. Plummer stated, “We want to continue to expand. 2021 will be another year of expansion for us.” Speaking of expansion, Onyx is also celebrating the one year anniversary of the opening of its Pittsburgh office.
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Onyx discusses special education and learning and emotional challenges
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 August 20 – Onyx Therapy Group’s educational consultant, Desiree Brown, led a workshop for her latest cohort at Steel Smiling in Pittsburgh. Her session focused on understanding the world of special education and how often learning and emotional challenges show up for our children as disabilities identified by school districts. Many cohort members identified with the designation of "special education" through their families or friends but understood little as to how point A connected to point B.
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Onyx discusses the impacts of COVID-19 and the racial reckoning on students' and teachers' mental health
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 August 20 - Onyx Therapy Group’s Director of Educational Programming, Ayana Malone, partnered with School Leader Lab Friends and Partners to facilitate one of a two-part series that teaches staff members how COVID-19 and the racial reckoning are impacting the mental health of students and staff. These sessions are designed to raise awareness of how the past five months represent a collective trauma and how the parallel pandemics will affect how students and staff present for learning in the fall. Ayana will lead participants through guided discussions and exercises on how to build a comprehensive plan for supporting mental health wellness in schools. Part Two of the program will focus more on the students and will be held on September 16.
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Onyx talks about the importance of self-care for Black women obtaining their doctorate degrees
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 August 20 - Assistant Clinical Director, Shanelle Clay was invited to co-moderate the Black Women PhDs Wellness and Waistline Self-care Soca. Shanelle and the founder of Black Women PhDs, Dr. Dominiqua Griffin, facilitated a panel on self-care techniques from a Black Woman perspective when including the stressors associated with being a doctoral student or having your doctorate. The event was held virtually.
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Onyx participates in the Social Determinants of Community Well-Being Conference
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 August 23 – Onyx Therapy Group’s Clinical Supervisor and doctoral student, Shanelle Clay, was invited to co-host a round table discussion at the University of Southern California’s “Social Determinants of Community Well-Being Conference.” with Dr. Amanda Terry and doctoral candidate Olivia Ngadjui entitled, “Culturally Sensitive Counseling Supervision Models and Practices.” In this discussion, Shanelle and her colleagues hosted space for supervisors and supervisees to become aware of appropriate culturally intersected models.
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Onyx CEO talks about bisexuality
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August 26 – Onyx’s CEO, Dr. LaNail R. Plummer, was invited by Tagg Magazine to participate in a panel discussion with Rebecca Gunter and Vickey Casey entitled “bi the way.” The panel discussion focused on bisexuality and the freedom with identity. Dr. Plummer stated that, “Bisexual people often find themselves back in the closet because they are marginalized by both communities,” heterosexual and homosexual. She shares her own personal experience with identifying as bisexual by stating that “I constantly had to explain herself to educate or make others comfortable; so for a while, I used the term “lesbian” but that’s not fully who I am.”
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Onyx CEO talks about the importance of advocating for your own health as she shares a personal experience
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August 27 – Dr. LaNail R. Plummer joined the Center for Innovative GYN Care’s Director of Research and Community Outreach, Nilofar Kazi, to discuss the importance of advocating for your own health, especially when you are told that your own health is not essential. Dr. Plummer was scheduled to have a hysterectomy; however, the COVID-19 pandemic caused her surgery to get pushed back by four to six months. Knowing that she could no longer endure the pain that she was experiencing, she sought a second opinion. Seven weeks ago, Dr. Plummer had hysterectomy. During this discussion, Dr. Plummer shared the experiences she had with racism, perception of class and education. She shared her story because she believes “although we are a health company that focuses on mental health, it is important for me, to use my health as a platform to encourage people to check with their doctors to be health conscious. We are going to be focusing more on Black people and their health. It was important for me to use this opportunity to encourage others to talk about their own life.”
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Onyx CEO participates in a panel discussion, Blacks in Business: Learning from Black Entrepreneurs
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 August 31 – Marymount University invited Dr. LaNail R. Plummer and a group of esteemed black entrepreneurs to discuss business practices, challenges, capital growth, financial strategies and job development and expansion for our community. The panellists shared their inspirational stories and provided tips on overcoming obstacles.
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Future Events
September 1 – Dr. LaNail R. Plummer partners with DiscoverU Health to discuss the unspoken trauma of suicide for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.
September 16 – Ayana Malone is partnering with School Leader Lab Friends and Partners to discuss how COVID-19 and the racial reckoning are impacting the mental health of students
October 12 – Dr. LaNail R. Plummer will be presenting on the topic of “Coming Out” for National Coming Out Day at the University of Baltimore
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