Michael Elwan, AASW

Michael Elwan is an award-winning Accredited Social Worker based in Australia who works with adults and couples feeling worn down, stuck, or quietly overwhelmed rather than broken. He meets people who are often holding things together on the surface while carrying anxiety, grief, relationship strain, identity questions or burnout beneath the day-to-day. For many, therapy becomes a space to slow down and be met without judgement.

His approach is calm, trauma-informed and culturally responsive. He draws on emotionally focused, narrative, mindfulness-based and acceptance-based methods to help people understand the patterns they live inside instead of only managing symptoms. Sessions focus on building clarity, emotional steadiness and more grounded ways of relating to oneself and to others.

Michael's practice is shaped by both professional training and lived and living experience. He was a young carer for his father and later faced the profound grief of losing loved ones to suicide. Those experiences continue to influence how he sits with people in the room and how he holds the work.

He is an Accredited Social Worker and a full member of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) - indicating accreditation through that national professional body - and a member of the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy (AA-CBT). He is also completing a PhD in mental health. Michael's 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 the therapy room he is a husband and father of two, which keeps him grounded in the everyday realities of relationships and responsibility. Those seeking thoughtful, unhurried therapy that balances dignity with change are welcome to work with him.

Therapeutic approaches for online counselling

Michael commonly uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help people clarify what matters to them and learn practical ways to move toward those values even when difficult thoughts or feelings are present. ACT often supports people struggling with anxiety, low mood or life transitions by teaching acceptance and committed action.

He also draws on Attachment-Based Therapy, which explores relationship patterns that began in early bonds and how those patterns affect current connections. This approach can help with intimacy-related issues, abandonment or family of origin concerns by improving understanding and emotional attunement in relationships.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Michael works collaboratively with each person to identify which strategies fit their needs, goals and preferences, adapting methods over time as the work unfolds. This collaborative stance helps ensure therapy remains relevant and practical.

Online therapy offers practical benefits for people seeking flexibility. Video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging make it easier to attend sessions around work, family and other commitments, and can increase access for those in different parts of Australia. When therapy is offered by appropriately qualified or registered professionals, these formats can support consistent, accessible care while allowing therapists to use the same evidence-informed approaches they use in person.