Shannon Mick, NCC, LPC Finish Stronger Counseling

11/25/2025

Grieving the Loss of a Child

In this article, you will learn about grief, symptoms, and questions to ask yourself as you go through grief.

There are five helpful resources for grieving parents, families and healing professionals:

The Miscarriage Map Workbook; Pregnancy and Infant Loss at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital; Pittsburgh Bereavement Doulas; David Kessler’s (grief expert) teachings; Healing Reflections for a Grieving Mom’s Heart.

I share my personal story about going through child loss twice, how I made it through the two most painful events of my life, and what I’m doing today to remember my babies.

There are 13 things that I’ve done to help me through this, including getting a beautiful miscarriage awareness and baby memorial tattoo. [Trigger warning: sad story about miscarriage]

https://finishstrongercounseling.com/2023/05/30/how-to-grieve-the-loss-of-a-child/

In this article, you will learn about grief, symptoms, and questions to ask yourself as you go through grief. There are five helpful resources for grieving

11/18/2025

Hyperarousal vs Hypoarousal: Regulate your nervous system after trauma

What is trauma?

Trauma is a deeply disturbing or distressing experience that can impact people physically, psychologically, and emotionally.

The emotional distress following experiencing a traumatic event can be greater than someone's ability to cope.

Whether the trauma is a single catastrophic event, like a car accident and a terrorist attack, or a long-term exposure to a traumatic environment, such as child abuse, domestic violence, and war, all human beings are vulnerable to trauma....

Trauma is a deeply disturbing or distressing experience that can impact people physically, psychologically, and emotionally. The emotional distress following...

11/14/2025

Things that you can do to get the most out of counseling

1. Be picky about who you work with and make sure that they’re a good fit. Find someone who you see yourself talking with and who specializes in what you need support with.

2. Supplement therapy by doing things outside of session. This can be reading credible mental health sources, journaling, doing a workbook and other mental health-related homework assignments throughout the week.

3. Do the homework assignments, even if they seem pointless because they are small. Simple assignments or therapeutic strategies can be effective. Trust that your counselor is giving you assignments and strategies that could be helpful...

Things that you can do to get the most out of counseling: 1. Be picky about who you work with and make sure that they're a good fit. Find someone who you see...

11/07/2025

Take your medicine today and everyday! I'm here to help if you want to work on these things.

- Routine

Let's build better habits together.

- Movement

Get moving! Whether you do yoga, hiking, lifting, cycling, running, whatever!

- Sleep

I've got some pretty good information on sleep, anxiety, and exercise. It is one of my favorite topics to discuss.

- Breath

Regulate your nervous system, slow down, live in the present, increase awareness, and take care.

- Consistency

I can help hold you accountable to your goals, so you can be more consistent.

- Laughter

I have a happiness tool kit for sprinkling happiness in the day-to-day.

- Storytelling

I'm all ears. We can unwrap difficult topics or discuss light-hearted ones.

Don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have questions or want to learn more about working together.

(I'm supporting people in PA. Please share to reach others.)

11/05/2025

3 Mindfulness Strategies that Increase Positivity During Hard Times

1. Limit exposure

Limit the time you’re exposed to the situation.

Be informed, but limit the amount of news, media, social media, that you take in.

For social media, you can choose to follow and unfollow certain accounts and channels.

Use social media to build yourself up, promote positivity, and connect with non-toxic people.

Social media is a fantastic tool when used this way.

2. Practice reframing thoughts...

https://finishstrongercounseling.com/2021/09/06/3-mindful-strategies-to-increase-positivity-during-hard-times/

Limit the time you're exposed to the situation. Be informed, but limit the amount of news, media, social media, that you take in. For social media, you can...

11/04/2025

Dialectics (DBT) for a Flexible Mind

What are dialectics?
Dialectics relate to our theories and ideas, in terms of the OPPOSITE way we think. Here are some thinking patterns that we all experience, and get caught up in, it does us no favors to become stuck!:

▪︎ “All-or-nothing” thoughts.
▪︎ “Either-or” thoughts.
▪︎ “Black-and-white terms.”

These examples of thoughts are called cognitive distortions.

Instead of thinking this way, we should think in terms of seeing the shades of gray, between black-and-white thinking.

Practice being flexible and find middle-ground options in your behavior. Trying to see the opposing side.

Examples
▪︎ When in conflict, find something to agree about in the other person’s perspective.
▪︎ Instead of procrastinating on a task, break the ice with one or two small steps.
▪︎ Make a list of at least five positive qualities you (or someone else you are down on) have.

If you’re stuck in the above thought patterns, try the opposite.

Look at the other side of things. We often default to the negative side of situations or ourselves. We can be critical and harsh. Look at the opposite side of the dialect...

https://finishstrongercounseling.com/2020/06/02/dialects-dbt/

Dialectics relate to our theories and ideas, in terms of the OPPOSITE way we think. Here are some thinking patterns that we all experience, and get caught up...

10/29/2025

Digital detox is a great topic that many of my clients are asking about, so let's talk about it. Our phones and screens can cause significant distress because they are frequently grasping for our attention. When we turn to them, we can lose touch with reality and the importance of self-care and emotional well-being. About detoxing Let's look at the first step in detoxing....

Digital detox is a great topic that many of my clients are asking about, so let's talk about it. Our phones and screens can cause significant distress because

10/29/2025

33 free mental health resources on my counseling website. Check it out!

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Download these great mental health resources and print them out to share with others. All of the resources are free! Subscribe to the blog to stay up-to-date.

10/22/2025

Two counseling spots available!

- Adults
- Runners, endurance athletes, ultramarathon runners, and people who want to learn a little more about being active.
- Pennsylvania
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Habits
- PTSD
- ED
- Mindset

My website link is in my bio, and you can get a hold of me through email.

I'm looking forward to learning about your goals and the areas that you would like to see improvement.

07/08/2025

Hi! I have kind of a cool announcement to make, and it is due to all of your support.

Over the past year and a half, I’ve seen more growth and potential in my Finish Stronger Mindset and Mental Wellness Coaching business (and the work that I’m doing through Coach Kyle Kranz run coaching, as well), that I’ve decided to temporarily pause my counseling private practice. – There’s still access to all of the free resources on that website.

Also, towards the end of this article, you can read about a few client wins and see what people are saying about working with me.

I do have coaching availability, so if you think that working together will help you nail your goal(s), let’s chat!

https://finishstrongermindsetcoaching.com/2025/07/07/ultrarunners-lets-continue-to-get-outside-of-our-comfort-zones/

06/24/2025

Talks and Workshops for Trail and Ultrarunners

I am currently offering three talks/workshops. Check them out below, and if you have any questions, please let me know.

I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you and finding out what kind of event you are hosting.

1. The Power of Mindfulness in Trail Running. THE POWER IS WITHIN YOURSELF

2. Anxiety vs Depression: Spotting the difference and how to help someone who is struggling with either emotion

3. Exercise, Sleep, and Anxiety: Rewire your brain

https://finishstrongercounseling.com/talks-workshops/