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Table of contents

Mental health counselor resume examples
Related resume examples
Choose a format for your mental health counselor resume
How to write a mental health counselor resume in 5 simple steps
Add a cover letter
Key takeaways for your mental health counselor resume
Commonly asked questions by job seekers

As a mental health counselor, whether fresh from graduation or seasoned in therapy, you understand the challenge of finding the right job. If you’re struggling in the job market, don’t worry. Often, a refreshed resume can make a big difference.

We offer straightforward tips and excellent examples to help you write a standout resume. With our guidance, crafting an impressive mental health counselor resume that lands interviews is easier than you might think.

Keep reading to find:

Examples of mental health counseling resumes for all experience levels.
What makes a mental health counselor resume example great.
Tips for writing your resume, including how to study a job description for resume keywords.
What to include in every section of your resume.
How to choose the right resume template and format for the role.

Ready to write a mental health counselor resume now? Use our professional AI Resume Builder for step-by-step help writing every section, plus AI-generated resume content for your profession.

Mental health counselor resume examples

Entry-level mental health counselor resume example

Resume entry level example mental health counselor

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What makes this a great entry-level mental health counseling resume sample?

Descriptive career objective
This entry-level applicant uses his career objective section, also known as a resume objective, to highlight the hard and soft skills that will make him successful in the role.
Use of multiple skills sections
This applicant wisely uses the bulk of his resume to list skills, skills and more skills.By employing two different types of skills sections, he makes it easy to see that he has the training and hard and soft skills required to do the job.
Use of a work experience section
While this applicant has yet to hold down a full-time job as a mental health counselor, he does have a highly relevant background. He fills out his work experience section with an internship as a mental health counselor and related volunteer work he has performed.

Experienced mental health counselor resume example

Mental health counselor experienced example resume

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What makes this a great resume for a mental health counselor with experience?

Strong professional summary
This resume kicks off with a professional summary that will make hiring managers take notice. It starts with noting the applicant’s 11 years of experience and is packed with critical skills that show employers what the applicant will bring to the team.
Detailed work experience section
To outline her long work history, this applicant uses multiple detailed bullet points to highlight her past professional experience, which is crucial to convincing a recruiter that she has what it takes to perform well in the role.
Use of data and metrics
This applicant makes powerful use of data to draw attention to her accomplishments. She uses them throughout her work experience section to show potential employers the impact her work has had in the past.

Choose a format for your mental health counselor resume

To land the mental health counselor job you want, you need to get the right information in front of a recruiter. How do you accomplish that? By choosing the resume format that puts your most impressive credentials front and center. The resume format you choose should be based on your level of experience in the field of counseling.

Here’s how to decide which one is right for you:

The functional resume format is perfect for applicants with little to no direct work experience in the field of mental health.
The combination resume format is great for midlevel applicants who have a few years of work experience as a mental health counselor.
The chronological resume format works best for experienced applicants who have five or more years of relevant experience as a counselor.

Visit our guide to learn more about how to format a resume for more information on how to best showcase your skills, training and experience.

Now that you’ve chosen the perfect format, it’s time to pick your resume template.

Pick an appropriate resume template

Create your resume

While every resume will have the same basic sections — a professional summary or resume objective, skills, work history and education — you can customize the look and feel of your resume by selecting the right resume template.

While there are many different resume designs, a versatile simple resume template may be the way to go. Its minimalist design makes your skills and experience the star of the show over fussy design elements.

For a more colorful resume, try a creative or modern resume. These have more flair and allow you to show off your personality.

Now let’s dive into the writing process.

How to write a mental health counselor resume in 5 simple steps

All resumes are not created equal, especially in a field as varied as counseling. While there are some basic rules for writing a great resume, top candidates for competitive mental health counselor jobs know that the key to getting noticed is to write a resume that is specific to the industry and the role they seek.

Let’s go through how to accomplish just that, step by step.

Step 1

Study the mental health counselor job description

A well-written mental health counselor resume is customized to include keywords that show employers that you have what it takes to perform the duties of the role. Why is this important?

Many employers run resumes through applicant tracking systems (ATS) that screen out unqualified candidates based on preset keywords. If your resume doesn’t contain the right keywords, you’ll be eliminated before a human ever sees your resume. To make your resume ATS-friendly, you’ll need to customize it to the mental health counselor job description to improve your chances of landing a job interview.

Don’t worry — identifying the right keywords is easy.

