Board of Examiners for Counselors & Marriage and Family Therapists

The South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists will hold a Public Hearing to Adopt Rules on September 30, 2022, at 9:00 am CST to consider proposed changes to administrative rules.

A public hearing will be held electronically, on September 30, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. Central/8:00 a.m. Mountain, to consider the adoption and amendment of proposed Administrative Rules of South Dakota numbered §§ 20:68:03:02, 20:68:04:10, 20:68:04:16, 20:68:05:01, 20:71:03:01, 20:71:05:02, 20:71:05:10, 20:73:04:14. Interested parties may attend the meeting virtually at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87664889503?pwd=N2JZMjNDMVczN3djWHMxdVpJT2pEZz09 or by calling 312.626.6799. The Meeting ID 876-6488-9503 and passcode: 855254.

The effect of the rules will be to clarify requirements of an approved counseling program’s practicum and internship requirements for education acceptable for licensure as a professional counselor; clarify the required methods of supervision for post graduate supervisees to allow flexibility in the required observation of supervisees seeking a professional counselor license or marriage and family therapist license; clarify that a post-graduate plan of supervision automatically expires upon issuance of a professional counselor, professional counselor-mental health, or marriage and family therapist license; add the Counselor Rehabilitation Certification Examination (CRC) as an acceptable national examination for meeting the requirements of licensure as a professional counselor; and allow the Board to accept an examination deemed equivalent to the Association of Marital and Family Regulatory Board’s National Examination on Marital Therapy for purposes of meeting t he examination requirement of licensure as a marriage and family therapist.

The reasons for adopting these rules are to provide clarity and update accepted examinations for licensure to reflect current professional standards and guidelines.

Persons interested in presenting amendments, data, opinions, and arguments for or against the proposed rules may do so by appearing at the hearing or by mailing them to:
Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists
PO Box 340
Pierre, South Dakota, 57501

or by emailing sdbce@midwestsolutionssd.com. Written comments must reach the Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists office on or before September 29, 2022 to be considered.

After the public hearing, the Board 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.

Individuals with Disabilities: Please contact the Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists at least 48 hours before the public hearing if you have special needs for which special arrangements can be made by calling 605.224.1721. You may also contact Telecommunication Relay Services for the Deaf at 800.877.1113.

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.

For information regarding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in South Dakota, including phone numbers, recommendations, resources, and links to the CDC and WHO please visit the South Dakota Department of Health COVID-19 Update page.

South Dakota allows for licensure by endorsement if you are licensed in another state as a counselor or marriage and family therapist for at least 3 years and you have taken one of the national examinations required for licensure in South Dakota. If you wish to become fully licensed in South Dakota to provide services in South Dakota, you may do so by completing the appropriate application for licensure by endorsement. If you would like to explore licensure by endorsement, please review the Application for Licensure by Endorsement under Find Applications.

Board of Examiners for Counselor & Marriage and Family Therapists
Jennifer Stalley
Executive Secretary
PO Box 340
1351 N. Harrison Ave.
Pierre, SD  57501
Phone: 605.224.1721
Fax: 888.425.3032
Email: 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
Maureen Gustafson - Lay Member - Rapid City
Cheryl Hartman - Lay Member - Sioux Falls
Jill Janecke, LPC-MH Counselor - Pierre
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.