Marla Carman, LMHC, LPC

Marla Carman is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) and licensed professional counselor (LPC) with 21 years of experience. She practices in Arizona and works with adults on stress, anxiety, relationships, trauma and abuse, grief, depression, addictions, family and intimacy concerns, sleep and eating issues, parenting strain, anger, self-esteem, career shifts, bipolar mood management, and coping with life changes.

Marla uses practical approaches in session. She draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Client-Centered methods, EMDR, and mindfulness techniques. Sessions focus on concrete skills, emotion recognition, and steps people can take between meetings.

Her background includes two decades of clinical work supporting people through loss, trauma, and major transitions. She also brings experience addressing caregiver stress, end-of-life concerns, codependency, communication problems, body image and sexual culture topics including BDSM and kink. That depth helps when issues reach across several areas of life.

In a typical meeting she helps clients name what is happening, try small behavioral experiments, and practice mindfulness or cognitive strategies that reduce reactivity. For trauma-related work she may use EMDR alongside other therapies when appropriate. The emphasis is on learning ways to respond differently to anger, resentment, or sudden emotional spikes.

People who come for help with anger often leave sessions with clearer steps to handle heated moments, better communication patterns, and tools to reduce build-up over time. To begin, she asks clients to complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session through the online therapy options button.

How her therapeutic approaches translate to online work