Michael Elwan (He/Him)
Registered Social Worker, PhD Candidate (Mental Health), MSW, GradCertMH, DipPsych, MBA
Online in Australia
(Online Only)
Hi, I'm Michael. I'm an Accredited Social Worker and a PhD candidate in mental health, working online with adults and couples across Australia.
Most people who reach me have been holding things together for a long time. Some are in obvious distress; many are not. They are functioning, capable, and quietly tired. A good number have already had therapy that did not reach them. They are looking for someone who can sit with what they are carrying without rushing to fix it; someone who has thought seriously, in research and in their own life, about lived and living experience of mental health, suicide, family violence, or migration.
The work draws on clinical training, doctoral research, and lived experience of caregiving, migration, and suicide bereavement in my own family. I hold full membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) and the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy (AACBT), am bound by the AASW Code of Ethics, and work under regular professional supervision myself.
Client Focus
Session Format: Couple, Individual sessions.
Age Specialty: Adult, Young Adult
Demographic Expertise: LGBTQ+, Men, Middle Eastern, Persons with Disabilities clients.
Languages: English, Arabic
Treatment Approach
- Multicultural Therapy Acknowledges the role of culture, race, and identity in mental health. It values diversity and adapts treatment to each person’s background.
- Psychosocial Therapy Looks at how social and environmental factors affect psychological health. It emphasizes relationships, community, and resilience.
- Relational Psychotherapy Emphasizes the healing power of the therapist-client relationship. It uses trust and safety as a foundation for change.
Approach Description: My approach is relational, trauma-informed, and integrative. Distress doesn't sit in isolation; it sits inside relationships, culture, history, and systems. The work is slow enough to track those patterns and steady enough to help you respond to them differently.
I draw primarily on narrative, and relational approaches, with acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness-based practices, and psychosocial frameworks where they help. Social work training brings a biopsychosocial and culturally responsive lens. I pay close attention to context, power, identity, and lived experience, particularly with people who have spent years adapting, caregiving, or carrying responsibility without much support.
The pace is respectful. We move with curiosity and care, balancing emotional depth with safety. Whether the work is individual or couples, the aim is sustainable change that fits your life, values, and relationships, rather than an off-the-shelf protocol. I will say so early if I am not the right fit; saying no is part of doing the work properly.
Fees & Insurance
Fees
- Average Session Fee 200
- Out of Network
- No Medicare or private health rebates are available for these services.
Education & Credentials
Michael Elwan PhD Candidate (Mental Health), MSW, GradCertMH, DipPsych, MBA
- Male
- License # 681846
- Licensed in All Australia
- Practicing Since 2020
Education: • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Mental Health (in progress)
• Graduate Certificate in Mental Health (Credit)
• Diploma in Psychology (Merit)
• MicroMasters in Organisational Psychology (High Distinction)
• MicroMasters in Business Leadership (High Distinction)
• Master of Social Work (Credit)
Michael Elwan Practice Details
Therapy Sessions
- Available Online for residents of Australia
- Online Therapy Details: Online therapy is provided via secure, encrypted video platforms that meet Australian privacy and confidentiality standards. Sessions are conducted in real time and function much like in-person therapy, with space for reflection, emotional work, and practical strategies. Clients can attend from home or another private location using a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Online delivery supports continuity of care, accessibility, and flexibility while maintaining clinical depth and relational connection.
Lived Experience Solutions (LEXs) is an independent online practice based in Western Australia, working with clients across the country.
Most people who reach LEXs are working with grief, trauma, depression, anxiety, suicide bereavement, the aftermath of family violence, or relationship strain. There is a particular focus on men, on people from CaLD backgrounds, and on people carrying lived and living experience of mental health, suicide, or family violence. Couples work draws on Attachment Theory, with depth around multicultural, interfaith, and FIFO relationships.
Alongside therapy, LEXs offers three distinct supervision streams: Social Work Supervision (AASW-aligned), Peer Work Supervision (aligned with the National Lived Experience Peer Workforce Guidelines), and Lived Experience Leadership Supervision for senior practitioners and leaders, shaped by Michael's doctoral research at Charles Sturt University.
Recent recognition includes the AASW Social Worker of the Year (2025), the WA Mental Health Award for Lived Experience Impact and Inspiration (2025), the Suicide Prevention Australia LiFE Awards for Outstanding Contribution in WA and Priority Populations (2026), the WA Multicultural Awards Outstanding Individual Achievement Award (2026), and finalist for the R U OK? Barbara Hocking Memorial Award.