View this email in your browser

Onyx Monthly Newsletter

December 2021

And just like that...we are in December!

2021 seems to have flown by and I can honestly say it was a jam-packed year on so many levels. Onyx had a number of wins this year, so many moments that we were proud of and we feel made an impact on our DC, Maryland, and Virginia family, and the greater community at large. We got the opportunity to work with some of the most influential and trending publications - Forbes, The Washingtonian, and Shape Magazine just to name a few. These different opportunities allowed Onyx Therapy Group to position themselves in the mental health field as the group truly leading the pack on transformative healing.

Here’s a breakdown of some of our favorite moments from 2021!

In January, we launched our LinkedIn Spillin’ The Tea with Dr. P, a segment where Dr. Plummer sits down with a different guest each month to discuss various topics and how mental health plays a part in all of them. We also started partnerships with Ethel’s Club and Blackgrlthngs, two platforms that highlight the black and brown community and the work that they do with women of color.

In February, we celebrated Black History Month and enjoyed our second Spillin’ The Tea with Dr. P to chat about Black history and the beverage industry, check out Uncle Nearest for the best whiskey in the game.

We celebrated Women’s History Month in March, took part in a Night of Hope and Healing on the OWN Network, and began our work with Flikshop, a small business that strives to keep incarcerated people connected to their friends and families.

April showers brought abundance as we recognized World Health Day, celebrated Earth Day, and stood in solidarity with the victims of sexual assault. In May we focused on mental health and motherhood and celebrated the mothers of Onyx Therapy Group, and in June we celebrated Pride and Black fatherhood and highlighted fathers in our culture that are making a difference. We had a very special conversation with Dr. Plummer’s father Vincent Plummer and he gave us his insight into his experience over the years and his beloved relationship with his daughter, Dr. Plummer.

July began with our feature in the Washingtonian about prioritizing mental health as a CEO and ended with Forbes and understanding why the masses of people don’t want to go back to the conventional workplace. In August, we chatted with our friends from BlackgrlThings about using their platforms for the common good and body positivity. We had a wonderful Spillin’ the Tea w/ Dr. P and Dr. Michelle Ross of Ladykind, discussing CBD and mental health benefits. The seasons changed and we shifted our minds from sun and fun to embracing change and growth. In September, Dr. Plummer participated in Goldman Sachs One Million Woman virtual event to discuss ways to manage their mental wellness, health, and self care practices. She also provided her expertise for Shape Magazine and discussed how to navigate a breakup and feeling “stuck”.

October and November were phenomenal as we honored our veterans, teamed up with The Forward Promise Podcast, and discussed the mental health outlook of our young men and boys of color. We officially launched our Blog, podcast, and revamped our Youtube channel, check it all out…

We pay homage..

2021 was a year of many highs, but many lows in the mental health world.

So many pillars of our community transitioned from this earth to be with our ancestors. The loss of these Black men really took a toll on our community in many ways, but I can attest to the fact that it highlighted just how much our people suffer in silence with addiction, depression, familial struggles, and underlying health problems. All of this puts mental health under the microscope, and really allows you to see and hopefully understand that we all grow through what we go through, some may just come out on the other side and others may not.

REST IN POWER -

DMX

Eric Jerome Dickey

Markie Dee

Black Rob

Shock G

Chi Modu

Biz Markie

Paul Johnson

Chucky Thompson

Michael K Williams

Onyx believes in transformative healing.

This healing can come in the form of reaching out to receive counseling services and it may also mean finding new ways to practice self care. It doesn’t matter, no action is too small and every action toward mental clarity is big in the grand scheme of saving your own life or those that you hold dear to your heart.

Onyx’s Educational Consultant, activist and Educator Desiree Brown wrote a beautiful piece on our blog on how we are grieving through these losses as a people. It’s definitely worth a read!

BLOG/PODCAST

Have you been keeping up with the Onyx blog?! In October, we launched the Onyx Blog where our clinical and educational teams write about various topics that affect our mental health and community. They blend their expertise and knowledge on mental health with their personal experiences and creative minds to construct very moving pieces.

