Addiction Counselor Requirements in South Dakota
South Dakota substance abuse counselor requirements start with registering as an Addiction Counselor Trainee (ACT) through the Board of Addiction and Prevention Professionals (BAPP). From there, you can earn the Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC) credential with nine required courses, or the Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC) with a master’s degree, plus 2,000 to 8,000 supervised hours and an IC&RC exam.
If you’re considering addiction counseling in South Dakota, you already know the reality: people drive hours across rural landscapes to reach treatment. Substance use disorder doesn’t stop at county lines, and you’ve probably seen what it does to families in towns where everyone knows everyone. Maybe that’s why you’re here, ready to be part of the answer.
The good news? South Dakota’s Board of Addiction and Prevention Professionals (BAPP) built a tiered credentialing system that meets you where you are. Whether you’re starting with a high school diploma or already hold a master’s degree, there’s a clear path forward. You can start gaining supervised experience right away and work toward full licensure over time.
Here’s how to become a substance abuse counselor in South Dakota, from your first day as a trainee to opening your own private practice.
South Dakota Counselor Credentials Overview
South Dakota’s tiered system recognizes that addiction counselors come from different educational backgrounds and life experiences. BAPP offers a trainee registration and two counselor credentials, each building on the last:
| Credential Level | Minimum Education | Supervised Hours | Exam Required | Practice Authority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Addiction Counselor Trainee (ACT) | High school diploma or GED | N/A (gaining hours) | None | Under supervision only |
| Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC) | High school diploma + 9 required courses | 2,000 to 8,000 (varies by education) | IC&RC ADC Exam | Under supervision only |
| Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC) | Master’s degree in a behavioral science field | 2,000 hours | IC&RC ADC or AADC Exam | Independent after 2 years (or 4,000 hours) of supervised work |
What makes South Dakota’s system practical is how it rewards education. The more formal training you bring, the fewer supervised hours you’ll need, because your degree program already covered foundational knowledge that would otherwise take years to learn on the job.
Addiction Counselor Trainee (ACT) Requirements
Before you can become certified or licensed, you’ll start as an Addiction Counselor Trainee. Think of it as your entry point into the profession, a way to gain supervised experience while you work toward your credential goal.
You can register as an ACT with a high school diploma or GED. You’ll also need to work or volunteer for an agency where you’re doing addiction counseling work, and you’ll be supervised by a CAC or LAC for your entire trainee period. That way you’re gaining experience in real treatment settings from day one, not just collecting hours on paper.
Trainee recognition lasts one year and can be renewed four times, so you can hold ACT status for a maximum of five years. That’s your window to finish the education, supervised hours, and exam for your chosen credential. Registration costs $150 (a $50 application fee plus a $100 trainee recognition fee), and each annual renewal is $100.
As an ACT, you’ll work directly with clients, always under supervision. You’re learning the 12 core functions of addiction counseling through hands-on practice and building the foundation for more independent work later.
Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC) Requirements
The CAC credential is built for counselors who want to practice under supervision without a graduate degree. You can become a Certified Addiction Counselor with a high school diploma, but you’ll need to complete undergraduate or graduate coursework in nine specific areas:
- Introduction to the study of alcohol use and abuse
- Introduction to the study of drug use and abuse
- Foundations of individual counseling
- Alcohol and drug group counseling
- Alcohol and drug treatment continuum
- Counseling families with alcohol or other drug issues
- Diverse populations
- Ethics for the alcohol and drug professional
- Alcohol and drug specific elective
Even without a degree, these are college-level courses, taken at the undergraduate or graduate level. Each one requires at least three semester hours and a grade of C or higher. Courses need to come from an accredited postsecondary institution that offers addiction-specific coursework. Programs approved by the National Addiction Studies Accreditation Commission (NASAC) are accepted without a separate review. For other courses, BAPP’s Course Review Form lets you confirm a class counts before you spend the money.
Supervised Experience Hours for CAC
Here’s where your education level makes a big difference. Your supervised hour requirement depends on your highest degree:
- High school diploma or GED: 8,000 hours (about 4 years full-time)
- Associate degree: 6,000 hours (about 3 years full-time)
- Bachelor’s degree: 4,000 hours (about 2 years full-time)
- Master’s degree or higher: 2,000 hours (about 1 year full-time)
To qualify for a reduction, your degree must be in a behavioral science field from an accredited institution. The logic is simple: formal education gives you foundational knowledge that speeds up your practical skills.
