Counsellor profile
Michael Elwan, AASW
Australia
Accredited Social Worker - Relationships and Stress
Continue with MichaelWhere Michael stands
- Credentials
- AASW
- Registration
- AASW, Australia / 681846
- Experience
- 15 years
- Languages
- English, Arabic
- Location
- Australia
About
- Codependency and boundaries
- Anxiety and grief
- Attachment-informed work
About Michael
Michael Elwan is an Accredited Social Worker (AASW) with 15 years of clinical experience based in Australia. He works with adults and couples who feel worn down, stuck, or quietly overwhelmed by life rather than broken by it. He supports people carrying anxiety, grief, relationship strain, identity questions, burnout and long years of responsibility beneath a composed surface.
Michael typically sees people who are keeping things together while feeling drained. Sessions are a chance to slow down and talk through what is under the day-to-day. He uses plain language and steady pacing so conversations stay focused and manageable.
His approach draws on acceptance-based and mindfulness ideas alongside emotion-focused and narrative ways of working. That means clients practise noticing painful thoughts and feelings, learn clearer patterns in relationships, and try steps that fit their life. Work often aims to build clarity, emotional steadiness and more grounded ways of relating to self and others.
Michael’s practice is informed by both professional experience and lived experience. He was a young carer and later experienced grief after losing loved ones to suicide. Those experiences shape how he relates to people who are caring for others or carrying difficult losses.
He is a full member of the Australian Association of Social Workers and of the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy. Michael is also completing a PhD in mental health. Outside work he is a husband and father of two, which keeps his perspective rooted in everyday family life and practical challenges.
How sessions work
How his approaches translate to online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings and then choose actions that match their values. It is useful for anxiety, low mood and patterns like people-pleasing. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationship patterns shape current connections and helps people try new ways of relating that feel steadier. Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening and reflecting so people can make sense of their experience and decide what they want to change.Finding the best approach is part of the work together. The therapist and client talk about goals, try a few methods, and adjust what they use based on what helps. That collaborative process means the plan can shift as understanding grows.
Please confirm the session formats available before booking as the biography does not specify formats. Online arrangements can make it easier to fit therapy around work, family and daily life. For example, remote sessions can reduce travel time, allow a shorter check-in when schedules are tight, or remove the need to be on camera if that feels difficult. Appropriately qualified therapists work with each person to match approach and practical arrangements to the client’s needs and routines.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
15+ years
Listed in
Australia
Languages
English, Arabic
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of issues does he help with?
He works with stress, anxiety, relationship strain, grief, burnout and related concerns such as codependency and self-esteem.
What is his therapeutic style like?
Sessions are calm and trauma-informed, using acceptance-based, emotion-focused and narrative approaches to make sense of patterns and try practical steps.
How much experience does he have?
He has 15 years of clinical experience working with adults and couples in Australia.
What credentials and location are listed?
He is an Accredited Social Worker and full member of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), practising in Australia.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English and Arabic.
Can international clients work with him?
He is not currently accepting international clients.
How does cost and payment work?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin a first session?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule your first session.
Details come from information the counsellor supplied to BetterHelp. A registration can be checked with the body that issued it.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe at home, use the crisis and helpline numbers.