Dr LaNail R. Plummer Of Onyx Therapy Group On What Mothers Can Do to Heal Emotionally and Physically After a Challenging Childbirth
An Interview With Lucinda Koza
Journal to track thoughts and be completely honest. Share this journal with your therapist.
Childbirth can be a beautiful yet challenging experience that impacts women both emotionally and physically. The journey to recovery is often filled with unique hurdles and personal growth. We are featuring professionals who have helped moms navigate this journey to share their stories and insights on the steps they use to help people heal emotionally and physically after a challenging childbirth. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. LaNail R. Plummer.
Dr. LaNail R. Plummer is the CEO/Founder of Onyx Therapy Group, a Black mental health organization headquartered in DC with footprints across Maryland, Pennsylvania, and South Africa. Founded in 2013, Dr. Plummer and her team of over 30 all Black/women of color have a collective 50+ years experience across mental health, specializing in the care of young women; the Black community; and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Working with individuals, federal agencies and organizations, Onyx is dedicated to cultivating and strengthening the community through mental health and educational practices, including psychological theories, educational models, and culturally embracing experiences. A US Military Veteran, mother of two teens, and set to become a first time author in 2025, Dr. Plummer has shared her health and wellness expertise with Tedx, Essence Fest, Forbes, Ebony, Glamour, and more.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you tell us a bit about you and your backstory?
As a child, I was always curious about the mind and people’s abilities and actions related to their decision making process. I didn’t know that it was called psychology but I knew that some people were really successful at making decisions that aligned with the life they wanted to have, while others experienced obstacles, both economic, education, social, and emotional, that negatively impact their decision making process. Inasmuch, I entered the field nearly 20 years ago, to be a bridge between who one currently is and who she wants to be. Regarding working with mothers, I became interested after I experienced a late onset of postpartum depression seven months after giving birth to my second child, my son. As a therapist, I was accustomed to postpartum occurring shortly after giving birth, however the concept of a late onset of PPD, was relatively unfamiliar and thus unexpected. However, as soon as I began to experience the symptoms, I knew the answer was to immediately enter therapy, to be both preventative and responsive. And, it helped. So later, I wanted to be able to help other birthing people. Currently, I work with several types of clients, however when person is seeking to get pregnant, I adjust the client’s treatment plans, goals, objectives, and interventions to ensure they set the foundation to be the type of parent they want to be… and oftentimes that includes addressing any unresolved childhood challenges, perceptions about their parents parental styles, breaking generational cycles, learning skills that were underdeveloped such as communication, problem solving, handling conflicts, and emotional identification, and emotional regulation.
Can you share a bit about your professional background and what led you to work in this field?
As a matter of social justice, it is important to ask and clarify what and how a birthing person wants to be identified. Some people will identify as a mother, others may be a surrogate, others may be in the LBGTQ community and be more masculine of center or a Transperson and don’t see themselves as a mother. Ok, in addressing the question at hand, the healing process starts before birth and delivery. Similar to physical health, there is always the option to lay a foundation of prevention to avoid certain traumas and to mitigate issues and challenges that one can expect. Therefore, the first step is setting up an effective and healthy emotional foundation. The following steps should include deep and honest emotional exploration of the conception process and pregnancy journey, as it reflects to the reality of that clients birthing and delivery process. In other words, how did it differ than what they hoped and dreamed it would be. Another early step is to establish a non-judgemental, non-instrusive, and non-comparison support group that may include people that can be called at unexpected times of the day, for random topics, and with the consistency of holding emotional space and ease.
What are the first steps you recommend to begin the healing process after childbirth, and how can they help women cope with the initial emotional and physical aftermath? Did you recommend support from healthcare professionals, family, or community groups during your recovery? If so, how did their involvement contribute to your healing journey?
My recommendation is centered on “and” not “or”. Each group of people, whether it’s a family member, friend, or professional, will add value to the healing process. Some of the added value may be professional, as a clinician uses research and techniques to aid in healing; whereas a family member can hold emotional space, and a friend can provide resources and connections to support the healing process. To me, it’s akin to a birthing person being the center of a circle and everyone wraps around them to support them, but also to protect them from further harm, including judgement from others. So, it’s more “and” vs “or”.
Are there any specific practices, such as mindfulness, therapy, or physical exercises, that you think play a significant role in emotional and physical recovery?