While every mental health counselor role will have different requirements, a good job ad should tell you everything you need to know about which keywords to add to your mental health counselor resume. The key to success is to study the job description and make a list of critical keywords.

For example, if the job description for the mental health counselor role you seek asks for “strong documentation and recordkeeping skills,” “expert knowledge of mental health disorders” and “excellent active listening and problem-solving skills,” you’ll want to be sure to use those exact words in the text of your mental health counselor resume. Look for opportunities in your professional summary, skills section and work experience section to add the keywords you’ve identified. Then, go through your resume and make sure what you wrote matches the wording in the job description so that the ATS recognizes it.

It may sound like a lot, but once you get used to the process, it will only take you a few minutes to do and will get your mental health counselor resume better results than if you don’t tailor it.

Step 2

Write a professional summary or resume objective

Depending on your level of experience, your mental health counselor resume should include either a professional summary or a resume objective to start. Think of this section as your resume profile, where you provide potential employers with a summary of your most relevant skills and experience and some professional highlights.

Candidates with less experience should choose a resume objective, which states your transferable skills and your career goals. Applicants with more direct experience in a mental health counselor role should use a professional summary, which outlines your skills and experience and highlights some of your most notable professional accomplishments.

Let’s look at how each of these would appear on a mental health counselor resume.

Mental health counselor professional summary example:

Dedicated and seasoned mental health counselor with nine years of extensive experience. Conducted over 3,000 individual counseling sessions, providing compassionate and evidence-based therapeutic interventions. Specialized in addiction counseling and harm reduction strategies. Strong commitment to supporting individuals in their journey toward recovery and mental wellness. A comprehensive understanding of addiction dynamics, coupled with a client-centered approach enables positive change in diverse populations, resulting in a 30% increase in successful recovery outcomes over a two-year period.

Mental health counselor resume objective example:

Recent graduate of Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Recipient of the Psychology Engagement Scholarship in 2022. Compassionate and dedicated entry-level mental health counselor with a solid foundation in counseling theory and techniques seeking first role in the field. Possess exceptional active listening and empathy skills, coupled with a strong aptitude for problem-solving. Eager to apply theoretical knowledge and academic accolades to provide effective and empathetic counseling support to individuals in need of mental health services.

Step 3

Highlight your most relevant mental health counselor skills

Regardless of your experience level, hiring managers will be looking closely at the mental health counselor resume skills you list. Skills for a mental health counselor resume should be added to your resume skills section and peppered into your professional summary (or resume objective) and your work experience section.

It’s critical that you provide employers with a solid mix of hard and soft skills. Hard skills are the measurable skills needed to perform a job, like assessment and diagnostics. These skills are easily taught in a classroom. Soft skills, like empathy, are behaviors and personality traits, which make them difficult to measure.

Below, we provide a side-by-side list of hard and soft skills to help you see the difference between the two.

Key skills for a mental health counselor resume

Hard Skills

Assessment and diagnosis
Treatment planning
Psychoeducation
Crisis intervention
Substance abuse counseling

Soft Skills

Compassion
Communication
Empowerment
Active listening
Patience

Here’s an example of a strong resume skills section for a mental health counselor:

Trained in responding effectively to immediate crises or emergencies, ensuring the safety and well-being of clients.
Experience leading and facilitating group therapy sessions.
Understanding the biological and physiological aspects of mental health conditions and the potential impacts of medication.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Skilled in setting boundaries.
Excellent problem-solving skills.

Pro tip

When writing your skills section, adding computer skills and other technical abilities are great. However, especially in a therapeutic setting, soft skills like empathy and communication count quite a bit, too. Try to find a mix of hard and soft skills to show that you’are a well-balanced applicant.

Step 4

Write a strong mental health counselor work experience section

While the required background and experience will be different for each role, the key to getting noticed is writing a work experience section that demonstrates what you will bring to the table.

Think about your work experience in terms of projects that challenged you, obstacles you’ve overcome and professional wins you’ve enjoyed over the course of your career. Describing your work experience in these terms helps show off the impact of your work rather than just your job duties.