A usual taboo topic - menopause was the main subject of one of our November pieces. Women make up half the population and eventually every one of those women will experience menopause, yet no one talks about it. Hopefully this article will open a door for a much larger conversation to be had...

We also launched Onyx Therapy Group - The Podcast, available wherever you stream podcasts! You can now listen to episodes 1-7 of, “Spillin’ The Tea with Dr. P,” where conversation topics range from wellness and mental health, Pride Month, the struggle of applying and paying for college as a POC, healing as a survivor, and more. New episodes go live every Friday so stay tuned!

Thank you for your support in 2021.

We are the community in which we serve and we appreciate each and every one of you.

The months are just melting away and there’s only one month left of 2021! Don’t worry though, Onyx is still working hard to help those in need manage their mental health problems. As things begin to shift with new rules and regulations, and of course our everyday issues, Onyx is here to help.

Take a look at Onyx in the media from last month!

November 10th: Forward Promise Podcast

Dr. Plummer joined Dr. Rhonda Bryant on the Forward Promise Podcast to talk about dehumanization and its influence on the work being done at Onyx as well as discussing their transformative healing. They also go over their definitions of healing and thriving past their traumas.

November 12th : Panel discussion with Dr. Plummer and guests

November 20th : Huffington Post article

Dr. Plummer was recently featured in a Huffington Post UK article around the topic of how we as Black women feel anxiety in regards to our hair, in more spaces than not. Highlighting how much judgment Black women feel from non-black peers in the workspace, the author, Habiba Katsha, quotes Dr. Plummer perfectly: “Black women did not choose their hair type and since many of their hair types are not welcomed or labeled inappropriately, they have been batting with acceptance first with themselves and then with the world.

November 20th : Spillin the Tea with Dr. P and Dr. Ajita Robinson

Dr. Plummer got the chance to chat with Dr. Ajita Robinson, a grief and trauma therapist, to discuss grief and trauma during the holiday season as well as ways to deal with those emotions in a healthy way.

Upcoming Events

December 1st : Flikshop School of Business Panel on Business and Mental Health

December 16th at 2pm: Spillin the Tea with Dr. P and guest Curtis Young of Artistic Noise

Partnership with SAVE.org. It is the nation’s leading nonprofit suicide prevention agency working to prevent suicide through public awareness and education.

ONYX IS HIRING!

Take a look at the postings below and spread the word, we are looking to add to our team!

GET TO KNOW THE ONYX TEAM!

Congratulations to Andrea Jones of the Education team!

She wrote a full curriculum on social media and mental health for middle school students adapted from a curriculum written by Clinical Director Shanelle Clay. It is an amazing curriculum with 6 weeks of lessons and extension activities.

Keep up the great work!

Happiest of Birthdays to our December team members!

Miriam Lane - December 1st

Maegan Marcano - December 8th

BE SURE TO FOLLOW US ONLINE @ONYXTHERAPYGROUP AND SUBSCRIBE TO THE YOUTUBE CHANNEL TO STAY UP TO DATE ON ALL OF THE IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS ONYX IS A PART OF!

Contacts for Crisis

National Suicide Lifeline: 1-800-273-8355; or dial 988

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY)

Mental Health Crisis Hotline (DC): 1-888-7WE-HELP

Mental Health Crisis Hotline (MD): 301-429-2185

Mental Health Crisis Hotline (PA): 1-888-796-8226

Follow us!

Based in Washington DC, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, Onyx Therapy Group is dedicated to cultivating and strengthening the community through mental health practices. With a focus on direct clinical work, professional development/training, and sourcing, Onyx Therapy Group incorporates the values of integrity, respect, loyalty, community, culture, and excellence. As an organization, Onyx Therapy Group has over 15 years in mental health work and 20 years of education and skill-based practice that has positively impacted individuals, educators, and organizations nationally. Onyx Therapy Group is a Black, Woman, Veteran-owned business that believes in and designs transformative healing