No matter how many total hours you need, at least 300 of them must be documented in the 12 core functions of addiction counseling, with at least 10 hours in each function. You and your supervisor can spread the remaining hours across the functions where you need the most practice.
You’ll also meet with your supervisor for at least one hour for every 10 hours of client contact. That keeps feedback regular as your clinical skills grow. Both the 300-hour core function requirement and the supervision ratio apply to LAC candidates too.
The CAC Examination
Once you’ve finished your coursework and supervised hours, you’ll apply to take the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium’s (IC&RC) Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) Exam. It has 150 multiple-choice questions (125 scored) with a three-hour time limit, and it covers the full scope of addiction counseling practice. You can find prep materials on the IC&RC website to help you get ready.
Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC) Requirements
The Licensed Addiction Counselor credential is the highest level of professional practice in South Dakota. LACs can eventually work independently and open their own private practices, a level of autonomy CACs don’t have.
To pursue LAC licensure, you’ll need a master’s degree in a behavioral science field from an accredited institution. That requirement reflects the clinical complexity of independent practice. When you’re assessing clients, building treatment plans, and making clinical decisions without oversight, graduate-level training in psychopathology, treatment planning, and clinical supervision matters.
Required Coursework for LAC
Along with your master’s degree, you’ll need at least three semester hours of coursework in each of these seven areas:
- Addiction counseling theories and techniques
- Psychopathology or psychopharmacology
- Treatment planning
- Case management and assessment of co-occurring disorders
- Multicultural competency
- Legal, ethical, and professional standards
- Clinical supervision
At least five of these courses must be taken at the graduate level, and the other two can be undergraduate courses. As with CAC coursework, you’ll need a grade of C or higher in each class.
Supervised Experience for LAC
Because you’re bringing graduate training to the role, LAC candidates need 2,000 supervised hours, the minimum at any education level. You’ll still document at least 300 hours in the 12 core functions, with at least 10 hours in each.
The lower hour requirement reflects the fact that your graduate program already covered counseling theory, ethics, and treatment approaches. What you need now is supervised practice applying that knowledge with real clients.
The LAC Examination
BAPP’s LAC testing application lets you sit for either the IC&RC ADC Exam or the Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (AADC) Exam. The AADC also has 150 multiple-choice questions (125 scored) with a three-hour limit, but it tests more advanced clinical knowledge in line with graduate-level training. If you’re not sure which exam fits your plans, ask BAPP before you apply.
Private Practice by LACs
One of the biggest advantages of becoming an LAC is the chance to work independently and eventually run your own practice. You won’t get that the moment you’re licensed, though. South Dakota requires an active LAC plus at least two years full-time (or 4,000 hours) of supervised addiction counseling work after your initial certification or licensure. That means time you’ve worked as a CAC can count toward it. You’ll document that experience on BAPP’s Work Experience Verification for Independent Practice form, so check with the board on what it needs before you open your doors.
This requirement makes sure even highly educated counselors build real experience before working without oversight. Opening a private practice means handling complex cases, running a business, and making clinical decisions entirely on your own. Those years of supervised work build the judgment that only comes with experience.
The Application Process
BAPP keeps forms and application materials for every credential level on its website. Along with your application, you’ll typically submit:
- Official transcripts showing completed coursework
- Current job description from your agency or organization
- Supervisor evaluations documenting your supervised hours
- Signed code of ethics acknowledging professional standards
- Background information about any past convictions
If you’re not sure whether a course meets BAPP’s requirements, send in the Course Review Form for your credential (CAC, LAC, or CPS) along with the course syllabus. BAPP will tell you whether it counts before you invest more time or money.
Application Fees
Here’s what BAPP charges as of October 2026. Check the BAPP fee schedule before you apply, since fees can change.
- ACT Registration: $150 ($50 application fee plus $100 trainee recognition fee), then $100 a year to renew
- CAC Application: $250 (includes application and exam fees)
- LAC Application: $250 (includes application and exam fees)
- CAC to LAC Upgrade: $150
- Retesting: $200 per attempt
These fees cover credential processing and the exam. They don’t include education costs, which depend on where you take your courses.
Taking the IC&RC Exam
Once BAPP confirms you’ve met every requirement, it approves you to schedule your IC&RC exam. The exams are computer-based and given at Prometric testing centers, so you’re not tied to a single exam date or location.
You get three attempts in total. If you don’t pass after three tries, you’ll need to reapply for trainee status under whatever education and supervision standards are in place at that time, so it’s worth using the IC&RC prep materials before your first attempt.
