meet our staff

Our clinical staff consists of seven licensed therapists with master’s or doctorate degrees and a heart for missions. Each has cross-cultural experience through various forms of missionary service. Staff members often maintain contact with missionaries on the field through short-term consultations and training sessions on location, as well as through telephone, hard-copy mail, and e-mail communication. They also consult with sending agencies and churches while following current mission field trends.

MCS staff members continually pursue professional training to update their skills and knowledge base. Contact with diverse clientele throughout the world gives our staff a broad, up-to-date perspective on global issues, as well as a keen awareness of the real demands of missionary life. Our ever-growing training and experience allow MCS to adapt our work with each missionary to the specific field he/she will serve.

Amy Craig

Amy Craig is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She earned a BA in speech communication from Miami University, as well as an MA in counseling from Denver Seminary. Amy served as a missionary in Eastern Europe while residing in Macedonia and Bulgaria. She has also participated in short-term mission trips in Turkey and Israel.

Amy’s field experience developed her heart for missionary care. Deported from Macedonia for sharing the gospel with college students and conducting prayer meetings, she learned the faithfulness. Her experiences with sudden change taught her the need for debriefing on the field. Amy learned the importance of teamwork through her experience with missionary coworkers of widely different skill sets and levels of expertise.

Amy specializes in the treatment of children and adults in family issues, depression, anxiety, mood disorders and trauma.

Chris Kates

Chris is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a member of the National Board of Certified Counselors.  He earned his BA in communication studies from Westmont College, and his MA in counseling from Denver Seminary. Raised in California, Chris has spent time studying in Europe. He lived for a year in Kenya working with missionary kids at Rift Valley Academy, and served as a youth pastor in Kauai.

Chris is experienced in counseling individuals, couples and families. He specializes in marital, premarital and couples therapy, as well as treatment of depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety. He also specializes in dealing with men’s issues.

Doug Feil

Doug earned a BA in psychology from California State University at Chico and an MS in psychology/counseling at San Jose State University. Licensed as a professional counselor in Colorado, Doug has been a full time clinical therapist since 1982. Doug served as director and executive director of Missionary Care Services from its formation in 1990 until May of 2002, when he became executive director of Southwest Counseling Associates.

Doug participates locally and internationally in a wide range of mission related ministries. He continues to work as a clinical therapist with MCS, counseling individuals, couples and families. His specialties include treatment of depression, anxiety, personality disorders and dissociative disorders. He also specializes in critical incident debriefing, mediation and team building. Doug’s clients include pastors and church leaders as well as missionaries.

Doug served as a missionary for almost five years in Central and South America. During his stay of over three years in Uruguay, he pastored a small church and served as national camping director and resident advisor in a housing facility for Bible students.

Doug speaks fluent Spanish and continues to do therapy and training in Spanish as needed. Doug met his wife, Joyce, while serving in Uruguay. Joyce grew up in Brazil where her parents worked as missionaries for ten years. She now directs the missions ministry at Foothills Bible Church.

Doug and Joyce often minister as a team in a wide range of mission related activities. They conduct seminars and training on missionary care topics for church groups and conferences, in addition to taking regular international short-term ministry trips.

Elizabeth Walter

Elizabeth Walter is executive director of MCS. She has served in the mental health field both as a nurse therapist and as a psychiatric care manager for over 10 years. Prior to that, she worked as a professional nurse in acute inpatient and outpatient adult and pediatric medical facilities.

A graduate of Denver Seminary, Elizabeth now serves as adjunct faculty at both Denver and Fuller Seminary, teaching and mentoring students in the Spiritual Formation department. She ministers locally, nationally and internationally in the areas of spiritual formation and renewal, intercession, prayer evangelism and healing. She facilitates the development and strengthening of prayer teams for missions groups both in the United States and abroad.

Elizabeth takes special interest in assisting people in pursuit of sexual and relational wholeness in Christ. She also specializes in helping family members, friends and others who love these people.

In the past five years Elizabeth has ministered to local and expatriate missionaries in the Middle East, Asia, Europe and South America. She has conducted critical incident debriefings for mission agencies and sending churches. Her short-term missions work includes teaching and encouragement with special focus on women’s roles and needs in missions.

David Jenkins

David earned a diploma in Bible and Christian education from Appalachian Bible Institute, a BS in Bible in Christian education from Calvary Bible College, and an MA in counseling from Denver Seminary. David is licensed as a professional counselor in the state of Colorado.

David has over 35 years experience in individual, premarital, and marriage and family counseling. He also has 15 years experience in college education, including six years of administrative leadership. He has been in ministry for 39 years and has served in three church ministries. He is a charter member of the American Association of Christian Counselors.

David conducts various seminars, workshops and retreats for churches, businesses and national conferences. His topics include marital health and team building. He has a heart for missions, and has been involved in several short-term mission projects. Trained in brief therapy, David uses time effective approaches where appropriate for his clients.

Jodi Top

Jodi is licensed as a clinical social worker in the state of Colorado. She received her Bachelor of Social Work degree from Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa, and her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver.

Jodi has over 10 years of experience working with individuals, families and groups in treating mood and anxiety disorders as well as family issues. Her most recent specialty is the treatment of adolescents for substance abuse, delinquency, depression and general teenage angst.

For over eight years Jodi has held a leadership position in her church, teaching and training on the subject of prayer. She has facilitated prayer rooms at national conferences, and has trained short-term mission teams in overseas prayer strategies.

Jodi has participated in short term-mission trips to Nepal and South Africa, and has led prayer journeys into creative access nations in Southeast Asia. She once taught in an underground Bible college in Nepal.

Jodi has a heart for equipping believers in the area of prayer, and for supporting and encouraging missionaries around the world. She finds fulfillment for these desires as she uses her counseling skills to promote emotional and spiritual wellbeing in missionaries.