When Coping Becomes A Full-time Job
Many people appear to be functioning well while quietly expending enormous effort to keep themselves steady. When coping becomes a way of being, insight alone often fails...
Michael Elwan
Social Worker
“I offer online EMDR therapy for adults across Australia, in English, Arabic or both. We begin with assessment and preparation to understand your concerns and whether EMDR is suitable. I am Michael Elwan, an Accredited Social Worker and Founder and Director of Lived Experience Solutions (LEXs). I also offer couples therapy.”
About me
My background spans direct practice, peer support, supervision and senior management in mental health, psychosocial disability and suicide prevention. My work is also informed by lived experience of caregiving, migration and suicide bereavement.
I hold a Master of Social Work and am a PhD candidate at Charles Sturt University, researching lived and living experience leadership in mental health.
I completed advanced EMDR training directly with Graham Taylor, a pioneer of EMDR in Australia, through Therapist Training. Graham trained with EMDR founder Francine Shapiro and helped deliver Australia’s first EMDR training in 1992. My training includes structured case consultation.
In therapy, we consider your relationships, culture and circumstances alongside the concerns bringing you here. You can move between Arabic and English during your sessions. You do not need to choose one language for the whole appointment. We can also clarify words or expressions whose meaning matters to you.
Approach
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is the main approach I offer new individual therapy clients, subject to assessment and suitability.
We begin by understanding your concerns, what you would like to change, and how past experiences and current circumstances affect you. Assessment and preparation come before memory processing. I explain the stages, we agree on the next steps together, and we review how the work is affecting you.
My practice is relational, trauma-informed and culturally responsive. There is room to discuss family expectations, migration, identity, caregiving and faith where these matter to you.
Couples therapy follows a separate assessment process, with attention to safety, each partner’s perspective, communication and recurring relationship patterns.
Services
Individual EMDR therapy
Online appointments for adults across Australia, in English, Arabic or both. We begin with assessment and preparation to determine suitability and plan the work before memory processing.
Couples therapy
Your first appointment is 90 minutes with both partners. We discuss what brings you to therapy, begin assessment and explain the next steps. Follow-up appointments are 60 minutes.
Professional and organisational services
I provide social work supervision and lived experience leadership supervision, individually and in groups. Peer work supervision is available on enquiry. Organisations can commission training, workshops and consultancy.
Fees and appointments
Individual EMDR appointments are $150 for 60 minutes, including your first appointment. Couples therapy is $345 for the first 90-minute appointment with both partners, followed by 60-minute appointments at $230.
Sessions are online, in English, Arabic or both. No GP referral is required. Medicare rebates are not available. Self-managed and plan-managed NDIS participants can enquire about suitability and funding arrangements.
Please give at least 72 hours’ notice to cancel or reschedule. Visit the LEXs website to book, or contact me with questions before booking.
Services Offered:
Online Therapy
Therapy sessions conducted over video call, phone, or secure messaging, using the same professional methods delivered remotely.
Learn more about Online TherapyRelationship Counselling
Counselling for couples or partners focused on improving communication, rebuilding trust, and strengthening emotional connection.
Trauma Counselling
Counselling specifically for people affected by traumatic events, focused on processing what happened and reducing symptoms like flashbacks and hypervigilance.
Learn more about Trauma CounsellingIntegrative Psychotherapy
An approach that draws on multiple therapeutic models, tailored to the individual, rather than following a single method.
Narrative Therapy
A therapy that helps people separate themselves from their problems by exploring and reauthoring the stories they tell about their lives, drawing out values, strengths, and preferred identities.
Online Counselling
Counselling conducted via video, phone, or secure messaging, providing professional support remotely.
Learn more about Online CounsellingEMDR
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, a therapy that uses guided eye movements to help the brain process and integrate traumatic memories.
Learn more about EMDR
Works With:
- Adults
- Couples
- Individuals
- Organisations
- Elderly
Area of expertise
Scope of Practice:
Anxiety
Persistent worry, nervousness, or fear that is disproportionate to the situation and interferes with daily functioning.
Learn more about AnxietyStress / Burnout
The body and mind's response to prolonged or excessive demands. When sustained, it can lead to emotional exhaustion, detachment, and reduced functioning (burnout).
Learn more about Stress / BurnoutRelationship Issues
Difficulties in romantic relationships, including communication problems, trust breakdowns, conflict patterns, or uncertainty about the relationship's future.
Learn more about Relationship IssuesTrauma
The lasting psychological impact of deeply distressing events, such as violence, abuse, accidents, or disasters, that overwhelm a person's ability to cope.
Learn more about TraumaMen's Issues
Psychological challenges commonly experienced by men, including difficulty expressing emotions, anger, relationship struggles, fatherhood pressures, and societal expectations of masculinity.
Suicidal Thoughts
Thoughts about ending one's own life, ranging from passive wishes to active plans. This is a sign of severe emotional distress that requires professional support.
Learn more about Suicidal ThoughtsGrief, Loss & Bereavement
The emotional, physical, and psychological response to the death of a loved one or another significant loss, varying widely in duration and expression.
Learn more about Grief, Loss & BereavementAbuse
Emotional, physical, or sexual mistreatment by another person that causes lasting psychological harm and disrupts a person's sense of safety.
Anger
An intense emotional response to perceived threat, injustice, or frustration that, when persistent or uncontrolled, can damage relationships and well-being.
Learn more about AngerDepression
A mood disorder marked by persistent low mood, loss of interest or pleasure, and changes in energy, sleep, or appetite that impair daily functioning.
Learn more about Depression
Professional Title:
Social Worker
A professional who supports individuals and families with mental health, welfare, and access to community resources.
Credentials
Registrations
Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)
Full Membership
Qualifications
Master of Social Work (Specialisation: Counselling for Loss and Grief)
University of New England
Year: 2020
Graduate Certificate in Mental Health
Australian Catholic University
Year: 2023
Diploma in Psychology
Austin Peay State University
Year: 2023
Master of Business Administration
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Year: 2014
Memberships
Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy (AACBT)
Full Member
