Justin the Therapist

Justin the Therapist Justin Michel, MA, MSc, RP. Individual/Couple/Family Therapy. Owner/manager of BBtherapy.ca

New therapists carry a lot of pressure into the room.The client comes in struggling and something in you wants to fix it...
08/26/2026

New therapists carry a lot of pressure into the room.

The client comes in struggling and something in you wants to fix it, to find the right thing to say, the right tool, the right moment that turns everything around.

But therapy was never meant to be 100% on you and 0% on the client. It's much more like personal training. You can show up, design the program, guide every rep, but you can't lift the weights for them.

Therapy is the same. It's collaborative. The therapist's job is to guide the process, but the client is the one doing the work. And when progress feels slow, that's worth remembering before you start blaming yourself.

So if you're a newer therapist putting the weight of every session on your own shoulders, give yourself a break. You're not Bob the Builder. You don’t have to “fix” it.

If you're navigating moments like these and want a space to talk through them, book a supervision consultation through the link below:

bbtherapy.ca/services/clinical-supervision/

08/24/2026

Every therapist overthinks sessions. Especially early on. 😩

And if you’re doing it, it usually means you care, which is a good thing!! But at some point it stops being reflection and just starts being noise.

Give yourself permission to be an imperfect therapist… because there is no other kind. 💙

If you’re stuck in your own head about your sessions, supervision might be exactly what you need.

Book a consultation through the link in my bio.

Ontario Therapy | Psychotherapist | New Therapists | Therapist Insight | Clinical Supervision

08/20/2026

A lot of therapists are emotional pillows. 😅

Now what does that even mean??

👉 They’re warm
👉 Validating
👉 Supportive
👉 And don’t tend to pushing back

That’s only half the job.

The therapeutic relationship is the vehicle of therapy. And when that relationship is strong enough, challenging your client doesn’t damage it, it deepens it.

If you’ve been playing it too safe in session, this one’s for you. 👀🙋‍♂️

Sitting with couples every week has taught me a lot about my own relationship.Not because I have it all figured out… far...
08/18/2026

Sitting with couples every week has taught me a lot about my own relationship.

Not because I have it all figured out… far from it. But because the conversations I get to be part of have a way of reminding me what actually matters and what's worth paying attention to.

🙏 Gratitude.

🙏 Patience.

🙏 The way you communicate something when you're frustrated.

🙏 The small moments that are easy to overlook when life gets busy.

Those things don't come naturally all the time. I have to work at them just like everyone else does. But this work keeps bringing me back to them. 💙

bbtherapy.ca/services/couple-therapy/

The need to feel heard, validated, and connected is one of the most human things there is. So when something gives you e...
08/12/2026

The need to feel heard, validated, and connected is one of the most human things there is.

So when something gives you even a semblance of that, it's hard not to lean into it.

But here's what I keep coming back to…

AI doesn't need you. It's not a relationship. It's a very sophisticated mirror that reflects back what you want to hear, built by people who figured out how to monetize human loneliness.

Your real therapist will disagree with you. As therapists, we'll call you out. We'll bring our own humanity into the room.

👉 Our training
👉 Our experience
👉 Our understanding of what it actually feels like to lose someone or go through something hard

And we'll want what's best for you, even when that's not the comfortable thing to hear.

That's not something any amount of code can replicate. 🙌

08/11/2026

When I was studying to be a therapist… did I ever think I would be dissecting the relationships of reality TV stars?

Nope! But here we are. 😅

Summer House aside… we are so quick to put people into one of two boxes.

Hero or villain.
Victim or abuser.
Good or bad.

Real life is sooo much more nuanced than that.

What is important to learn is how to separate the WHO from the DO. Someone can be a good person worthy of respect and consideration, and what they’ve done can still be wrong.

Both things can be true at the same time. 💙

Ontario Therapy | Psychotherapist | Mental Health | Reality TV | Therapist Reacts | Summer House

08/07/2026

Silence in session makes a lot of therapists uncomfortable. 🫣

That discomfort is worth getting curious about… because the urge to fill the silence usually says more about YOU than it does about your client.

So I am going to challenge you. The next time you feel yourself getting uncomfortable in the silence, sit in it and see what happens.

You might be surprised. 👏👏

Ontario Therapy | Psychotherapist | New Therapists | Therapist Insight | Clinical Supervision

Supervision isn't about having all the answers… because if I am being honest, I don't always have them either. 😅What I d...
08/06/2026

Supervision isn't about having all the answers… because if I am being honest, I don't always have them either. 😅

What I do have is the ability to sit with a therapist, ask the right questions, and trust that they're more capable than they're giving themselves credit for.

A good supervisor does for their therapist what a good therapist does for their client: creates the space for them to find their own way there.

If you're a therapist looking for that kind of support, my DMs are open. 💙

bbtherapy.ca/services/clinical-supervision/

07/30/2026

Just got back from a quick trip to Windsor and it was a good one. 🙌🙌

I was able to spend some time with two of our incredible therapists, Richie and Marina, and while I was there I gave a series of talks at to parents, couples, and young adults about all things mental health and relationships.

Beyond the talks, this trip means a lot to me for a different reason.

I genuinely believe that my job, as the person who runs this practice, is to take care of the people in it. These therapists have chosen to dedicate their professional lives to helping others and making the world a better place, and they've chosen to bring those gifts to BB. That's something I never take for granted.

So showing up for them, visiting, collaborating, checking in on what's working and what isn't, that's not extra, that's the job and I love every part of it.

Happy therapists do great therapy and that starts with making sure the people doing this work feel supported and cared for.

That's the whole philosophy. 💙

Address

52 Village Centre Place
Mississauga, ON
L4Z1V9

Telephone

+13653005056

Website

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