Darby Kilkelly, LPC
He/Him/His
Biography
I focus on child populations and specialize in areas of Autism Spectrum Disorder and youth in foster care.
Address:
The Village
815 37th Ave S
Suite 100
Moorhead, MN 56560
North West
Tarah Groettum, MSEd, LPCC
Biography
Tarah Groettum holds a Master of Science in Education (MSEd), with a clinical counseling focus. As a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC), Certified Autism Specialist (CAS), Permanency and Adoption Competency Certified (PACC), and Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional (CCATP), Tarah brings a wealth of specialized training to her practice. She is also fully trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).
Bernice Dubec
She/Her/Hers
Biography
Leech Lake Foster Care and Adoption Program mission statement : To protect a child's sense of belonging to family and Tribe by promoting family preservation through the use of the seven traditional Anishinaabe values and by providing services that ensure the health, safety, and welfare of Leech Lake children. I have been working as the Guardian/Adoption Specialist for more than one year, and previously worked as a Lead Case Manager and Case Manager for Leech Lake Child Welfare for nine and half years.
Katherine Dachtler, MSW, LCSW, LICSW
She/Her/Hers
Biography
Katherine Dachtler is an international, Transracial Adoptee who was raised and lives in the upper Midwest. Katherine strives to meet you where you are and aims to uncover and focus on your strengths to empower you throughout your healing journey. She believes each individual has a unique, intersectional framework through which they experience the world. She specializes in working with Adoptees, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA2S+ communities and has worked with folx impacted by medical trauma, differing abilities, sexual assault/abuse, and domestic violence.
Anjaly Connors, BSW, LSW
She/Her/Hers
Biography
Anjaly is a licensed social worker in the state of Minnesota who graduated in 2023 with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. She joined Ampersand Families in January 2024 as a Youth Permanency Specialist, where she works to ensure older youth in foster care find lasting and supportive connections. In her role, Anjaly prioritizes relative and kinship placements, and strongly advocates for youth to have a voice in all permanency-related decisions. As a transracial adoptee herself, Anjaly brings a personal and informed perspective to her work.
Mariah Cleppe, LSW
She/Her/Hers
Biography
Mariah has her Bachelor's of Social Work degree from Southwest Minnesota State University and she is a licensed social worker. Mariah formerly worked as a child protection social worker and supervisor for Southwest Health and Human Services. Currently, Mariah is a Post-Permanency Navigator with Foster Adopt Minnesota. Her role is to provide resources and answer questions that arise for families after the finalization of an adoption or transfer of permanent legal and physical custody (TPLPC).
Hannah Burton, MSW, LISW, JD
She/Her/Hers
Biography
Child welfare policy reform, legal services for parents and relatives/kin in juvenile protection matters.
Miranda Barker, LICSW, LCSW
She/Her/Hers
Biography
I’m a therapist who specializes in working with individuals going through life transitions (becoming parent, job changes, graduating college) and families touched by adoption, including birth parents, adoptive parents, and adoptees. I bring experience from both the clinical side and the child welfare world, and I love helping people of all ages feel seen and supported. I am an adoptive parent myself and with adoption in my family of origin.
