Justin the Therapist

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Mississauga, ON
Justin the Therapist

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

02/11/2026

Ready? Almost no one ever feels truly ready.

And that is OK!!

That first session usually comes with a pounding heart, sweaty palms, and the quiet hope that you don’t completely mess it up.

You follow what you’ve been taught, you stay present, and you do your best to help the person in front of you.

And then… something clicks. 🫰

You realize that this moment counts, even with the nerves, even with the uncertainty.

From that moment on, someone can say, “I talked to my therapist today.” and that changes how you see yourself and the work you’re stepping into.

If your first session is coming up and your nerves are loud, that experience is actually part of becoming a therapist.

Because you become one when you step into the room. 👏👏👏

Therapists | Ontario Therapy | Clinical Supervision

02/09/2026

This is one of the hardest spots to be in as a friend.

You see something that worries you. You care deeply. You want them safe. And suddenly you’re asking yourself a question that has no clean answer:

Do I say something… OR do I risk making things worse?

Sometimes speaking up can plant a seed. Hearing concern from someone they trust can help a person see their situation more clearly.

Other times, naming it too directly can push them closer to the relationship and further away from you.

There isn’t a single “right” move here.

The real question is about safety.

What might help your friend feel more supported, more grounded, or a little less alone right now?

And the truth is, you may not know.

You do your best with the information you have, knowing this isn’t a one-time decision. It’s an ongoing process of showing up, staying connected, and keeping the door open.

Caring about someone doesn’t come with a script.

It comes with patience, reflection, and a willingness to sit in the uncertainty with them.

02/05/2026

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room… as it holds more meaning than people realize. 🐘👀

There are parts of our stories we don’t choose, moments that stick with us long after they happen.

Those experiences shape how we see ourselves, and if we’re willing to look at them honestly, they can also shape how we show up for others.

I don’t think pain automatically turns into something meaningful.

It takes time, work, and a lot of reflection.

But I do believe that when we heal our own stuff, we gain a deeper capacity to sit with others in theirs.

So the elephant is in every one of our rooms, not as a symbol of toughness, or resilience, or “everything happens for a reason.”

Just as a reminder that even the parts of our story we’d rather hide can end up making us more human, more compassionate, and more present.

And in a therapy room, that always matters. 💙

Personal Healing | Therapy | Self-Reflection | Emotional Growth | Ontario Therapy

02/03/2026

This field has changed a lot in a short amount of time.

Each year, there are thousands of new therapists in Ontario.There are more pathways into the profession, more questions, and uncertainty about what the future actually looks like.

When things feel crowded or unstable, it’s easy to question whether there’s still space to build something steady and meaningful.

So this post is for the therapists quietly asking themselves those questions and wondering where they fit in it all.

Take your time with this one. 🌱

01/28/2026

I spoke at recently, and I didn’t expect it to hit me the way it did.

The class was taught by a friend I studied with years ago, back when we were both just trying to figure things out.

Being back in that space, now from a very different place in my life, felt grounding in a way I didn’t see coming.

The talk wasn’t about theory or techniques.

It was about the real path.

The years I avoided therapy when I needed it most.

The moment I finally felt what it could do.

The rejections, the backup plans, and the long stretch of not knowing if any of it would work out.

The students were thoughtful, curious, and asked real questions about how to get started in a field that can feel crowded and uncertain.

My best advice?

Stay curious, get close to the work, and learn wherever you can.

If you’re someone who genuinely cares about people and healing, that matters more than having the most flawless resume.

And if you’re early in your journey and want to be around this work in a real way, We’re always accepting applications for volunteers, staff, interns, and therapists at .ca.

Grateful for the conversation and for the reminder of why I started. 💙

You can learn more here: https://bbtherapy.ca/careers/staff/

01/15/2026

Anxiety can feel overwhelming when you’re trying to outrun it.

But most of the time, it’s your body trying to signal something important.

What actually helps isn’t “getting rid of it.” It’s learning how to work with it.

When I talk to clients about anxiety, we usually start with awareness, noticing the feeling instead of fighting it.

From there, a few things make a real difference:

✔️ Getting curious about what triggered it
✔️ Supporting your body with rest, stillness, or less stimulation
✔️ Leaning on connection, because solitude can make anxiety louder
✔️ Calling out the thoughts that sprint straight to worst-case scenarios

Small habits, practiced consistently, can shift the way anxiety shows up in your life.

You don’t have to tackle it all at once. And you don’t have to figure this out solo.

If anxiety has been taking up a lot of space lately, therapy can help you make sense of it and give you tools that actually fit your real, everyday life. 💙

Anxiety Support | Mental Health | Therapy Tools | Emotional Awareness

01/13/2026

We joke about “the ick”…

but sometimes that tiny feeling is the thing you shouldn’t ignore.

It shows up quietly, a shift, a hesitation, a moment where something just feels off.

But before you decide it’s a dealbreaker or a red flag…

Pause.

Because the ick isn’t always what you think it is.

Sometimes it’s intuition.

Sometimes it’s comfort turning into honesty.

Sometimes it’s just the honeymoon phase fading.

The real question is… What is your ick trying to tell you? 👀

01/07/2026

AI might sound supportive… but it’s NOT a therapist. 💭

ChatGPT can be a great tool for things like organizing your thoughts, learning new ideas, or getting everyday support.

But when it comes to therapy… to your safety, your history, your emotions… AI can’t do what a trained human can.

It can feel accessible, fast, even comforting in the moment…

but it can’t sit with you.

It can’t understand your nuances.

And it definitely can’t know YOU.

There have already been situations where vulnerable people received unsafe “advice” from AI during a crisis, the kind of advice a trained therapist would never give.

That’s where the danger is.

AI can be a tool, but it’s not where healing happens.

Healing happens in connection with someone who can hold your story, your safety, and your humanity. 💙

Therapy Education | Mental Health | AI & Therapy

01/05/2026

“What’s your philosophy as a practice owner?”

Sometimes we forget this, but therapists are people first.

They have limits, needs, stress, families, emotions, and whole lives happening outside the therapy room.

But in this field, people often assume the therapist is fine… because they’re the one helping everyone else.

As a practice owner, that’s something I think about constantly.

If you want therapists to do great work, you have to take care of them, not as a strategy, but as a value.

So yes… my honest answer?

Don’t be a d***.

Don’t put profit above people.

Don’t treat therapists like tools.

Don’t forget why you got into this field in the first place.

This isn’t an industry where the bottom line gets to come first.

We’re here because we care about human beings. That should be true at every level of a practice, from the therapists to the leadership.

I try to treat my team the same way I treat my clients.

With dignity, compassion, flexibility, patience, and respect.

Because supported therapists do better therapy.

And everyone wins when the people doing this work feel valued.

01/02/2026

So… who is Justin the Therapist? 👀

HEY IT’S ME.

Here’s a little peek of the work I do, why I started BB Therapy, and what makes this community so special to me.

BB didn’t begin as a business plan… it started because more people needed support than I could see on my own, and because I believed good therapy happens when therapists feel connected, supported, and genuinely happy in their work.

That’s still the heart of everything we do:

happy therapists → great therapy → real change.

If you’re new here, welcome.

If you’ve been with us for a while, thanks for being part of this growing community. 💙

To learn more about Building Bridges Therapy, visit bbtherapy.ca or follow along on Instagram .ca

Address

52 Village Centre Place
Mississauga, ON
L4Z1V9

Telephone

+13653005056

Website

http://justinthetherapist.com/

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