Michael Elwan , AASW

Michael Elwan is an award-winning Accredited Social Worker and therapist based in Australia who works with adults and couples carrying the slow, wearing pressures of life rather than acute breakdown. He supports people who are keeping things together outwardly while carrying anxiety, grief, relationship strain, identity questions, burnout, or long stretches of responsibility beneath the surface, offering a space to slow down and be met without judgement.

His practice is calm, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive, grounded in emotionally focused, narrative, mindfulness-based, and acceptance-based methods. Michael prioritises helping people understand the patterns they live inside rather than only managing symptoms, guiding sessions toward clarity, greater emotional steadiness, and more grounded ways of relating to oneself and others.

Michael’s clinical perspective is shaped by both professional training and lived experience. He was a young carer for his father and later experienced the grief of losing loved ones to suicide, experiences that continue to influence how he sits with people in the room. Alongside that experience, he brings formal professional training and membership credentials - he is an Accredited Social Worker and full member of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), a member of the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy (AA-CBT), and is completing a PhD in mental health.

His work has been recognised nationally, including being named the 2025 AASW Social Worker of the Year, receiving the WA Mental Health Award for Lived Experience Impact and Inspiration, and being a finalist for the Sir Ronald Wilson Leadership Award and the Barbara Hocking Memorial Award. Outside of clinical work, Michael is a husband and father of two, which keeps him connected to the everyday realities of relationships and responsibility.

Therapeutic approaches and online access

Michael draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without being driven by them, clarifying values and building small, meaningful actions that support a fuller life. Attachment-Based Therapy is used to explore how early relationship patterns shape current connections and to help people develop more secure, satisfying ways of relating to others. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers practical skills to identify unhelpful thought and behaviour patterns and to practise alternative responses that reduce distress and improve functioning.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Michael works collaboratively with each person to determine what fits best with their needs, goals, and preferences. He adapts methods over time and invites clients to give feedback so therapy remains a shared, evolving project.

Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging, which makes it easier to fit therapy around work, family, and other commitments. These options increase flexibility and accessibility, allowing people to continue therapeutic work from familiar settings while maintaining consistent contact with licensed professionals and therapists who can guide their progress.