Training and Credentials

Justin-3.jpg
 
 

Academic Degrees

  • Master of Science in Couple and Family Therapy, University of Guelph

  • Master of Arts in Social and Personality Psychology, York University

  • Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, Biology Minor, McMaster University

Professional Credentials

  • College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) - Registered Psychotherapist (#008803)

  • Canadian Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) - Registered Marriage and Family Therapist (RMFT) (#2017572)

Clinical Training

Through course work, practica, direct client contact hours, supervision, and an externship, I have undergone rigorous training in providing psychotherapy to individuals, couples, and families. I have been trained to use systemic and relational lenses grounded by a postmodern approach to psychotherapy. I have been trained in the following therapeutic models through in-house practica:

  • Dialogic/Collaborative

  • Solution Focused Therapy (SFT)

  • Narrative Therapy

  • Emotion(ally)-Focused Therapy (EFT)

Additional Training

  • Intensive Sex Therapy

  • Trauma-informed therapy

  • Cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT)

  • Brief and Single Session Therapy

  • Power Relations and Diversity

  • Professional Issues and Ethics

  • Health and Well-Being

  • Children, Youth, and Parenting

  • Family Development and Family Transitions

Research Experience

Prior to becoming a therapist, I completed a research-based Masters in Social and Personality Psychology at York University. My research areas of interest are: stigma, well-being, relationships, and divorce. My Masters thesis was about attitudes towards children of divorce in various cultures. My aim was to investigate how cultures may hold different views about the normativity of divorce, and how these views then lead to different amounts of stigma towards children of divorce. I am passionate about helping children of divorce in cultures where divorce is heavily stigmatized, and I know that this is a need for working with divorced families in our community.

Also, for the past several years I have been involved in several other quantitative and qualitative research projects, including cultural attitudes towards marriage and divorce, positive and negative cultural stereotypes, and attractiveness.

Academic Contributions

  • Michel, J., Al-Awadi, A., Cila, J., & Lalonde, R. N. (July 2016). The development of an Attitudes towards Reasons for Divorce Inventory (ARDI). International Association for Relationship Research (IARR) conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

  • Michel, J., Cila, J., Al-Awadi, A., & Lalonde, R. N. (June 2016). An exploratory analysis of the attitudes towards reasons for divorce. Presented at the 77th annual Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) convention in Victoria, BC, Canada.

  • Yampolsky, M. & Michel, J. (May 2015). Intercultural relationships and multicultural identity configurations. Conference presentation for the 18th Annual Meeting for the Society for Interpersonal Theory and Research (SITAR) in Toronto, ON, Canada. Presented in lieu of primary investigator, Dr. Maya Yampolsky.

  • Michel, J., Fraccaro, P., & Feinberg, D. (April 2012). Video games and attractiveness: Will playing competitively or cooperatively make me sexier? A correlational study examining the effects of game play and mating strategies on attractiveness. Presented at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.