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Avera Health
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Outpatient Therapist Chemical Dependency

CounselorNo weekendsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$61k-$101k

Listing transparency3 of 6 stated

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations and nights and shift pattern.

Employment & setting
Full-Time
Call expectations
Not specified
Weekends
No weekends
Posted 18m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Location

Avera Professional Plaza

Worker Type

Regular

Work Shift

Day Shift (United States of America)

Pay Range

The pay range for this position is listed below. Actual pay rate dependent upon experience.

$60,840.00 - $100,880.00

Position Highlights

Outpatient Therapist I - Must have LSW or LPC in SD and be enrolled in the Addiction Counselor Trainee Program Upon Hire and obtain CAC or LAC within 5 years.

Outpatient Therapist II - Must have LPC-MH or LMFT or LCSW-PIP in SD and be enrolled in the Addiction Counselor Trainee Program Upon Hire and obtain CAC or LAC within 5 years.

  • Outpatient Therapist III - Must have LPC-MH or LMFT or LCSW-PIP AND CAC OR LAC in SD.
  • This position will work 1-2 evenings per week, but no weekends or holidays.
  • This position may be eligible for an $8,000 sign on bonus!!

You Belong at Avera

Be part of a multidisciplinary team built with compassion and the goal of Moving Health Forward for you and our patients. Work where you matter.

A Brief Overview

Assists in coordinating, planning, implementing and facilitating programs and counseling services on an oupatient basis and addiction recovery program setting.

The Therapist's responsibilities may include facilitating all aspects of treatment including crisis intervention, providing assessment, individual, group, and family counseling for patients.

The Therapist must possess a working knowledge of the current Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM), American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), federal and state alcohol and drug abuse treatment laws, and rules and regulation.

What You Will Do

Assists in coordinating, planning, implementing and facilitating programs for clients/patients who require outpatient programs/counseling and/or as appropriate, within an inpatient hospital setting.

Provides a program of behavioral health treatment for clients/patients and participates with physician/team planning for continued care in the specific treatment model respective to client/patient needs.

Efficiently provides thorough addiction-related evaluations/assessments and consultation services on an outpatient and inpatient basis and makes the appropriate recommendations specific to client/patient needs.

Promotes the psychotherapeutic programs and services within hospital departments, our health system and within the community/region as appropriate.

Provides educational programs on a variety of behavioral health topics in an outpatient setting as well as within the hospital setting and community as requested.

Coordinates, implements and markets crisis intervention, EAP counseling, addiction programming and educational services as needed/appropriate.

Assists with staff/student on the job training/orientation as needed/appropriate.

Assesses the client’s behavioral health condition on an ongoing basis and effectively recognizes the significance of changes warranting a modification of the treatment plan and/or the appropriate referral-related recommendations.

Communicates effectively with client, family, team members, physicians, inter-departmental staff and other agencies as needed/appropriate.

Establishes and maintains therapeutic relationships with clients/patients within individual and group counseling settings as well as when providing inpatient consultation/counseling services.

Essential Qualifications

The individual must be able to work the hours specified.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job function satisfactorily including having visual acuity adequate to perform position duties and the ability to communicate effectively with others, hear, understand and distinguish speech and other sounds.

These requirements and those listed above are representative of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the essential job functions.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions, as long as the accommodations do not cause undue hardship to the employer.

Required Education, License/Certification, or Work Experience:

  • Master's
  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) - Licensing Board Upon Hire or
  • Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) - Licensing Board Upon Hire and
  • Qualified Mental Health Provider (QMHP) - Licensing Board within 30 Days and
  • Addiction Counselor Trainee (ACT) - Licensing Board Upon Hire and
  • Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC) - Licensing Board within 5 years or
  • Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC) - Board of Addiction and Prevention Professionals within 5 years

Preferred Education, License/Certification, or Work Experience:

  • 3 years related experience and/or training
  • Clinical experience facilitating group therapy sessions and providing individuals counseling services
  • Experience working with clients having dual diagnoses issues (addictive disorders in conjunction with mental health conditions
  • Clinical experience with couples and/or family therapy

Expectations and Standards

Commitment to the daily application of Avera’s mission, vision, core values, and social principles to serve patients, their families, and our community.

  • Promote Avera’s values of compassion, hospitality, and stewardship.
  • Uphold Avera’s standards of Communication, Attitude, Responsiveness, and Engagement (CARE) with enthusiasm and sincerity.
  • Maintain confidentiality.

Work effectively in a team environment, coordinating work flow with other team members and ensuring a productive and efficient environment.

Comply with safety principles, laws, regulations, and standards associated with, but not limited to, CMS, The Joint Commission, DHHS, and OSHA if applicable.

Benefits You Need & Then Some

Avera is proud to offer a wide range of benefits to qualifying part-time and full-time employees. We support you with opportunities to help live balanced, healthy lives. Benefits are designed to meet needs of today and into the future.

  • PTO available day 1 for eligible hires.
  • Up to 5% employer matching contribution for retirement
  • Career development guided by hands-on training and mentorship

Avera is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, Veteran Status, or other categories protected by law. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation for help with your online application, please call 1-605-504-4444 or send an email to talent@avera.org.

Key Responsibilities

The therapist facilitates addiction recovery programs, including crisis intervention, assessments, and individual, group, and family counseling. They also coordinate care with multidisciplinary teams and provide educational services to patients and the community.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Master's degree and possess relevant state licensure such as LCSW, LPC, or LMFT. Additionally, enrollment in or completion of an Addiction Counselor Trainee program and certification as a CAC or LAC is required.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Individual counselingTreatment planningDual diagnosisCase management

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Outpatient Therapist Chemical Dependency at Avera Health a 6.4 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 35% of all Mental Health Therapy counselor listings evaluated on our platform. Contributing factors include no weekend requirements.

Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 62% are remote, 28% have no call, 68% require no weekends.

Mental Health Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is up 3.4% vs. the prior quarter (through Aug 2026).

The cost-of-living index for South Dakota is 88.6 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$81k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $91k in an average-cost state. 58.2% of South Dakota clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Location & Logistics

South Dakota has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states. At the posted ~$81k midpoint, that is roughly $3k–$6k a year versus a typical 4–7% state rate.

Top Counselor Jobs

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Salary Distribution33 jobs · 15 employers

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Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks30 jobs · 15 employers

401k / retirement match
93% this job
Sign-on bonus
33% this job
CME allowance
30%
Loan repayment
17%
PSLF eligible
7%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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Work-life snapshot

median 6.4this job 6.4
Higher than about 5 in 10 of 7,933 Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10. Shaded area = share of comparable listings scoring below this one.

  • No weekends

Living in Sioux Falls

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$304k≈ 5.0× annual pay
Typical market rent
$1,302/mo≈ 26% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
17 min
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

Ratios use this listing’s gross annual pay. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.

Avera Health logo

About Avera Health

Non-profit Organizations
South Dakota

Benefits & Perks

PTO available day 1
Up to 5% employer matching contribution for retirement
Sign-on bonus $8,000
Career development