Stress Management Therapy for Individuals & Couples
Find Your Calm by Addressing Emotional Overload at the Root
Stress isn’t just about work, schedules, or productivity.
For many high-functioning individuals and couples, chronic emotional overload comes from relational disconnection, unresolved conflict, financial pressure, and feeling unseen or unsupported in important relationships.
I specialize in helping individuals and couples understand how emotional strain shows up in the nervous system, communication patterns, and relationship dynamics — and how to change it at the root, rather than simply managing symptoms.
If your current coping strategies aren’t improving your emotional or physical well-being, it may be time to explore a deeper, more effective approach.
Marina Edelman is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Westlake Village, CA, offering thoughtful, evidence-based therapy for individuals and couples experiencing relational pressure and burnout.
Why Emotional Strain So Often Begins in Relationships
Research consistently shows that relationship distress is one of the strongest predictors of anxiety, burnout, and chronic tension. When communication breaks down, emotional needs go unmet, or conflict becomes repetitive, the nervous system remains in a prolonged state of threat.
As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 20 years of experience and advanced training in evidence-based couples therapy, I help clients identify the relational patterns that keep emotional overwhelm activated — and replace them with safety, clarity, and connection.
When relationships feel more secure and responsive, emotional regulation becomes more natural and sustainable.
How I Help Reduce Stress at the Root
My approach to stress management therapy focuses on lasting change rather than short-term relief. Together, we work to:
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Identify relational stress triggers, including conflict cycles, emotional bids, and power dynamics
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Regulate the nervous system during moments of conflict or emotional overwhelm
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Strengthen emotional attunement and effective communication
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Reduce resentment, emotional overload, and chronic tension
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Rebuild safety, trust, and intimacy within relationships
This work is especially effective for individuals and couples who are outwardly successful but internally exhausted or disconnected.
Quick Tools for Immediate Stress Relief
When stress feels intense in the moment, these simple interventions can help stabilize your nervous system:
Deep Breathing
Practice slow, diaphragmatic breathing to increase oxygen flow and calm the stress response.
Take a Short Break
Step away briefly from the situation to create emotional space and regain clarity.
These tools don’t solve the root issue, but they help you pause long enough to respond rather than react.
Long-Term Strategies for Lasting Well-Being
For sustained stress reduction and emotional resilience, therapy often supports clients in developing healthier long-term habits, including:
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Integrating exercise, meditation, and meaningful hobbies into daily life
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Maintain A Healthy Diet: Focus on nutritious foods, avoiding fried items and incorporating probiotics. For more information on the gut-brain axis, you might find this article helpful: Harvard Health: The gut-brain axis.
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Challenging the inner critic and reducing harsh self-talk
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Increasing self-awareness around needs, limits, and emotional signals
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Create A Support Network: Connect with people who uplift you. Explore resources for building strong relationships through organizations like the American Psychological Association.
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Journaling to organize thoughts, reduce mental load, and gain insight
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Thinking creatively about alternative perspectives and solutions
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Delegating, sharing responsibility, and renegotiating expectations
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Preparing for stressful events while letting go of perfectionism
Therapy provides the structure and accountability needed to make these changes sustainable.
Stress Therapy Is Especially Helpful If:
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You feel calm and competent at work but overwhelmed at home
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Your relationship feels tense, distant, or emotionally draining
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Conflict escalates quickly or shuts down entirely
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You carry the emotional and mental load in your relationship
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Stress is affecting intimacy, sleep, patience, or connection
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You’re successful externally but feel disconnected internally
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You carry the emotional and mental load in your relationship
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Stress has started affecting intimacy, sleep, or patience
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You’re successful externally but disconnected internally
Take the First Step Towards Change
Many clients choose to address stress through couples therapy, where we work directly on the relational patterns driving emotional overload.
Contact Marina Edelman, LMFT, today for a confidential consultation.
Learn More About Marina Edelman’s Services
You can also find more information on her Psychology Today profile: Marina Edelman – Psychology Today. Or explore resources on the AEDP Institute website: Marina Edelman – AEDP Institute
FAQ Section
Can relationship problems really cause chronic emotional overload ?
Yes. Relationship distress is one of the most significant contributors to chronic stress. Ongoing conflict, emotional disconnection, or feeling unsupported keeps the nervous system in a heightened state of alert, which can lead to anxiety, burnout, and physical symptoms over time.
Is stress management therapy different from couples therapy?
Stress management therapy often overlaps with couples therapy when stress is driven by relationship dynamics. For many clients, addressing communication patterns, emotional safety, and conflict directly within the relationship leads to more effective and lasting stress reduction.
Should we seek couples therapy if overwhelm is affecting our relationship?
Yes. If stress is contributing to frequent conflict, emotional distance, or decreased intimacy, couples therapy can help identify the patterns fueling stress and create healthier ways of relating.
Do you offer burnout counseling for individuals as well as couples?
Yes. I work with both individuals and couples. Individual therapy often focuses on stress related to relationships, emotional regulation, and personal boundaries, while couples therapy addresses shared relational dynamics.
Do you offer stress management therapy via telehealth?
Yes. I provide therapy to clients throughout California via secure telehealth, in addition to in-person sessions in Westlake Village, CA.
Serving Westlake Village, Malibu, Calabasas, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Newbury Park, Simi Valley, Camarillo, Oak Park, and surrounding areas in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, and beyond in the state of California via telehealth.