Counseling Information

Heartsong Counseling

Lauren grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and currently lives there with her husband, Parker, where they are members of Mountain Brook Community Church. She has ten+ years of experience working on church staff as a minister in Kids’, Youth, and College Ministries. Lauren received a B.A. in Communication from Auburn University, Biblical Counseling Certificates from Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF), and an M.A. in Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary.

As of recently, Lauren’s main area of focus is postpartum support, particularly NICU trauma (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) along with family problems, grief, church conflict, body image, self-harm, eating issues, identity, victims of abuse, and anxiety and depression.

Lauren believes in personal ministry because God is personal with us. She is passionate about meeting people where they are with empathy in suffering while holding fast to the hope found in the cross. When she isn’t counseling, Lauren enjoys painting at a local gallery, exploring the coffee and food scene in Birmingham, and traveling with her husband and family.

Heartsong Counseling

Russell currently lives in Birmingham, AL with his wife and four children, but has lived across the southeast most of his life. Russell started his career in ministry with Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) at the University of Florida and served on campus for 7 years. He left staff in 2009 to pursue his seminary degree in the Chicagoland area, where he also served as a pastoral intern focusing on college and young adults in a local church. Upon the birth of their first daughter, he and his wife moved back to the south to be closer to family. Russell served as a pastor of small groups, counseling and care ministry for 7 years in the local church before making the shift to full time counseling ministry.

Russell received a B.A. in Business Administration at the University of Mississippi, his Masters of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and his Biblical Counseling Certification from the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation (CCEF, a Westminster Seminary partner) out of Philadelphia.

Russell’s personal experience with counseling, as well as walking alongside those he has counseled in ministry, is where he has seen the most profound transformation in growing with Christ both personally and professionally. Seeing someone connect with their identity in Jesus and how that speaks to us in our brokenness, sin and suffering is something Russell is passionate about being a part of through biblical counseling.

In his spare time, Russell enjoys spending time with his wife Molliann, their four children and their dogs, watching professional and college sports, exercising and enjoying the local Birmingham food scene.

Anne Lawton Counseling

My love for working with people began in 1997 when I worked with children and teens alongside Sissy Goff and David Thomas at Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville, TN. After graduating from Samford University, I pursued a Master’s degree in Counseling and graduated from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, FL. Additionally, I have completed graduate studies in Counselor Education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Alongside this, I have undertaken advanced training in play therapy, Theraplay, and Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI). I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and, several years ago, earned my LPC-Supervisor credential.

For years, I loved serving as Intake Coordinator and Counselor for Pathways Professional Counseling, a family ministry of The Alabama Baptist Children’s Home. During my fifteen-plus years of clinical experience, I developed a person-centered approach that focuses on the strengths of my clients to aid in personal growth. I incorporate cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, and experiential techniques to help strengthen clients. I also work from an attachment-based perspective, recognizing that life is meant to be experienced in connection with others and oneself.​

On a more personal note, when I’m not in the kitchen preparing a warm meal for family and friends, you might find me on the tennis court or perhaps reading on the screened-in porch. My favorite way to spend time is with my husband and our three teenagers. We are grateful for continued opportunities to serve in and outside of our church together.