Licensing and Credentialing
Please visit the Board of Examiners for Counselors & Marriage and Family Therapists. for further details on LPC, LPC-MH, and LMFT licensing requirements.
Licensure Requirements
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
- Master’s or Doctoral degree in counseling consisting of a minimum of 48 credit hours from a board-approved program
- 2,000 hours of work under a board-approved supervisor after obtaining degree
- 1,000 hours minimum of direct client contact – no more than 400 of those hours through electronic means
- 100 hours minimum of supervision – no more than 50 of those hours in group supervision
- 900 hours of counseling related activities
- Pass National Counselor Examination or the Counselor Rehabilitation Certification Examination
- Fee for application
Licensed Professional Counselor - Mental Health (LPC-MH)
- Master’s or Doctoral degree in counseling consisting of a minimum of 48 credit hours from a board-approved program
- 2,000 hours of work under a board-approved supervisor after obtaining degree
- 2,000 hours minimum of direct client contact
- 100 hours minimum of supervision - no more than 50 of those hours in group supervision
- Pass National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination
- Fee for application
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
- Master’s or Doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy consisting of a minimum of 48 credit hours from a board-approved program
- 1,700 hours of work under a board-approved supervisor after obtaining degree
- Pass National Examination for Marital and Family Therapy (NMFTE)
- Fee for application
School-Based Mental Health Provider Requirements
School Counselor
- Master's degree in school counseling
OR - Master’s degree or higher in counseling with 1 year of supervision by a Mentor School Counselor and pass state-designated school counselor test
- Certified by the Department of Education
School Psychologist
- Education Specialist degree in school psychology
- Certified as an Education Specialist by the Department of Education
School Social Worker
- Master's degree in Social Work (MSW)
- In rare cases should the local education agency employ school social workers with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, an MSW-level social worker must provide supervision.
AND
Must pass the national Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) examination.
- In rare cases should the local education agency employ school social workers with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, an MSW-level social worker must provide supervision.
- Licensed by the Board of Social Work Examiners
Please visit the Board of Addiction and Prevention Professionals for further details on ACT, CAC, LAC, and LAC-PIP licensing requirements.
Substance Use Disorder Counseling Licensure Requirements
Addiction Counselor Trainee (ACT)
- Highschool diploma or GED
- Be employed or volunteer for an accredited agency to participate in activities specific to domains outlined by the board
- Minimum of 8 hours a month
- Minimum of 8 hours a month
- Be supervised by a CAC or LAC
- 1 hour of supervision for every 10 hours of client contact
- 1 hour of supervision for every 10 hours of client contact
- Complete academic and work experience requirements and pass examination before the end of the trainee recognition period (up to 5 years)
- Application fee
Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC)
- Highschool diploma or GED minimum
- Grade of “C” or higher in specialized education courses outlined by the board
- Supervised work experience – 300 of the hours in practical training in core functions
-
- 8,000 hours - high school diploma or general education diploma
-
- 6,000 hours - associate’s degree in behavioral science field
-
- 4,000 hours - bachelor’s degree in behavioral science field
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- 2,000 hours - master's degree or above in behavioral science field
- Pass International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium written exam
- Fee for application
Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC)
- Master’s degree in a behavioral science field
- Grade of “C” or higher in specialized education courses outlined by the board
- Minimum of 2,000 hours of supervised work experience specific to alcohol and drug counselor domains
- 300 of the hours in practical training – minimum of 10 hours in each core function
- Pass International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium written exam
- Fee for application
To practice privately:
- Minimum of 2 years full-time (or 4,000 hours) of supervised experience after initial licensure/certification
Please visit the Board of Social Work Examiners for further details on SWA, SW, CSW, and CSW-PIP licensing requirements.
Community Health Worker (CHW)
Training
Licensure Requirements
Social Work Associate (SWA)
- An Associate of Arts degree in a human services program or a Bachelor’s degree in non-social work field approved by the board
- Pass examination prepared by the board
- Fee for application
- Must be supervised by an SW, CSW, or CSW-PIP and must include at least 4 contact hours each month
Social Worker (SW)
- Bachelor’s degree in social work or social welfare program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education
- Pass examination prepared by the board
- Fee for application
Certified Social Worker (CSW)
- Master’s or Doctoral degree from a school of social work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education
- Pass examination prepared by the board
- Fee for application
Certified Social Worker in Independent Private Practice (CSW-PIP)
- Licensed as a CSW for 2 years minimum
- 2 years of experience under supervision in the specialized field applicant will practice in
- Pass examination prepared by the board
- Fee for application
Please visit the appropriate medical board for further details on licensing requirements.
Licensure Requirements
Nursing
For details on licensure requirements for nursing, please visit the South Dakota Board of Nursing.
Physician Assistant (PA)
For details on licensure requirements for PAs, please visit the South Dakota State Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners.
Licensed Psychologist (LP)
- Doctoral degree from accredited university or other board approved program
- Pass written examination from the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP)
- Pass oral examination prepared by the board
- Supervised psychology internship with a minimum of 1,800 hours within 2 consecutive calendar years
- 1 year of supervised psychology practice after obtaining doctoral degree
- Fee for application
Please visit the Board of Examiners of Psychologists for further details on licensing requirements.
Psychiatrist (MD)
- Earn a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree
- The University of South Dakota offers a program with a psychiatry focus.
- Complete a 4 year psychiatric residency (optional additional 2 years to specialize in areas like children and adolescent psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, etc.)
- Obtain physician license - pass the USMLE (for MD) or COMLEX (for DO) exam
- For more details on physician licensing, please visit the Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners.
- Become certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN)
Occupational Therapist
For details on licensure requirements for occupational therapy, please visit the Board of Medical & Osteopathic Examiners.
Physical Therapist
For details on licensure requirements for physical therapy, please visit the Board of Physical Therapy.
Please visit the Board of Social Work Examiners for further details on ABA licensing requirements and the Board of Addiction and Prevention Professionals for prevention licensures.
Licensure Requirements
Prevention Specialist Trainee
- Bachelor’s degree
- Be employed or volunteer for an agency to participate in activities specific to domains outlined by the board
- Be supervised by a CPS, CAC, or LAC
- Minimum of 8 contact hours a month
- Complete academic and work experience requirements and pass examination to become a CPS before the end of the trainee recognition period (up to 5 years)
- Fee for application
Certified Prevention Specialist (CPS)
- Bachelor’s degree
- Grade of “C” or higher in specialized education courses outlined by the board
- 2,000 hours of supervised experience specific to prevention specialist domains
- 750 of the hours in practical training – minimum of 50 hours per domain
- Pass International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium written exam
- Fee for application
Applied Behavioral Analyst (ABA)
- Master’s degree or higher from an APBA-accredited program
- Be certified by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (includes supervised experience and exam)
- Fee for application
Licensing Boards
For more information or questions regarding licensure, please reach out to the appropriate licensing board or visit their website.