Jason Dykstra didn’t know he wanted a career in conflict mediation. In fact, he didn’t know such a job existed. What he did know is that he wanted to use his people skills and knowledge of psychology to help others.
Graduating from Redeemer in 2007 with a BA in English and psychology, Dykstra began working in social services. Shortly into his new job, he had the chance to attend a workshop on conflict mediation. Immediately, he knew he’d found his passion: transforming conflict. Following the training workshop, he began volunteering as a mediator at a community organization. He built and honed his mediation skills until he was ready to branch out and launch his own business.
Dykstra has also worked as a senior consultant and the VP of engagement at Credence & Co, a company that helps resolve organizational conflict. He is now focused on his own conflict mediation business, which he has been building for seven years. His success is the result of years of hard work, both professionally and personally. “I can sit down with my clients and journey alongside them because I’ve done the hard work on myself,” he said. “I’ve travelled along the path, which enables me to take people to new places within themselves.”
Initially, his company which can be found at JasonDyk.com, offered family mediation services but over the years, he transitioned into conflict mediation on a larger scale: for organizations and church congregations. Conflict, Dykstra believes, can be an opportunity to find creative solutions and learn leadership and communication skills.
While a student at Redeemer, he participated in intramurals, served at Church-in-the-Box and played volleyball. His experiences in the Redeemer community shaped him the most. “The community of Redeemer faculty and students showed me what it meant to be a community of faith,” he said. “They taught me how to think critically, to form deep relationships, and they left me with a desire to learn.”
Studying psychology from a Christian perspective at Redeemer gave Dykstra the opportunity to explore how to integrate his faith into his work and, to this day, he says that his faith is instrumental in how he cares for his clients and operated his business. “I find that the deeper that I go in my relationship with Christ,” he shared, “the more present I am to my clients’ needs and the more I am able to assist them through their own journeys of transformation.”