Marla Carman , LMHC, LPC

Marla Carman uses a blend of practical, evidence-informed approaches to help people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and relationship difficulties. She brings 21 years of experience and works with adults on concerns such as trauma and abuse, grief, addictions, self-esteem, and career stress. Marla is licensed as an LMHC and an LPC and provides care from Arizona using straightforward, compassionate methods.

Her sessions emphasize clear goals and simple steps people can try between meetings. She often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to spot and shift unhelpful thinking, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to build values-driven action, and EMDR when trauma processing is needed. Mindfulness and a client-centered stance guide how she listens and responds.

Marla helps people facing a wide range of life challenges, including intimacy-related issues, family conflict, parenting strain, eating or sleeping struggles, and coping with major life changes. She also supports people dealing with abandonment, body image, caregiver stress, and end-of-life concerns. Her approach is practical and paced to each person’s comfort.

In sessions she focuses on what matters most to the client and on tools that fit daily life. Expect a collaborative conversation about clear goals, coping strategies, and small experiments to try between sessions. Marla adapts methods to match each person’s needs and preferences.

She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging so people can choose what works best. To begin, a short matching questionnaire helps pair someone with her and then scheduling follows based on availability.

Therapeutic approaches you can use online

Marla commonly draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in online sessions. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice unhelpful struggle with thoughts and then take small, values-based actions that matter to them. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying patterns of thinking and behavior and testing practical alternatives to reduce symptoms and improve daily functioning.

She also uses EMDR when trauma processing is appropriate; this approach aims to reduce the intensity of traumatic memories through guided processing and is used when both client and clinician agree it fits the goals. Deciding which approach to use is a shared process. The therapist will talk through options, try methods that match a person's goals, and adjust based on what helps most over time.

Online therapy offers flexibility in how people connect. Video calls let therapists and clients work face-to-face when visual cues help. Phone sessions can fit a short check-in or work better when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text-based messaging are useful for quick updates, brief coaching, or ongoing support between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives while using the same therapeutic approaches as in-person care.