Renewal and Continuing Education
Earning your credential isn’t the finish line. CAC, LAC, and CPS credentials renew every two years, in odd-numbered years. The next cycle opens October 1, 2027. You’ll renew online through BAPP’s renewal page, and payment is by card only.
Each two-year cycle requires 40 continuing education hours, including at least 4 hours of counseling ethics. If you’re newly credentialed, the requirement is prorated. Keep your CE records for four years in case BAPP audits you.
- CAC or CPS renewal: $350 every two years
- LAC renewal: $400 every two years
- ACT renewal: $100 every year
If you step away from practice, you can move your credential to inactive status for $50. Inactive status lasts up to four years. To come back, you’ll pay the renewal fee and show 40 CE hours earned in the previous two years. Trainees who let their status lapse can reinstate within 30 days. After that, you’ll need to complete three of the required courses before reapplying.
Costs and Timeline Expectations
Knowing the full financial and time investment helps you plan realistically. Here’s what to expect.
Total Cost Breakdown
Here are the fixed BAPP costs you can plan around:
- Application fees: $150 for ACT, $250 for CAC or LAC
- Annual ACT renewal: $100 per year
- Credential renewal: $350 to $400 every two years once you’re certified or licensed
Your biggest expense will be education: 9 courses for the CAC, 7 for the LAC, and a master’s degree if you’re pursuing an LAC and don’t have one yet. Tuition varies widely between schools and between in-person and online programs, so compare each program’s current per-credit cost before you enroll.
Timeline Expectations
Your timeline depends on your starting education and whether you’re working full-time while you earn your credential.
High School Diploma to CAC:
- 9 courses (27 credit hours), often taken alongside your hours
- 8,000 supervised hours = about 4 years full-time
- Total: about 4 to 5 years, which realistically means full-time work to fit inside the 5-year trainee window
Bachelor’s Degree to CAC:
- 9 courses (if not completed during your degree) = about 1 year part-time
- 4,000 supervised hours = 2 years full-time or 4 years part-time
- Total: 2 to 5 years, depending on your work schedule
Master’s Degree to LAC:
- 7 courses (if not completed during your degree) = about 1 year part-time
- 2,000 supervised hours = 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time
- Total: 1 to 3 years, depending on your work schedule
LAC to Private Practice:
- 2 years full-time (or 4,000 hours) of supervised work after your initial certification or licensure, and CAC time can count
Remember, the five-year ACT limit means everything has to fit inside that window. If you’re working part-time, map out your hours early so your trainee status doesn’t run out before you’re ready to test.
Career Outlook and Salary in South Dakota
You’re not getting into addiction counseling for the money, and we know that. Still, realistic salary numbers help you plan your finances and weigh what your education will cost.
Here’s what substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors earn in South Dakota, its two largest metro areas, and nationwide, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data:
| Area | 10th Percentile | 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | $39,210 | $45,650 | $53,650 | $62,660 | $67,010 |
| Sioux Falls, SD-MN | $38,440 | $46,110 | $57,080 | $63,890 | $66,730 |
| Rapid City, SD | $39,210 | $41,340 | $47,620 | $58,820 | $73,220 |
| United States | $38,940 | $47,100 | $59,350 | $76,530 | $97,590 |
Location inside South Dakota matters, but not always the way you’d expect. Sioux Falls has the higher median of the two metro areas shown, at $57,080. Rapid City’s median is lower than the statewide figure at $47,620, yet its top earners reach $73,220, the highest 90th percentile among the South Dakota areas in the table. Keep in mind that BLS reports wages for the occupation as a whole, not by credential level or years of experience.
Demand looks steady, too. ProjectionsCentral projects South Dakota jobs in this field to grow 17.1% from 2024 to 2034, from 1,600 to 1,880 positions, with about 160 openings a year. That’s slightly ahead of the 16.8% growth projected nationwide.
Beyond the paycheck, a lot of counselors find the work itself deeply rewarding. You’re walking alongside people through some of the hardest moments of their lives and helping them find a way into recovery that once seemed out of reach. It’s good to know you can support yourself while doing work that matters this much.
Out-of-State Addiction Counselors
If you’re already certified or licensed in another state and thinking about moving to South Dakota, reciprocity is fairly simple, as long as your current credential comes from an IC&RC member board.
If you hold an IC&RC credential from another member board, you can request reciprocity for $100 per credential. You’ll pay that fee to IC&RC and start the request through your current member board.
