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Michael Elwan

Counsellor profile

Michael Elwan, AASW

Australia

Accredited Social Worker - Anger and Relationships

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Key details

  • CredentialsAASW
  • RegistrationAASW, Australia / 681846
  • Experience15 years
  • LanguagesEnglish, Arabic
  • LocationAustralia

About

  • Acceptance based work
  • Emotion focus
  • Mindfulness practice

About Michael

Michael Elwan is an Accredited Social Worker and therapist with 15 years of clinical experience in Australia. He works with adults and couples who feel worn down, stuck, or quietly overwhelmed rather than broken. He lists anger among the concerns he addresses, alongside anxiety, grief, relationship strain and other life pressures.

Many people who come to Michael are not in acute crisis. They are managing day-to-day tasks while carrying unease, burnout or shame underneath. Sessions give space to slow down, name patterns and find steadier ways of reacting when stress or anger rises.

Michael describes a calm, trauma-informed style that pays attention to culture and context. He uses emotionally focused and acceptance-based ideas, plus narrative and mindfulness practices. Work in sessions often focuses on building clarity, emotional steadiness and different ways of relating to self and others.

His personal experience as a young carer and living through bereavement informs how he sits with people. That lived perspective sits alongside formal professional practice and ongoing study, including doctoral work in mental health. He is a full member of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW).

In practical terms, Michael helps people notice the patterns that feed anger and frustration, practice small shifts in responding, and develop clearer boundaries and communication. Conversations aim to be straightforward and respectful, with a focus on real-life changes rather than labels.

Outside clinical work he is a husband and father of two, which he says keeps his approach grounded in everyday relational realities.

How sessions work

How his approaches translate to online sessions

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and choose actions that align with their values. It can be useful for anger that comes from frustration, stuckness or meaning conflicts. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) breaks down the cycle of thought, feeling and behaviour to reduce reactivity and build alternative responses; it suits practical skill building for workplace or relationship anger. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships shape responses to stress and closeness and can help when anger is tied to trust or abandonment wounds.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Michael treats this as a collaborative process and will discuss which methods fit your goals, preferences and the problems you want to address. He blends elements from different approaches rather than relying on a single model.

The practical aim of online sessions is to fit therapy into everyday life. Confirm the exact session formats before booking, as the biography does not list specific formats. Online work can make it easier to have shorter check-ins, fit sessions around work or family routines, and practice skills in real-world moments. If you want to focus on skills for anger management, sessions often include straightforward exercises, behavioural experiments and communication practice that translate well to remote work with a therapist.

Areas of focus

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Also works with

AddictionsLGBTFamily conflictsIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderDepressionCoping with life changesCoachingCompassion fatigueADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAttachment issuesAutism and Asperger SyndromeAvoidant personalityCaregiver issues and stressChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCo-morbidityCodependencyCommunication problemsControl issuesDependent personalityDivorce and separationDomestic violenceEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameImmigration issuesImpulsivityInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMen's issuesMidlife crisisVeteran and Armed Forces IssuesMoney and financial issuesMood disordersMulticultural concernsObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksPhobiasPost-traumatic stressPrejudice and discriminationProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSex addictionSexual assault and abuseSmoking / vaping cessationSocial anxiety and phobiaWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Existential TherapyMindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapySolution-Focused TherapySomatic TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family SystemsSystemic Therapy

Experience

15+ years

Listed in

Australia

Languages

English, Arabic

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of issues does he help with?

He works with a broad range of concerns including anger, anxiety, grief, relationship strain, depression, addictions and burnout.

What is his therapeutic style?

His style is calm and trauma-informed, drawing on emotionally focused and acceptance-based approaches alongside narrative and mindfulness practices.

How much clinical experience does he have?

He has 15 years of clinical experience working with adults and couples in Australia.

What credentials and professional membership does he hold?

He is an Accredited Social Worker and a full member of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW).

Which languages are supported in sessions?

Sessions are offered in English and Arabic.

Can I have sessions from outside Australia?

He does not accept international clients at this time.

How are sessions scheduled and paid for?

Costs vary with location and sessions run via a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.

How do I start therapy with him?

Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a 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 anyone is unsafe, use the crisis numbers.

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Michael Elwan

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