WE’RE HIRING!
Come join our team of 2000+ clinicians
FEATURED ARTICLE
A comprehensive guide to starting therapy
Book my first session
96% of clients feel supported and understood by their therapist
Get expert medication support, tailored to you
Check my copay estimate
Sessions cost $24 on average with insurance
Discover how starting couples therapy can support your own journey toward a happier, more fulfilling life.
2 therapists available in Columbia
A fundamental aspect of our humanity is our need for unconditional positive regard, understanding, acceptance, and presence from o...
About
A fundamental aspect of our humanity is our need for unconditional positive regard, understanding, acceptance, and presence from one another.
I am a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) with 5 years of experience supporting adults navigating anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, life transitions, and emotional challenges. I provide a thoughtful, insight-oriented approach to therapy and believe that meaningful change begins with understanding the deeper roots of your struggles. I am committed to creating a safe, supportive space where you feel heard and respected.
I earned my master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Northwestern University, where I received training in psychodynamic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. I draw from multiple evidence-based approaches and tailor treatment to each client’s unique needs, allowing therapy to unfold in a way that feels authentic and effective.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or isolated, you don’t have to face it alone. I offer an engaged, compassionate, and collaborative environment where we can explore challenges together and work toward clarity, relief, and lasting growth. I look forward to supporting you on your journey.
Education and training
View more therapists in Columbia
My goal is to empower people to make positive changes in their lives and help themselves become the person that they want to be....
My goal is to empower people to make positive changes in their lives and help themselves become the person that they want to be.
Molly Alvord is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Pennsylvania and Maryland with over 17 years of experience. Working in a variety of settings, Molly has had the pleasure of helping people of all ages and backgrounds by providing individual, couples, family, and group therapy. Her specialties include anxiety, stress, depression, and relationship issues.
Molly earned her Masters of Social Work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Social Work. She takes a humanistic approach that involves unconditional positive regard with a blend of techniques including person-centered, motivational, solution-focused, cognitive, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and mindfulness to work with the client to find the methods that will fit their needs.
Molly starts where the client is and helps them explore their reasons for choosing therapy and identify their goals. Employing a variety of techniques to meet the client’s needs, she empowers her clients to use their strengths to make positive changes in their lives.
You deserve dedicated time with a mental health professional — it can be life-changing.
Not ready to book? Contact me
Look for a confirmation email in your inbox shortly. We'll help find you a provider and guide you through everything you should know about starting care at Thriveworks.
No membership fees or subscriptions
Evening and weekend sessions
Award-winning therapy & psychiatry
What support are you seeking?
You acknowledge that by submitting this form, you are providing what may be considered “sensitive data” and consent to Thriveworks Privacy Policy & Terms. By submitting this information, you consent to receive communication from Thriveworks about our services via automatic calls, artificial or pre-recorded messages, or texts at the phone number provided, or by email at the address provided. You have the option to opt out of communications.
We will contact you with availability updates based on the preferences you provided for up to six months.
Thriveworks Couples therapy helps couples work through their specific relationship issues. It is led by licensed professionals — often licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs) — who are experts in their field and best-equipped to help couples. Some examples of common focuses within couples therapy include:
Couples therapy works by helping couples identify and better navigate their unique challenges. Following an initial assessment of the couple in terms of strengths and needs, the therapist would then discuss their therapeutic goals and any possible approaches or ways of working together as therapist and couple.Couples attend sessions together, whether they meet in person or by video. In addition to regular couples therapy sessions, each partner may also be asked to attend a few individual sessions to supplement their progress. This will allow their counselor to get to know each individual better, assess each of their personal needs, and develop the very best treatment plan moving forward.
Couples therapy at Thriveworks is conducted both in person and via Online therapy. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you and your partner.
On average, couples attend couples therapy for 12 weeks. However, couples therapy may last longer or shorter, dependent on the couples’ needs, the challenges they’d like to work through, and the pace of their progress.
Very few couples will go through life without experiencing conflicts within their marriage or relationship. Arguments are a normal aspect of interaction between partners and don’t always have to be regarded as something negative. Many couples will, however, encounter serious challenges and will find it impossible to manage them alone – these may include infidelity, differing sexual expectations or permanently and severely handicapped communication.
Research suggests that people in troubled relationships often delay seeking professional support – on average, they will wait 6 years before finally choosing to get help in the form of marriage or couples therapy. During such a long period of time partners may develop a mutual resentment serious enough to prevent conflict resolution and eventual reconciliation. The sooner partners decide to attend marriage or couples counseling, the higher their chances of finding a lasting solution to their problems. So, without further ado, reach out to Thriveworks Howard today to schedule your first marriage counseling appointment.
Divorce is a serious matter, often having consequences not just for the spouses, but also for their children, their financial circumstances and social life. It continues to surprise that almost half of all marriages in America end in divorce. Although for some couples parting ways will be truly the better option, in many cases conflict resolution is possible – through improved dialogue and through effort to understand each other’s emotions and opinions, both of which can often be achieved with the help of a professional relationship counselor.
Couples and marriage therapy is a method proven to be successful at helping partners restore a healthy relationship and avoid splitting up. It is true, however, that not all relationships can be salvaged and therapy can be in fact a great way to facilitate an amicable separation and reduce the damage to a family during the divorce process.
A marriage or couples therapist will strive to teach his or her clients how to control their emotions and avoid unnecessary arguments, how to listen and try to understand one another and communicate their thoughts in a constructive and composed manner. Broadly speaking, professional therapy for couples provides the participants with tools that are to help them resolve old and future conflicts and prevent emergence of a lasting resentment that could permanently ruin their relationship. It is, however, important to acknowledge that this type of counseling does not provide a simple fix solution – a good therapist won’t tell one what to do, but will guide the partners to working out the solutions themselves.
At Thriveworks Columbia, we have worked with various couples – young couples, as well as couples that have been together for 30 years; people facing very difficult conflicts, as well as individuals who simply want to work through some minor issues within their relationships. Thanks to this extensive experience we understand how to best help our clients – no matter who they are or what problems they approach us with. We believe that change is possible – so please, reach out to us today to arrange your first couples or marriage counseling session.
As we have already mentioned, there are many different techniques and approaches used in couples therapy. If you’re ready to put these techniques to work, reach out to Thriveworks Columbia today to schedule your first appointment. Thriveworks offers same-week appointments to new clients, provides evening and weekend scheduling options, accepts most major insurances, and offers additional benefits.
Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy
Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management
Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry Columbia is located in the Shoppes at Wilde Lake and near the intersection of Lynx Lane and Twin Rivers Road, off Governor Warfield Parkway. It is right by Wilde Lake and just off the campus of Howard Community College and Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center. The office is in a multi-story brick and glass shopping complex with attached grocery store. Enter through the small lobby on the left side of the building to access Suite 285 on the second floor.
Shown in ET
26 photos
Call to book
We'll help you find the right provider and get you scheduled.
Book online
Find the right provider for you and book your first session in minutes.