Reciprocity isn’t automatic, though. Holding an IC&RC credential doesn’t by itself make you a CAC or LAC in South Dakota. BAPP reviews each request and decides whether you’re eligible under its own rules, so contact the board before you move.
If your credential doesn’t come from an IC&RC member board, you’ll apply as a new candidate and meet all of South Dakota’s standard requirements. You may also have heard that South Dakota joined the Counseling Compact in 2024. That compact covers licensed professional counselors, not BAPP’s CAC or LAC credentials. Contact BAPP directly to talk through your specific situation.
Certified Prevention Specialist (CPS) Requirements
Not everyone in addiction services provides direct counseling. If you’re a social worker, healthcare provider, educator, or another professional who deals with substance use issues but doesn’t provide therapy, the Certified Prevention Specialist credential may fit your role better.
CPSs work to prevent substance use disorders before they start, in schools, community organizations, healthcare settings, and public health departments. To become a CPS in South Dakota, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in any field plus coursework in five areas:
- Introduction to the study of alcohol use and abuse
- Introduction to the study of drug use and abuse
- Foundations of alcohol and other drug prevention
- Theory and practice of prevention
- Ethics (including 6 contact hours specific to prevention ethics)
Each course requires three semester hours and a grade of C or higher. You’ll then complete 2,000 supervised hours in addiction prevention, including 750 hours of practical training and at least 50 hours in each prevention domain. You can register as a Prevention Specialist Trainee (PST) while you build those hours, with the same fees as the ACT.
At the end, you’ll take the IC&RC Prevention Specialist (PS) Exam, which has 150 questions and a three-hour limit. The combined application and testing fee is $250, the same as for counselor credentials.
The CPS credential plays an important role in South Dakota’s broader response to addiction. Counselors help people recover, and prevention specialists work upstream to reduce how many people develop these conditions in the first place. Communities need both.
Additional Resources
You can send questions about becoming an addiction counselor in South Dakota to the Board of Addiction and Prevention Professionals. Call 605-224-1721, email [email protected], or write to PO Box 340, Pierre, SD 57501.
Another helpful resource is the South Dakota Association of Addiction and Prevention Professionals (SDAAPP). Despite the similar name, it’s a separate organization from BAPP that focuses on professional development and advocacy. It hosts an annual conference, connects members with peers, and advocates for addiction professionals and the people they serve. Membership is a good way to network and stay current on policy changes that affect your work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I become an addiction counselor in South Dakota without a degree?
What’s the difference between a CAC and LAC in South Dakota?
How long does it take to become licensed in South Dakota?
Can I transfer my addiction counselor credentials from another state to South Dakota?
What exams do I need to pass to become certified or licensed?
Do I need to work at a specific type of agency while completing supervised hours?
Can I complete the required coursework online?
What happens if I don’t complete my credential requirements within the 5-year ACT limit?
How often do South Dakota addiction counselors renew, and how much CE is required?
Key Takeaways
- South Dakota counselors start as an Addiction Counselor Trainee (ACT), and you can hold that status for a maximum of 5 years, so every requirement has to fit inside that window.
- The Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC) credential needs a high school diploma and nine required courses, while the Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC) needs a master’s degree in a behavioral science field and opens the door to independent practice.
- Supervised hours drop as your education rises, from 8,000 with a high school diploma to 2,000 with a master’s degree, and at least 300 must be documented in the 12 core functions.
- LACs can practice independently after two years full-time (or 4,000 hours) of supervised work following initial certification or licensure.
- The median salary for counselors in South Dakota is $53,650, ranging from $45,650 at the 25th percentile to $62,660 at the 75th, with a $57,080 median in Sioux Falls.
- CAC and LAC applications cost $250, including the exam; an upgrade from CAC to LAC costs $150, and IC&RC exams are taken on a computer at Prometric testing centers.
- Credentials renew every two years in odd-numbered years and require 40 continuing education hours, including 4 in ethics.
- Out-of-state counselors with IC&RC credentials can request reciprocity for $100 per credential, subject to BAPP’s review, and the Certified Prevention Specialist (CPS) offers a separate path for prevention work.
Ready to Start Your Addiction Counseling Career in South Dakota?
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Salary figures for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors, Social and Human Services Assistants (Peer Recovery Specialists), and Psychiatric Technicians and Aides (Substance Use Disorder Technicians) come from May 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics city, state, and national data. 2024-34 job growth projections come from ProjectionsCentral state and national data. These figures are not school-specific, and conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed September 2026.