It took the outbreak of a war to help Jessica Prokash discover her future ministry and career.

“I had always had a heart for missions and for other cultures,” she explains. “So after I earned my B.A., I volunteered with a parachurch organization to assist missionaries in the Middle East.”

That is how she found herself barricaded in a hotel in Istanbul during what was called “shock and awe.” Dealing with the resulting refugees, she discovered an interest in disaster and crisis counseling.

“I saw that these refugees weren’t given an opportunity to work through the psychological trauma resulting from what they went through,” Jessica states. “They were not being treated at all for emotional wounds.”

After returning to the U.S., Jessica began calling universities in the Seattle area. She assumed she would pursue a Masters in Social Work.

“Then I heard about the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology at Northwest University,” she says.

“This program is multi-cultural in its emphasis and places great importance on social justice. Above all, everything is taught from a Christian perspective,” Jessica explains.

“I realized that this was perfect for me. Even more, I already knew about Northwest, since I had grown up in the area.”

The next two years were filled with rigorous study – and a trip to Brazil. “We went to help do qualitative research with a psychologist who was conducting group sessions in the favelas – slums – with gang members, drug addicts, and street kids,” Jessica explains. “When I compared it to my experiences in the Middle East, I saw there was always a common thread, the same core issues.”

Jessica graduated in 2005 and took a position as a clinician/case manager for a Seattle mental health agency.

“Our patients frequently have ‘co-occurring disorders.’ Typically, they’re adults with developmental disabilities as well as a mental illness.”

Her ongoing work was interrupted by the opportunity to help refugees of a different sort – those who had been displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

“These were people who would be considered normal by any standard,” she explains. “They’d never gone in for therapy, never received welfare, and they were devastated. They were struggling with all the issues you’d expect – housing, food and schools, for example – but they also were fighting acute embarrassment and shame.”

For many of these Katrina victims, the therapy was non-traditional.

Most of these people would not have been comfortable in a clinic, so I would meet them at a coffee shop,” Jessica explains.

Looking back, I realize how my studies at Northwest prepared me for this work,” she states. “The emphasis on cultural sensitivity really helped me deal with people from another part of the country who were going through a totally different experience.”

Jessica’s work with these victims of Katrina only lasted a few weeks, but it reinforced the awareness that she has a heart for crisis and disaster relief.

Even though I was a brand-new graduate, doors were opened to serve, and I’m thankful for that,” she states.

I’m sure this won’t be the last time I’m called on to help,” Jessica says. “Unfortunately, there’s always something going on.”