South Carolina registered 98 behavioral health providers in the latest CMS NPI registry update, accounting for one percent of the national weekly total. A significant portion, 55 providers, were new registrations this week, indicating a recent expansion in the state's behavioral health workforce.
ABA Workforce and Other Credentials
The applied behavior analysis (ABA) sector saw 5 BCBA credentials and 29 RBT credentials. One individual holds both BCBA and RBT credentials, demonstrating career progression within the field. The ratio of nearly six RBTs for every BCBA (29 RBTs to 5 BCBAs) highlights a strong demand for direct service providers and suggests potentially high supervision demands on BCBAs, which is crucial for service quality. Beyond ABA, the state also added 7 LPCs and 3 LISW-CPs, among other behavioral health professionals. It is important to note that credential counts can overlap as individuals may hold multiple certifications.
Workforce Demographics
Of the 82 individual providers, 82% are female, 15% are male, and 4% identify as nonbinary. This gender distribution aligns with broader behavioral health trends. No single organization appeared multiple times in this week's data, suggesting a landscape of diverse practices rather than dominant multi-state chains.
This consistent addition of new professionals, particularly RBTs, points to a growing behavioral health market in South Carolina, with implications for expanding access to care, especially for ABA services.
