We are so excited that Life Counseling Center is opening a satellite office in Roland Park to serve the neighborhoods of North Baltimore. The center will provide Biblical Counseling at City Church’s new office space and become an integral part of our ministry to our congregation and the surrounding community.
Life Counseling Center offers biblical counseling that is grounded in the foundational truth that because of the Gospel, lasting change is possible. Life Counseling Center holds to the principle that hope is never lost, no matter how difficult the situations in which we find ourselves may be. Many people travel long distances to meet with counselors at Life Counseling Center, and this new partnership will make it easier for Baltimore residents to benefit from their solid Biblical counseling.
Get to know the counselors!
Rich Starsoneck
Director of Counseling
Rich is Director of Life Counseling Center. As a counselor, his areas of interest are marriage and family counseling, grief, loss and men’s issues. He enjoys understanding people and seeing their lives and hearts change. He sees the importance of entering into a person’s world and helping individuals or couples think biblically about their situation instead of having their thinking controlled by experience, emotion and cultural norms. Rich has studied at both Chesapeake and Westminster Seminary, is certified in Marriage and Family Counseling through CCEF and is a mediator with the MCRC with an emphasis in restorative dialogue. Rich was married in 1985 to his wife Kathy, has a grown daughter Laura, and two whippets. He enjoys playing and listening to music, reading and road cycling.
Diana Bauer
Counselor
Diana received her BA in History from UBC and earned her teaching certificate in history grades K-12. After homeschooling two of her four children, Diana ran one of the busiest crisis pregnancy centers in Baltimore City for five years. She has completed three levels of certificate training from the Christian Counseling Educational Foundation (CCEF). Diana has been counseling for 10 years. Her primary area of interest is in identifying how our hearts interact with life’s issues and how believing God provides true healing. This process applies to all people of any age, gender or heart issue. She is married and has four grown children and four grandchildren. Interests include traveling, cooking and running Square Halo Books publishing company.
Jason Robbins
Counselor
Jason holds a M.A. in Biblical Counseling from Luther Rice University in Atlanta, GA and a B.A. in Christian Education from Maryland Bible College in Baltimore, MD. Along with his wife, he is also a Prepare-Enrich certified Pre-Marriage and Marriage Counselor. He is currently serving on staff at Long Green Baptist Church, as well as teaching English as a Second Language for Community College of Baltimore County. He and his wife, Olga, are raising three beautiful children – Nina, Evelyn and Alek – in Baltimore, MD. He enjoys reading, walking through the woods and spending as much time with his family as possible. Even though he has lived more than half of his life in Maryland, his New England roots go deep, so he is proud to still be a Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots.
Esther Smith
Counselor
Esther has her M.A. in Professional Counseling through Liberty University and has begun taking classes through the Christian Counseling Educational Foundation. Since she can remember, Esther has been drawn to the stories of people around her. Her counseling has been shaped by a desire to walk alongside individuals as they discern how their stories can be redeemed and changed through the truth of the Gospel. Esther lives in Baltimore with her husband, Ian, and enjoys good books and movies, creating new recipes in the kitchen and sharing them with family and friends. Areas of interest and experience include teens and young adults, women’s issues and working with individuals touched by anxiety, trauma, chronic illness and suffering.
Alison Spiegel
Intern Counselor
After twenty-five years as a wife, mother and software engineer, Alison asked the Lord to give her a vision for life after homeschooling. He answered her by introducing her to the world of biblical counseling. She enrolled in the Christian Counseling Education Foundation’s (CCEF) biblical counseling certificate program and anticipates full completion of the program this year. Her passion is to help people know God more personally, engage with Him more intimately and find help and hope in His living word. Alison is very involved in her local church where she has led Bible studies, counseled and discipled women and participated in jail ministry. She is married to Pete and they have four young-adult children. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, watching British crime dramas and making jewelry. Areas of interest and experience in counseling include marriage, family and women’s issues.
Janet Crow
Counselor
Janet Crow has completed certificate training from the Christian Counseling Educational Foundation (CCEF) affiliated with Westminster Theological Seminary. She has served on the counseling team at her church for over a decade. Much of her spare time is spent practicing piano, hiking or gardening with her husband. She also enjoys doing needlework projects as gifts. Areas of interest / experience are women’s issues and marriage counseling.