Marla Carman
Calm, practical help for family life
- Credentials
- LMHC, LPC
- Experience
- 21 years
- Licensed in
- Arizona, Florida, Washington
- Languages
- English
- Format
- Online sessions
About Marla
Marla Carman uses practical, evidence-informed approaches to help people manage stress and improve family life. She is a licensed mental health counselor - LMHC - and a licensed professional counselor - LPC - with 21 years in the field. Her style is straightforward and focused on what works for each person and family.
She brings Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy into sessions to help clients change unhelpful thinking and take meaningful action.
Background and approach
Marla also uses Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, often when trauma or painful memories are part of the problem. Sessions tend to be collaborative and goal oriented so parents can see clear next steps. Marla works with a broad range of concerns that affect families, including relationship difficulties, parenting stress, grief, depression, anxiety, addictions, and coping with life changes.
She also addresses intimacy-related problems, communication patterns, and caregiver stress. Her approach combines practical skills with attention to values and what matters most to each family. Training and licensure in two states supports her clinical work.
She is licensed in Arizona and uses methods suited to adults and couples who want to improve connection and daily functioning. Marla focuses on helping people get unstuck and build healthier routines at home. In sessions she listens for what is working and what is not, then suggests small, doable steps.
Parents and partners are offered tools for better communication, emotional regulation, and problem solving. The aim is steady, manageable change over time.
Therapeutic approaches and how they work online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people clarify their values and commit to small actions that align with what matters most. It is useful for stress, anxiety, and life transitions because it focuses on doing what helps rather than trying to eliminate difficult feelings. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches practical skills to change unhelpful patterns. It is commonly used for anxiety, depression, sleep problems, eating concerns, and parenting stress. EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing - is a trauma-focused method that can reduce the intensity of distressing memories and related reactions when trauma is a central issue.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Marla will talk with each person or couple about goals, symptoms, and preferences, then recommend methods that fit those needs. That recommendation is collaborative and can be adjusted over time as progress is made.
Online therapy via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging adds flexibility for busy households. It lets parents and partners join sessions from home, reduces travel time, and makes it easier to fit consistent care into a routine. These options also allow follow-up, check-ins, and skills practice between longer appointments to help change stick.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Less about arguing with difficult thoughts, more about loosening their grip and acting on what matters to you anyway. Values and committed action carry the work, which suits conversation at a distance.
Client-Centered Therapy
The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
What is her general therapy style?
How long has she practiced counseling?
Where is she licensed to practice?
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Are international clients seen for therapy?
What session formats are available?
How does billing and starting work?
Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
Also works with
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Bipolar disorder
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Eating disorders
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Fertility issues
- First responder issues
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Traumatic brain injury
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 21 years
- Licensed
- Arizona, Florida, Washington
- Languages
- English
Next step
Talk to Marla
- Takes a few minutes
- Nothing to set up just to look
- Stop at any point