Mental Health Counselor Resume Sample
Being a mental health counselor is a rewarding career that gives you the opportunity to help people improve their lives. As a professional in this area, you are a great listener, knowledgeable about psychology and human behavior, able to teach important skills to others, guide them into a self-discovery journey, and much more. To find a job you must however be able to communicate all that you are capable of in your mental health counselor resume, and we are here to help with a few tips and a free template.
When applying to jobs, there is no guarantee that recruiters will carefully read your resume or grant you a job interview. To ensure your resume ends up on the ‘yes’ pile, you need to optimize it for your reader. Companies often use applicant tracking software (ATS) to filter the best resumes for manual review and most recruiters look at your resume for less than 10 seconds before deciding if it’s worth more of their time. Therefore, it’s imperative that you spend time following our tips to make yours stand out.
When working on your mental health counselor resume, keep in mind the following:
- add a headline briefly describing what type of professional you are
- include a summary to emphasize your top skills
- group your core competencies together, matching some of the keywords from the job description
- use bullet points to list your accomplishments from each job in the professional experience section
Mental Health Counselor Resume
Wilma G. Flintstone, LCSW
Los Angeles, CA | 555-555-5555 | wilmaflintstone@email.com
Mental Health Counselor
Accomplished clinician who empowers clients with the tools, resources, and support needed to overcome mental and emotional challenges. Active listener and empathetic communicator who puts clients at ease and builds trust. Identify mental or emotional disorders, building custom treatment plans, and partnering with clients to develop coping strategies.
Core Competencies
Interpersonal Skills | Written/Verbal Communication | Individual/Group Counseling | Change Management | Crisis Intervention | Confidentiality/Patient Security | Complex Problem Solving | Data Gathering/Analysis | Stress Management | Human Behavior/Performance | De-escalation Techniques | Psychological Research
Professional Experience
Mental Health Counselor | Company One | Los Angeles, CA | Oct 20XX to Present
Counsel clients and patients, individually and in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies, adjusting to life in post-COVID world, and making positive changes. Maintain confidentiality of records relating to client treatment. Guide clients in development of skills and strategies to address and resolve problems.
- Perform initial client evaluations and develop customized treatment plans. Apply knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, ethnicities, and cultural influences.
- Help clients eliminate thoughts of suicide; addictions and substance abuse; family, parenting, and marital problems; problems with self-esteem; and issues associated with aging and mental and emotional health.
- Complete continuing education to maintain certification and learn current best practices.
- Earned recognition for successful intervention and resolution of potentially violent patient incident. De-escalated situation and calmed patient while awaiting first responders and medical assistance.
Mental Health Counselor | Company Two | San Diego, CA | Jun 20XX to Oct 20XX
Counseled individuals and groups to promote optimum mental health. Educated staff and clients on stress management and trauma coping mechanisms.
- Supported clients in identifying personal goals and provided clients with resources needed to reach them. Monitored client progress and modified treatment plans as needed.
- Coordinated with social and medical agencies, healthcare providers, and community outreach programs to provide clients with needed services.
Education and Credentials
Master of Public Health (MPH), Social Work | University One | San Padre, CA | 20XX
Bachelor of Science (BS), Psychology, Public Health Minor | University Two | San Padre, CA | 20XX
National Certified Counselor | University Three | Hollywood, CA | 20XX to Present
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) | Organization One | Bedrock, CA | 20XX to Present
Download and revise this counselor resume template and add your own information.
Employment of substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health counselors in the U.S. is projected to grow 22%, over four times the average 5% for all occupations. The yearly average mental health counselor salary is $48,951, ranging from $33,210 to a high of $74,312 depending on location, years of experience, field of expertise, and your qualifications. Find out what the average salary is for counselors in your town by using Monster’s Salary Tool.
You can also compare this value to that in the following U.S. cities where mental health counselors are most in-demand:
See all the mental health counselor jobs near you by browsing Monster’s database.
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