Board of Examiners for Counselors & Marriage and Family Therapists

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Board of Examiners for Counselors & Marriage and Family Therapists

Proposed Administrative Rules – Open for Comments

The Board is considering the adoption and amendment of proposed administrative rules impacting applicants and licensed professional counselors, professional counselors-mental health and marriage and family therapists.  A public hearing in the proposed rules will be held electronically on August 21, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. (Central). Interested parties may attend the meeting virtually or by calling 1-312-626-6799.  The Meeting ID is 812 8529 3265 and the passcode is 096998.  The official public hearing notice can be accessed HERE. 

The proposed administrative rules being considered for adoption and amendment can be accessed HERE.

The effect of the rules is to implement Senate Bill 18 and Senate Bill 19.  Specifically, the proposed rules change the timeline for renewal of licensees to a biennial renewal; clarify the application process and qualifications for a professional counselor, professional counselor-mental health and marriage and family therapist; clarify the requirements for licensure by endorsement for professional counselors, professional counselors-mental health, and marriage and family therapists licensed in another state; provide a temporary license option for professional counselors, professional counselors-mental health, and marriage and family therapists licensed in another state who do not immediately meet the examination requirements for licensure by endorsement; provide an option to inactivate a license or reinstate an expired license, under certain circumstances; establish standards for the practice of counseling and marriage and family therapy by electronic means; update and clarify the requirements for post-graduate supervision; update and clarify the requirements for continuing education to renew a license; set the necessary fees for biennial renewal and the license options provided for in Senate Bill 18 and Senate Bill 19; and reorganize the current chapters pertaining to professional counseling, professional counseling-mental health, and marriage and family therapy to be user friendly for licensees and prospective licensees and clearly articulate the requirements for licensure and the expectations of licensees.

The reason for the rules is to implement Senate Bill 18 and Senate Bill 19, remove outdated references and redundant regulations throughout Articles 20:68; 20:71; and 20:73 and align administrative rules with current Board practices.

Persons interested in presenting amendments, data, opinions, and arguments for or against the proposed rules may do so by appearing in person at the hearing or by sending them to the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists, PO Box 340, Pierre, South Dakota, 57501 or by emailing them to sdbce@midwestsolutionssd.com.  Written comments must reach the Board Office on or before August 20, 2020 to be considered. 

At the hearing, the Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists will consider all written and oral comments it receives on the proposed rules.  The Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists may modify or amend a proposed rule at that time to include or exclude matters that are described in this notice.

Any individuals with disabilities who will require reasonable accommodations in order to participate should submit a request to the Board at 605-224-1721 or contact Telecommunication Relay Services for the Deaf at 1-800-877-1113.  Please request the accommodations no later than 2 business days prior to the meeting in order to ensure accommodations are available.  

Copies of the proposed rules may be obtained without charge from:

South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists
PO Box 340
Pierre, SD 57501

Copies of the proposed rules are also available at http://rules.sd.gov.

 

Jennifer Stalley
Executive Secretary
PO Box 340, 1351 N. Harrison Ave
Pierre, SD  57501
Phone: 605.224.1721
Fax: 1.888.425.3032
SDBCE@midwestsolutionssd.com

The mission of the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors & Marriage and Family Therapists is to protect the South Dakota consumers of counseling and marriage and family therapy services by mandatory licensing of qualified counselor applicants.

• Statute – SDCL 36-32 and 36-33
• Administrative Rule – ARSD 20:68, 20:71 and 20:73

Board Members
Board members are appointed by the Governor to three-year terms. The board consists of nine members, three of whom shall be lay members, one of whom shall be a counselor educator, and five of whom shall be professionals actively engaged in professional counseling or marriage and family therapy and broadly representing a cross section of the licensed disciplines governed by this board. No member may serve more than three consecutive terms.

Lynell Rice Brinkworth, LMFT Therapist - President - Black Hawk
Tiffany Butler, LPC Counselor - Vice President - Lennox
Sherry Bartels, LPC-MH Counselor - Sioux Falls
Bobbi Brown - Lay Member - Rapid City
Cheryl Hartman - Lay Member - Sioux Falls
Roswitha Konz, LPC Counselor - Mitchell
Jay Trenhaile, LPC Counselor Educator - Brookings
Sherwood Schrenk, LPC-MH Counselor - Aberdeen
Jeff Wangen - Lay Member - Rapid City

Additional Information
View upcoming board meetings and meeting minutes on the Boards and Commissions portal.

View archived meeting minutes prior to 2014.