WELCOME TO PROVIDENCE COUNSELING CENTER

Name: Providence Counseling Center
Address: 207 Peach Way, Columbia, MO, 65203, US
Telephone: (573) 777-8775

Support that makes a difference

Empowering Growth Together

At Providence Counseling Center, we specialize in CBT, Person Centered, and Existential Therapy. Our counseling services, established in 2017, prioritize effective communication to support your journey towards holistic well-being.

Our Approach

OUR APPROACH

We specialize in helping teens and adults with anxiety, OCD,
depression and grief through a solution-focused approach.

COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a very common evidence-based approach to improving mental health.

Learn more

WHAT CAN THERAPY DO FOR ME?

Sometimes the hardest step is making that call.
It is our goal to make the therapy experience positive and helpful
so our clients can face whatever challenges they are working through.

Image courtesy of @sitwithwhit

Our Team.

We are very proud of the clinicians who call Providence Counseling Center their home. We have been honored to walk with countless individuals through their therapeutic journey. Come meet our team!

As the owner of Providence Counseling Center, Melynda strives to create an environment that is warm and relaxing for her clients. Her goal is to offer support and help individuals develop strategies to help them adapt to the specific challenges in their lives. Melynda has worked for Columbia Public Schools (CPS) in both the elementary and secondary setting. She started her CPS career as an Elementary School Counselor and was the Outreach Counselor at Gentry Middle School for three years. In addition to working in the school environment, Melynda has worked in the clinical setting since 2013. She received a BA in Psychology from MU and her Masters in Counseling from Stephens College. She has completed basic EMDR training and is a current member of the American Counseling Association. Melynda specializes in working with individuals dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, and grief.

At this time, Melynda is seeing clients ages 16 and up.

Melynda Larkin, LPC

Rebecca Wallace began her career as a school counselor in 2016 in the Columbia Public School system working at Smithton Middle School and Gentry Middle School. Rebecca graduated from the University of Missouri with a B. A. in Spanish and then went on to complete her Master of Education in Counseling at Stephens College.
She has experience working with clients in the areas of anxiety, depression and grief.
She also has worked with adolescents in support groups.

Rebecca strives to create a welcoming environment for all people through her experiences at Providence Counseling Center. Her goal is to create a dynamic relationship that allows growth and support to her clients while they achieve their goals.
Rebecca is a current member of the American Counseling Association.

Rebecca is currently a full-time associate at Providence Counseling Center, and sees clients ages 15 and up.

Lindsey Backer-Fulghum, PhD

Rebecca Wallace, LPC

Dr. Backer-Fulghum works with adults of all ages providing both individual therapy and psychological assessment. She has training in perinatal mental health and has specialized interests in working with individuals who struggle with infertility, miscarriages, stillbirth, and infant loss, as well as pregnancy-related mood and anxiety disorders. Dr. Backer-Fulghum also has extensive experience treating anxiety, depression, adjustment and relationship issues, trauma, ADHD, and grief/loss. Additionally, she provides adult ADHD, Learning Disorder, and diagnostic testing. Her therapeutic style is integrative and has a strong basis in person-centered, cognitive-behavioral, and process-oriented approaches. Dr. Backer-Fulghum received her Doctorate in Social Psychology from Baylor University in Waco, TX and went on to specialize in Clinical Psychology at Suffolk University in Boston, MA. She completed her doctoral internship through Wichita Collaborative Psychology Internship Program (WCPIP). Prior to joining Providence Counseling Center, Dr. Backer-Fulghum worked for 4 years at Wichita State University providing mental health services to students and an additional 2 years in private practice. She is currently a full-time therapist and sees clients 18 and up.

Lindsey Backer-Fulghum, PhD

Ali Price works with adults on a variety of mental health issues, traumatic experiences, and medical concerns. She believes connection and a feeling of safety to be key in the therapeutic relationship. Her goal is to arrive at an understanding of each person's situation, offer perspective and interventions necessary for change and management of life’s continuing demands.
Ali received a BS in Biology at Duke University and her Ph.D. at the University of Miami. She has worked at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Miami Veterans Administration in Miami, FL, participated in clinical research at the University of Miami in Coral Gables. She has taught undergraduate and graduate courses at the University of Miami and at Stephens College. Ali has completed training in clinical hypnosis and EMDR and is a current member of the American Psychological Association. She has worked with individuals in private practice since 1996.

Ali is currently a full-time therapist at Providence Counseling Center and sees clients ages 18 and up.

Ali Price, PhD

Jenna is a passionate professional counselor in training working under the supervision of Rebecca Wallace, LPC. She graduated in 2024 from the University of Missouri with a B.A. in Psychology and is currently completing her Master of Arts in Counseling with an emphasis in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Adams State University. Jenna’s studies over the past few years have included neuroscience, addiction studies, and treatment through a mutual therapeutic alliance. She works to actively apply these and future studies through supervised clinical practice at Providence Counseling Center. While still exploring counseling theories and techniques, Jenna hopes to practice using Behavioral, Gestalt, and Relational-Cultural Therapy and integration of the mind, body, and soul. She is a current member of the American Counseling Association and works to provide a mutual relationship to support client self-discovery, care, and growth. Jenna is committed to ethical practice and the continuance of learning, striving to further develop her skills to best assist and provide care for others.

Jenna Hoagenson, CIT

Sandy comes to PCC with over 20 years of clinical experience working with clients of multiple ages, from elementary school through adults in the later years of life. She believes therapy is a place where clients can process life experiences and implement useful strategies to encourage growth and healing. Sandy takes a holistic approach to the therapeutic process, using traditional talk therapy and cognitive-behavioral techniques in combination with experiential modalities. Her goal is to assist clients to resolve life problems, deepen their understanding of themselves, increase resilience and create a state of joy and well-being through the balance of one’s whole self – body, mind and spirit. By creating a safe environment and building a strong therapeutic relationship, Sandy can be helpful with anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, family and peer relationships and social skills development. She also has extensive experience working with persons in the LGBTQ community and with those from a variety of cultural/ethnic backgrounds.

Sandy moved to Columbia in 2011 and has worked in schools as an outreach counselor and with the Boone County Schools Mental Health Coalition. Prior to living in MO, she lived in Baltimore, MD, working with children and adolescents on the Autism Spectrum and those with significant behavioral challenges. She has also lived in the Middle East, developing programs for children with special needs. Her education includes graduate degrees in teaching and social work, including certification in special education (in MD), and she has specific training in EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique, often know as “Tapping”), DBT and trauma-informed practices. She is currently a part-time therapist at Providence Counseling Center and sees clients ages 14 and up.

Sandy Miller, LCSW

Marisa Collado, Client Care Coordinator

Marisa moved to Columbia from New York in 2018 after graduating with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics. She is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Stephens College and is set to graduate in May 2025, with the intention to pursue further training to become an expressive arts therapist. She began working at PCC in June 2023, and has enjoyed learning, growing, and connecting with clients through her role as client care coordinator. Marisa lives with her partner and their four cats (Gene, Donnie, Moose, and Rosie).