Lake Country Associates is proud to announce the addition of Laura Kempnich and Sarah Elstad to our team of Mental Health Practitioners. Laura and Sarah will be working in the Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services (ARMHS) program, helping people diagnosed with mental illness avoid hospitalization and manage their symptoms while living in the community.
Laura Kempnich
Laura’s experience as a business owner and social worker uniquely qualifies her in helping the people we serve organize, prioritize and take action in self-advocating and improving their lives. Laura earned her MSW from the University of Minnesota School of Social Work. Laura’s social work experience includes working at the Walk-in Counseling Center in Minneapolis, where she provided individual and couple’s counseling and co-lead workshops on suicide prevention. She also provided services at the Home Away Shelter and Home Away Group Home in Golden Valley, a facility for adolescent girls with emotional and behavioral disorders.
Since moving to the Park Rapids area in 1985, Laura and her husband have built a successful restaurant business, Companeros Mexican Restaurant in Dorset MN. With the sale of the restaurant this year, Laura now has the time to return to her career in Social Work.
Sarah Elstad
Sarah is experienced helping people diagnosed with mental illness in residential settings and in their homes. After earning her Bachelor of Science from Bemidji State University, Sarah worked for Sprucewoods, a residential program for people with mental illness. Sarah then moved to the metro area and worked in ARMHS programs at Boston Mental Health Services and Central Minnesota Mental Health Center for over five years.
Sarah is now settled into the Park Rapids community and is looking forward to using her experience to continue helping people with mental illness.