Sample mental health counselor work history entry:

Mental health counselor, New Vision Counseling
Queens, NY
February 2020 – December 2022

Spearheaded the transition to telehealth services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring uninterrupted access to counseling for clients while adhering to safety protocols.
Conducted over 800 virtual counseling sessions with individuals struggling with various mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, grief and trauma.
Implemented a trauma-informed approach to address the unique stressors and uncertainties faced by clients during the pandemic, fostering a safe and validating therapeutic space.
Conducted comprehensive risk assessments and crisis interventions for clients experiencing acute distress or in need of immediate support, ensuring their safety and facilitating appropriate referrals when necessary.
Collaborated closely with interdisciplinary health care teams, including psychiatrists, social workers and primary care providers, to provide holistic care and address clients’ multifaceted needs.

Pro tip

Make your mental health counselor credentials pop by using action words. By using interesting words, like “spearheaded” and “implemented,” you’ll keep a recruiter’s attention. Adding data shows employers the impact of the work you have done and allows them to see what you’ll bring to the table if you’re hired.

Step 5

Showcase your education and training

Education is everything in the field of mental health counseling. To be hired as a mental health counselor, you’ll need to show employers that you have the required education and training.

Top candidates for this role often list their degrees, starting with a master’s degree in clinical psychology, health counseling or a related field, and relevant certifications or special training. Students in master’s programs are usually also required to complete an internship to complete a certain number of supervised clinical hours and provide counseling under the guidance of a licensed professional. There is no need to list your year of graduation unless you’re a very recent grad.

Finally, after completing your master’s program, you will need to become licensed to practice as a mental health counselor. Licensing requirements vary by state but they typically involve passing an exam.

You must include all of these educational requirements in your resume.

How to list your education:

EDUCATION

Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Graduated: May 2022

Bachelor of Science in Psychology
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA

LICENSING:

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), California Board of Behavioral Sciences

CERTIFICATIONS:

Certification in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), 2024
Addiction Counseling Certification (in progress)

Optional sections for your mental health counselor resume

Volunteer work

Featuring volunteer work can be a boost to your resume, especially if the activities are tied to therapy or mental health. Including these endeavors offers employers a more comprehensive view of you as a candidate.

How to feature volunteer work on your resume:

Volunteer counselor at Camp Kara, a free bereavement camp for youth ages 6-17 who have experienced the death of a significant person in their lives.
Volunteer facilitator for SMART Recovery.

Languages

Knowing more than one language is highly prized in therapy because it allows you to communicate with a wider range of clients. Being multilingual expands your ability to help people, which is an attractive quality for many employers.

Ultimately, if a job opening comes down to two similarly qualified candidates for a mental health counselor role and one of them lists multiple languages on their resume, the multilingual candidate may have an edge.

How to showcase languages on your resume:

Fluent in English and Russian
Conversational Spanish

Add a cover letter

Cover letter example mental health counselor

Create your cover letter

Round out your application with a cover letter that matches your resume. Not only does a set of matching application materials look buttoned up and professional but also adding a cover letter to your application for a mental health counselor role can help you stand out. Why? Because it gives you extra space to convince the employer that you’re the right person for the job.

Learning how to write a cover letter for a mental health counselor job starts with studying our cover letter examples to learn how to express your unique candidacy in a compelling way and how to format your cover letter for success.

Or, if you want a job-specific cover letter in a matter of minutes, use our professional Cover Letter Builder, which offers professionally written text suggestions for every section. Use the wording as-is or customize it to suit your needs.

Key takeaways for your mental health counselor resume

Personalize your resume for each opportunity

Tailor your resume to align with the specific requirements of each job ad to which you apply, making note of the critical skills and experience outlined in the job description.
Select the appropriate resume format

Decide what you’d like to emphasize the most on your mental health counselor resume — such as strong skills, an impressive work history or both — and then select the format that will help you put your best foot forward.
Choose an appropriate resume template

If you’re applying for a job at a conservative company, you’ll want to choose a conservative resume design. For less traditional work environments, your resume template can be more colorful and creative.
Follow our steps for a standout resume

Take care to write all five sections of your resume in a way that is specific to the job you seek. Your professional summary, skills, work experience and education section should all contain information that is targeted to the job ad.
Include both hard and soft skills

Being a mental health counselor requires a mix of technical and personal skills to do the job well. Study our list of hard and soft skills to be sure that you include a balance of both types in your resume.
Make your work experience section shine

Accomplish this by using action verbs, data and metrics to show the impact of your work.
Go the extra mile

Including a well-written mental health counselor cover letter can increase your chances of landing a job interview, so take the chance to include one with your application.

Commonly asked questions by job seekers

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Heather is the Content Strategy Manager for Resume Now and a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with more than ten years of experience writing about job search and career topics. She is based in San Francisco.