The body is one. Many people like to separate physical health and healing from emotional health and healing. But it can’t be done. A person dealing with a physical health illness may not take their medication if they are depressed, anxious, or have certain traumas. So mental health and physical health are connected. With a birthing person, there are so many new hormones that are released in the person’s body. There are hormones that can contribute to a chemical imbalance that will cause an onset of a mental health issue. Therefore the treatment needs to be both physical and emotional. So yes, physical movement (no less than 30 mins per day to increase the heart rate, release adrenaline, increase the digestion process, and promote a serotonin release), spiritual alignment or realignment (prayers, refreshing music, yoga, mindfulness, aromatherapy, time in nature, mediation [apps & YouTube are great], encouraging and motivating messages, changes in social media algorithms to include mantras) and therapy. Therapy, therapy, therapy. Oh, to have 1 hour a week to just talk about yourself and your experiences, to uncover suppressed emotions, to address distorted thoughts, to release survival elements that no longer serve you, and to increase and practice new skills that will transform you into the person you want to be. That’s magical, right?
Can you please share “5 Things You Need to Heal Emotionally and Physically After a Challenging Childbirth”?
1 . Preventative mental health care
2 . Community of nonjudgmental and objective family and friends
3 . Access and application to physical and spiritual health outlets
4 . Positive time alone to get or remain grounded
5 . Journal to track thoughts and be completely honest. Share this journal with your therapist.
In what ways do you think society is good at supporting a new mother recovering from a traumatic birthing experience?
While we talk about “society” it’s largely dictated by men. Many of our publications and research are approved by men so the voices of birthing women are still suppressed. We know they are there but they are not promoted. So the gift thing is — listen to the voices of these people. Society will change when the voices of those who actually give birth are louder than any other voice! Always!
In what ways can society improve at supporting new moms recovering from childbirth?
On the plane, the trained flight attendants tell us to put on our oxygen masks before we put on the mask for our children. The rationale is that once the adult is secure, the child will thrive. It’s tough to expect a child to survive, thrive, or even live without a parent. The birthing person must prioritize self. That does not look like the denial of the child. But it does mean that the parent must be the priority. No community allows for a baby to suffer therefore the community will always lean in to ensure a baby is well. However, there needs to be more emphasis on the well being of the birthing person so they, too, can be well. This includes but not limited to, extended and fully paid “new parents” leave for no less than 6 months, respectable and solid healthcare recovery to include home visits by doctors, nurses, and midwives, access to high quality and affordable food, increased mental health days for up to 18 months, gym and physical movement classes as a work benefit, and acknowledgement and acceptance of the phases of birth and post birth.
Wonderful. We are nearly done. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
I’d love to share a meal with so many people. Actually, I can’t confirm that I would eat… ha! I would probably have way too many questions and verbalized thoughts to actually enjoy the meal. But I would love to have tea with so many people. Yikes. Ok. Let’s see- I’d love to have tea with my great grandmother, Linnie, and my grandmother, Evelyn. Both have passed away and serve as my spiritual guides. But I would love to have a bit of time with them now that I am a married woman with my own adult children. I’d love to ask them about their journeys and how they navigated tough times. I’d love to ask them about their decisions and their dreams. I’d love to ask them how they think I am doing as a mother, wife, professional, and overall woman. I’d love to sit at their feet and let them touch my scalp, rub my back, and give me kisses on my cheek.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Ohhhhh what a great question! Mental health movement!!! Let’s go!!! A therapist for everyone. Every person should experience therapy for at least 1 year. The onset age of the service may vary. Some may benefit from therapy as children, some may benefit during adolescence or young adulthood, others may need it at different transitions in their lives. Despite the age, every since person should experience therapy for at least 1 year of their life!
How can our readers follow your work online?
Readers can follow Onyx Therapy Group on all socials platforms @onyxtherapygroup (YouTube, Instagram, Linkedin), and check out our website at www.onyxtherapygroup.com.
If readers want to know more about me, they can follow me on Instagram @mahoganysunshine and on LinkedIn under Dr. LaNail R. Plummer.
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
About the Interviewer: After becoming her father’s sole caregiver at a young age, Lucinda Koza founded I-Ally, a community-based app that provides access to services and support for millennial family caregivers. Mrs. Koza has had essays published in Thought Catalog, Medium Women, Caregiving.com and Hackernoon.com. She was featured in ‘Founded by Women: Inspiration and Advice from over 100 Female Founders’ by Sydney Horton. A filmmaker, Mrs. Koza premiered short film ‘Laura Point’ at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and recently co-directed ‘Caregivers: A Story About Them’ with Egyptian filmmaker Roshdy Ahmed. Her most notable achievement, however, has been becoming a mother to fraternal twins in 2023. Reach out to Lucinda via social media or directly by email: lucinda@i-ally.com.
