Michael Elwan

Hi, I’m Michael. I’m an award-winning Accredited Social Worker and therapist based in Australia, working with adults and couples who are feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or worn down by life and relationships.

Some people come to therapy because something has fallen apart. Others come because they are holding everything together but feel quietly exhausted inside. I work with clients navigating anxiety, grief, trauma, identity questions, burnout, caregiving strain, and relationship difficulties. Whether you come on your own or with a partner, therapy becomes a place to slow things down, understand what has been shaping you, and find steadier ways of moving forward.

My approach is calm, relational, and trauma-informed. I draw on emotionally focused, narrative, mindfulness-based, and acceptance-based approaches. With individuals, I focus on helping you make sense of your patterns, emotions, and the stories you carry about yourself. With couples, I focus on understanding the cycles that keep you stuck, and supporting safer, clearer ways of relating to each other. The work is not about blame or fixing; it is about building clarity, emotional steadiness, and dignity in how you live and connect.

My work is shaped by both professional experience and lived and living experience. Before becoming a therapist, I was a young carer for my father, and later lived through the deep grief of losing loved ones to suicide. I know what it feels like to carry more than you should have to, and how invisible that can feel. Those experiences continue to guide how I sit with people, with care, patience, and respect for what they have survived.

Alongside my clinical work, I bring strong professional grounding to the space we work in together. I am an Accredited Social Worker and a full member of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), and a member of the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy (AA-CBT). I am also completing a PhD in mental health. I share this not to lead with titles, but to reassure you that the support you receive here is held with skill, accountability, and ethical care.

My 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. I mention this simply to let you know that I take this responsibility seriously

Outside the therapy room, I’m also a husband and father of two, which keeps me grounded in the everyday realities of partnership, parenting, and the work relationships require over time.

If you are looking for therapy that feels thoughtful rather than rushed, honest without judgement, and focused on building understanding rather than pressure to perform, you are very welcome here.