Michael Elwan, AASW
15 years in practice
Michael Elwan is an Accredited Social Worker (AASW) and therapist practising in Australia.
License and registration
- AASW
- 681846 · expires June 2026
- Years in practice
- 15
- Languages
- English, Arabic
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the registration with the body that granted it.
About Michael
Michael Elwan is an Accredited Social Worker (AASW) and therapist practising in Australia. He has 15 years of experience supporting adults who feel worn down, stuck, or quietly overwhelmed rather than broken. He presents as calm and attentive, offering a space where people can slow down and be heard without judgement.
Many clients arrive carrying anxiety, grief, relationship strain, identity questions, burnout or long years of responsibility. Michael focuses on understanding the patterns people live inside rather than only managing symptoms.
Background and approach
Sessions aim to build emotional steadiness and clearer ways of relating to oneself and others. His practice is informed by trauma-aware and culturally responsive perspectives. Michael draws on emotionally-focused, acceptance-based and attachment-informed approaches alongside cognitive and client-centred ideas.
He uses straightforward tools and gentle reflection to help people notice what they do when stress rises and to try different responses. Michael also brings personal lived experience to his work. He was a young carer and has navigated profound grief in his own life.
Those experiences shape how he sits with people and how he understands long-term caregiving, loss and responsibility. Alongside clinical work he maintains professional accountability through the Australian Association of Social Workers. He is completing a PhD in mental health and is a member of the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy.
Outside of practice he is a husband and father, which keeps his approach grounded in everyday family life. If someone wants a thoughtful, measured pace and an emphasis on dignity as well as change, Michael invites them to begin with a short matching questionnaire and a scheduling step to start therapy.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Michael lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Self esteem
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Family conflicts
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Dependent personality
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Michael names
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Existential Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Systemic Therapy
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
How therapeutic approaches translate to online sessions
Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) focuses on emotions and how they shape close relationships. In online work this means helping someone notice patterns in feeling and responding, and trying new ways of connecting that reduce reactivity and increase clarity.Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and commit to values-based actions. Online ACT sessions often use short exercises and practical tasks between meetings to test small changes in daily life.
Attachment-Based Therapy pays attention to early patterns of relating and how they show up now. The therapist helps people track those patterns and practise different responses that feel safer and more steady.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences and what feels useful, then try approaches together. This is collaborative rather than one-size-fits-all, and adjustments are made as progress is seen.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to meet. Video calls are useful for in-depth conversations, phone sessions can work when bandwidth is limited, live chat suits brief check-ins, and text messaging helps between sessions. These options let people fit therapy around work, caregiving and other demands while keeping momentum in their progress.
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Questions people ask
What concerns does Michael help with?
He works with a broad range of concerns including stress, anxiety, relationship strain, grief, depression, addiction and coping with life changes. Additional focuses include attachment issues, chronic illness, codependency and communication problems.
What is his therapeutic style like?
He offers a calm, trauma-aware and culturally responsive style. Sessions are conversational and practical, focusing on understanding patterns and building emotional steadiness.
How long has he practised?
Michael has 15 years of clinical experience supporting adults. His background combines professional training and lived experience as a former young carer and someone who has experienced significant personal loss.
What credentials does he hold and where is he based?
He is an Accredited Social Worker with the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) and is based in Australia. He is also a member of the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy and is completing a PhD in mental health.
Which languages are available for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and Arabic.
What session formats are offered online?
Michael provides video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How does payment and cost work?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability. Sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I start a course of therapy?
Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button and completing a short matching questionnaire. After that you can schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.
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